After a gap of over eight months, the arts, crafts and cultural society Shilparamam at PM Palem in Visakhapatnam is slowly limping back to normalcy. Spread over 25 acres, the space is dedicated to conserving art and culture with its open-air auditorium, scenes of village life through sculptures and Alluri Seetaramaraju museum.
The cultural hub is now almost ready to host weddings and major events.
Speaking to The Hindu, T. Viswanath Reddy, manager and administrative officer of Shilparamam, said, “The facilities of 10 air-conditioned rooms, dining hall and toilets, and a kalyana mandapam with a capacity of 1,000 guests are almost ready. The project was completed at a cost of ₹1.78 crore.” A separate entrance for this along with arch is also being planned and work will begin once funds are allotted. Plans are afoot for developing Shilparamam at an estimated cost of ₹10.92 crore.
The cultural space, which reopened in September, recorded 5,864 visitors during the Kartika Masam this year, generating a revenue of ₹1.88 lakh. Last year, it saw as many as 18,390 visitors during the same period.
Earlier this week, an All India Handloom Crafts Mela with 70 weavers from across the country was kick-started at the cultural hub. The exhibition houses 63 stalls, displaying handloom weaves crafted by a number of artisans from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
“For the past several years, we used to come to Shilparamam in December to the mela to sell our artworks. This year has been great struggle for artisans like us. We are hoping that opening up of art exhibitions will give us some support,” says Ram Prasad, an artisan from Uttarakhand, who arrived in the city with his decorative terracotta artifacts three days ago to participate in the mela.
Stalls showcasing Warangal Durries, Narayanpet, Venkatgiri, Mangalagiri, Chanderi and Pochampally saris, along with dress materials and bedsheets are a part of the mela. The exhibition is on till December 30.
According to Mr. Viswanath, artisans across India have been enquiring to find out when the melas will begin. “This is the first exhibition post pandemic and we have ensured that all safety measures are in place by implementing the Standard Operating Procedure and norms like wearing face masks, use of sanitisers and maintaining social distancing in the premises,” said P. Pardha Saradhi, Handicrafts Promotion Officer, AP Shilparamam Arts, Crafts and Cultural Society.