The landmark village-themed crafts bazaar, Shilparamam, will cease to exist in its current form as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) goes ahead with its Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP). There is an air of fear and uncertainty among the dozens of craftsmen as yellow lines and round markings are drawn across various locations of the bazaar which was conceptualised in 1995. The dotted yellow line runs from the entrance over the vast lawn to the Leather Puppet Museum and beyond to the rock formation.
“We got a letter about a month ago from the GHMC about their plan to begin the work. We asked them to explain exactly how they want to execute the work. We are requesting them to take up the work in stages so that this can continue to function in some form,” said a Shilparamam official, requesting anonymity.
Engineering drawings of the SRDP segment in public domain show that a vast swathe of land will disappear under the flyover, including a clutch of restaurants between a 5-star hotel and Shilpakala Vedika. “Officially, only 1.78 acres of land will go for the project, but everything will be disturbed as the existing main entrance, exit and portions of night bazaar will be demolished. We will have to relocate 250 stall-holders temporarily. The ethnic look will no longer be there,” said the official.
A vast concourse of humanity passes though the bazaar where expert craftsmen drawn from across the country sell their creation.
“We have been told that we will have to vacate and this portion will be demolished right up to the Nataraj statue. I will have to go back to my village near Puri till something else comes up,” says Jitender Sahu, who runs a Patachitra stall in the complex.
On a raised ground set amid rocks is the brass statue of Nataraja which will have to make way for the flyover.
“When we designed Shilparamam, we worked around the ecology of the place so that it’s not disturbed. We didn’t use earthmovers. We improvised so that there is an ethnic feel inside the market. We took the help of Nirmiti Kendras and used concrete rafters with the texture of wood to create a rustic environment. Once the Ayyannar statues are demolished and front elevation is disturbed, it will no longer resemble the structure we designed,” says V. Narasimham, who along with Shankar Narayan designed the prize-winning project.
“Why do we need this flyover? The Metro was supposed to tackle commuter movement. Now even before the Metro gets going, we have this SRDP coming up at Durgam Cheruvu, KBR Park and Shilparamam. I don’t understand the urgency to invest huge amounts of money on two massive projects,” says Shankar Narayan.
But inside Shilparamam, the stall-holders meet regularly and swap stories about the impending demolitions. “When will they begin work? Will they allow us back? Where will they put up the new stalls?” questions Gulzar, the Gulmarg craftsman who has been selling Pashmina shawls for the past 10 years.
