New Delhi: Located just beneath the Shadipur metro station is a slum where 600 artists live and represent themselves in fairs and festivals. We are talking about the Kathputli Colony, known for magicians, puppeteers, and acrobats. A visit to this place is enough to say that it is the only place where the art of magic is preserved in India. For hundreds of years roaming artists traveled the Indian countryside, creating the stories, the mythological backbone that would unite a country. In the 1950s the artists ended their itinerant routes and moved into vacant land beside a jungle in West Delhi. They called their new home the Kathputli Colony. It is also known as ‘Kalakaron ki Basti', ‘Madari colony' and ‘Bazeegar colony' in local language. The people of the slum have lived a life of lowest degradation but highest honor. One can see in someone's ramshackle home, a photo album where these artists are pictured along with former Prime Minister. The Indian government takes away these talents across the world to show the cultural excellence of India. Though the people live in semi pakka houses but have traveled abroad. Heaps of garbage, flies and mosquitoes buzzing all around is a common sight in the colony. There are also some NGOs in the slum which arrange training sessions for the folk artists. Shilpayan is a one-room school situated in the same building. Here poor children are taught to read and write. In this school, free training in art and craft work is given to young girls. Kabutar Natt, acrobats, puppetry, etc are the talents of these people which have been recognized around the globe. However, they have not been given proper conditions to live in to preserve their art forms, and practice it. Though the government had promised to replace slum clusters with high rise buildings, still no action has been taken. There have been many hurdles in the redevelopment scheme.
