Photo Courtesy of Kathleen Brown
Newly annointed Dr. Sarwar Khan, FAR Founder/Director Karen Lukas and Maine College of Art (MECA) President Jim Baker after Dr. Khan received an honorary doctorate from MECA during their 2008 commencement. Spring, 2008.
Folk Arts Rajasthan evolved from an encounter in the heart of India's Thar Desert back in 1992. American painter/craftswoman Karen Lukas was walking through the small northwestern town of Jaisalmer when a young Indian man approached her. "I don’t want to buy anything, " she told him before he had spoken. "I just want to practice my English," he said, introducing himself as Sarwar Khan, a local artist and musician. Ms. Lukas agreed and the two sat down for chai and a discussion of traditional art.
They discovered that they shared a mutual passion for Rajasthani folk arts, music, and the artisans who kept these art forms alive. The conversation continued over the course of a week as Mr. Khan introduced Ms. Lukas to the local Merasi (musician) community of which he was an emerging leader. With each passing day, Ms. Lukas realized that the incredible richness of indigenous art existed in the destructive context of illiteracy, social marginalization, and crippling economic depression.
Both Ms. Lukas and Mr. Khan recognized the need for action that would not only preserve folk art culture, but also empower the gatekeepers who perpetuate these ancient art forms with education and performance opportunities. Together, they agreed to collaborate on an initiative that would encompass artistic preservation and artisan empowerment for the betterment of current and future Merasi generations.
In 1996, Mr. Khan formalized his work into Lok Kala Sagar Sansthan (LKSS), a registered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) [Reg. #16, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan]. The LKSS building displays an archive of traditional Rajasthani instruments and crafts, both antique and contemporary, Mr. Khan's visionary art and fossil installation, and a concert hall for music lessons, rehearsals, fair trade development, and an on-going women and children's literacy project, which has now grown into The Merasi School.
In 2005, Ms. Lukas registered Folk Arts Rajasthan, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that develops ideas, implements, and funds LKSS's projects promoting traditional music, dance, crafts, and educational opportunities for the Merasi of Rajasthan, India. With FAR's support, LKSS has developed into a community spine that gives artists and their children a chance to live a life framed by hope and possibility.