BHUBANESWAR: Sankirtan performers from across the state staged a protest here on Wednesday demanding artiste status.
United under the aegis of Sri Jagannath Lok Kala Parishad, the performers demanded fulfilment of their five-point charter of demands. Apart from artistes status, the performers are demanding health insurance coverage under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, artiste allowance, free education for their children and artiste allowance.
Staging a symbolic protest by performing sankirtan and bhajan at the protest site, the agitators said while many traditional artistes of different art forms have shifted to other professions, they have been performing sankirtan to keep the art form and Jagannath culture alive. The agitators said there are close to five lakh sankirtan performers in the state and sankirtan has been identified by the government as a folk art form. While only a few artistes are covered under Mukhya Mantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana that provides them a pension of Rs 1,200 a month, many are still out of the scheme’s ambit.
“From childbirth to death, Sankirtan mandalis are called to perform bhajans, read Bhagavat Geeta and spread Jagannath Sanskruti. However, till date, government hasn’t accorded artiste status to Sankirtan artistes which deprives them of government schemes and pension,” said Pramod Patra, an artiste. He said during the annual artiste identification drive by block officials, sankirtan artistes are not taken into consideration. They threatened to continue the stir until the government meets their demands.