Its curtains for Banganga, cultural festivals
Mumbai: The Banganga music festival that draws the cream of Mumbai to the holy tank every November has been closed down for good. The Indian Heritage Society (IHS), which was involved in the erstwhile public-private partnership (PPP) with MTDC, will not seek permission to host the festival.
Last week, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) had disassociated itself from the five main cultural shows which it organises in Maharashtra, namely Banganga, Elephanta, Ellora, Kalidas and Mumbai festivals. It pulled out of the PPP because it felt its goodwill was being exploited by the joint organisers and sponsors. Throwing them a tough challenge, MTDC had asked the sponsors or the owners of the venues to go ahead and organise the events on their own steam. However, the private parties have declined the offer. Why should we do so? asks Anita Garware, who heads the IHS. It is not our job to promote tourism.
A spokesperson from Tata Consultancy Services, which has been sponsoring the Elephanta festival since two years, also declined to do so, saying their role is limited to sponsoring the MTDC product. Neither are we involved in running the festival, nor do we decide which artistes will perform, he says.
Even if it were to make the attempt, the private sector would encounter many procedural difficulties, given that venues like Elephanta, Ellora and Banganga are heritage sites controlled either by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) or the state department of archaeology and museums. In fact, Elephanta and Ellora are designated as world heritage sites.
Jayant Gaikwad, managing director of MTDC, confirms that the state government had changed its policy towards cultural festivals. He says, Our organisation is meant to provide infrastructure for tourism. We have resolved not to put our weight behind a series of essentially private cultural initiatives.
Admittedly, MTDC invests a token amount of Rs 5 lakh towards each event. However, its resentment stems from the feeling that private partners dictate terms. They are merely using us to endorse the festivals by lending our logo and our goodwill. It is not possible for us to extend our hospitality any longer. After all, it is we who have to answer public queries posed to us under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. People demand to know the amount of money that was collected and spent for each festival, and we are unable to respond because there is no transparency of accounts, says Gaikwad.
Officials also complain that they are seldom consulted about the artistes who are chosen to perform at each festival. However, the sponsors claim to observe complete transparency in the deal. The sponsorship cheques are handed over directly to MTDC, says Anita Garware. The IHS has been organising the Banganga Festival in association with two foreign banks. TCS also says it pays the sponsorship money directly to MTDC.
It is MTDC that determines how the funds are disbursed, although we are particular about the artistes who perform at the event, admits Garware. Questioning the wisdom of the move to truncate the partnership, she wonders if the Madhya Pradesh government would ever cancel the Khajuraho festival or Orissa the Konark spectacle.
WHAT THE RULES SAY
WHAT THE RULES SAY
ASI superintending archaeologist G Narasimhan, under whose jurisdiction the Elephanta caves fall, says that so far it is MTDC that has been procuring permission for the Elephanta festival from the director general of the ASI. If a private party wants permission to do likewise, it must remember that there are specific guidelines for organising events at heritage properties. Apart from a refundable deposit, the fee for using regular heritage sites ranges from Rs 25,000-50,000. There is a separate fee structure for World Heritage Sites like Ellora and Elephanta.
CULTURE SHOCK: The Banganga music festival that used to take place in November has been closed down for good