the folk experience

There is a lot of concern about the folk arts in India, that nothing is being done to ensure their continuance. In fact a lot is being done, the concern is that the efforts are not properly channelised in a way that will make the most difference. Folk fashion is very popular in India, thanks to top designers like Ritu Kumar, but there lies the problem too. The benefit reaches them and not the actual folk artisans.
There are many institutions that are set up to promote the folk arts but actually promote only themselves. They showcase the aspects of folk art that are the most commercially viable. For ex. last year at the Janapada Mela at the Parishad, folk dances from all over the country were shown. But this year it was mostly the folk dances of Rajasthan and Gujarat that were shown, obviously because they are the best known and the most immediately popular. There are over a thousand variations of folk dance in India, how come we only see the bhangra and the garba!