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For past 2 decades, Ravindra Sharma (fondly referred to by everyone as Guruji) has been working with artisans in the Adilabad district of AP and is the founder of Kala Ashram. Kala Ashram is meant to be an ashram for traditional arts, science and technology. Guruji himself is an encyclopeadia of information about the traditional rural Indian arts, science, and society.
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Four major components of Guruji's work include: |
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1) Resource provisioning: Kala Ashram's museum also serves as a resource base for artists and artisans who do not have access to tools and accessories. For instance, the Dakkalodu or the community historian of the Maadiga (leather crafting) community in the Adilabad region often borrows his musical instruments and the scroll from the museum to perform to his local audience. These scrolls, painted by the Naquashi community, are expensive and take years to prepare.
2) Karigar gurukuls: Every year, Guruji organizes karigar gurukuls, where artisans improve or innovate techniques, pass them on to younger members of their community, or teach them to groups belonging to other communities.
3) Study of traditional social organization: Guruji has been observing and studying the traditional social organization, and one recent effort is to document/record the dying arts of the Bhiksha vruttis, who sing/tell the oral history of other castes, while living off their patronage.
4) Documentation: Guruji intends to document much of his understanding of traditional arts, science, technology and social organization in the form of booklets. He also intends to document many of the activities of Kala Ashram such as the workshops and the performances of the Bhiksha vruttis.
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