If its neighbour is distinguished as
a centre of excellence in IT education, Shilparamam, a contrast in time and substance to the Cyber Towers, is memorable as
a unique achievement in reviving and preserving centuries-old handicrafts and folk
forms of theatre and dance. On display at the crafts village is the colourful and
magnificent artistry of the countryside in all its splendour. The setting is exquisitely
scenic and serene, encompassing 50 acres of greenery, millenia-old rock formations
and undulating landscape. The vast expanse of land of this beautiful village is
a gift of the Andhra Pradesh government to the South Zone Cultural Centre.
The entire project is conceived as an endless, year-round festival of arts and crafts
showcasing the talents and the skills of the rural folk from all parts of the country.
You enter the village through a majestic gateway flanked by two life-size terracotta
horses. In sections specially provided for them, you can see craftsmen chiselling
raw wood into objects of everlasting value, sculpting wonders from stone, harnessing
metal into stunning images of gods and goddesses and weaving magic in cotton, silk and gold thread.
These live demonstrations of artisanship bring back to the visitor
pictures of a bygone era of Dhaka muslin, Kondapalli toys, Bankura horses, gudda-guddis
of Punjab, temple arts and a motley of Indian arts and crafts forms which have survived
the assaults of both the industrial and cyber revolutions.
In short, a visit to
the village is an unforgettable spiritual experience for the visitor.
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As one visitor remarked: "The village was conceived with an idea to create an environment
for the preservation of traditional crafts. A festival celebrated at Shilparamam
is a ‘reincarnation of arts and crafts’
when artifacts, related functional skills
and supportive traditions are presented in a manner connecting the boundaries between
theatre, crafts, music, dance and poetry, each complementing the other."
Apart from demonstrating their skills, the craftsmen have set up shops, more than
450 of them, decorated in simple and rustic styles to sell the goods they make from
textiles to artifacts and knick-knacks.
The shops and most of the structures here
are representative of rural aesthetics manifesting in thatched roofs, rangoli-carpeted
floors and folk frescos and murals. You can buy textiles ranging from Tangail, Sambhalpur,
Paithni, Kashmiri to Kanjeevaram, Dharmavaram, Tanjavur, Madurai, Peddapuram, Bandar,
Guntur and other sarees. For the younger set, a wide collection of salwar kameezes,
ghagaras, kurta pyjamas and dupattahs is available in unending
variety of designs
and patterns. All this is in your reach in a setting of rustic architecture, a centre-stage
of cultures and a melting pot of traditions.
Among the men and women dedicated to a resurrection of the country’s centuries-old
arts heritage can be found distinguished artisans who have won state and national
awards. In one of the stalls, you can see a state award winner for ceramic painting
and elsewhere a national award winner for Kota sarees. The father and grandfather
of the artisan you see selling Bidriware are recipients of awards from the Karnataka
government.
There is a breath-taking range of village theatre covering Tholu Bommalata, Burra
Katha, Butta Bommalu, Puli Vesham and puppetry. There is an auditorium enriching
the happiness of the visitor by featuring classical and folk music concerts, plays
and magic shows. Shantiniketan's Subroto Basu has fashioned a rock garden here by
blending his own rock collections with the natural and picturesque rock formations
found in the village. There are lakes and inland waterways in the village flanked
by lush green lawns on the one side and coconut groves on the other.You can pedal
or paddle a boat on the lake. There are also places where the gourmet can taste
ethnic food in traditional milieu.
Besides these thrills, the village organises special annual events like the festivals
of arts and crafts in March, cultural shows at the time of Ugadi, Dasara and Sankranti.
This is the most glorious time weatherwise in Hyderabad to visit the village and
buy what you can and fancy, attend a music concert, see a dance recital and take
a tour of the village through performances of several folk dance forms like Dappulu
Dhimsa, Koya and Veeranatyam.
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