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From the Market to the Heart

(Gram Haat, Annapurna Hall, Paldi, Ahmedabad.
May 19, 2005) Haat: A Way to People’s Heart

Our President, Dr. Abdul Kalam has conceptualised an image
for the development of India. He has given a golden dream,
and in this plan, he has classified India into different parts. One
of the parts in this plan addresses the desert areas. Such areas
do not have enough agricultural activity throughout the year
due to the scarcity of rains, and hence he has suggested the
business of handicrafts for the poor people of such regions. The
art of handicraft is inherent in the people of the arid regions of
Gujarat and Rajasthan. I believe it is God’s own way of making
up for the lack of natural resources.

We need to make specific plans to develop these arts as a
part of the journey of development. Such a plan should include
the objectives of making the art scientific, to support it with
modern productivity methods, to get a good market for the art
items, and to help increase the price of the art products. Only
by fulfilling these objectives can we lead this art to big
businesses.

Usually, till now, these artists go to public places like fun-
fairs with their bundles of the artsy items to do their business.
They draw their customers’ attention towards them by playing
‘Dhol’. This needs to be changed. When we think of the ‘Haat’ –
a village market – all we can usually think of is a small hut
raised on a small piece of land where people sell their goods
from. This is quite a narrow idea of the, ‘Haat’. We have brought