Bengaluru Santhe? What is that, ask Bangaloreans

The Bengaluru Santhe on Swami Vivekananda Road that was inaugurated on May 8 with much fanfare by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) wore a deserted look on Friday, with hardly any customers paying it a visit. Though there is a provision to allot 83 stalls for artisans and members of self-help groups, the BMRCL has succeeded in attracting only about 40 artisans and those who support the cause of artisans in rural areas.

The artisans who have been exhibiting their products at these stalls for more than 20 days have been sitting idle most of the time owing to lack of customers.

“Some people visit our stalls during the weekends but not on weekdays. I think that the lack of awareness or publicity about Bengaluru Santhe might be a reason for the low response and lack of encouragement from public,’’ said M Manjula, member of a self-help group, Suruchi, which exhibits cotton bags at the Santhe.

The objective of Bengaluru Santhe was to promote and help artisans from rural areas. The exhibition was supposed to be a platform for artisans to showcase their best products. The terms and conditions of participation offered to rural artisans and members of self-help groups includes a fee of Rs100 per stall per day. The artisans have to share 5% of the revenue with the BMRCL. The shops can be rented out for a maximum period of 60 days. The artisans have no problem to pay the fee of Rs 100 per day but they are worried about the lack of response from the public. “

We are very happy with the guidance and cooperation of K Prabhakara Rao, the chief executive officer of BMRCL. Though his intentions are good, the need of the hour is publicity. Not many people are aware of the existence of Bengaluru Santhe,’’ said Rajeswari Manjunath of Shiva Home Products from Shimoga.

Lack of other facilities such as eateries, entertainment and parking place for vehicles are attributed as  the other reasons for the lack of footfalls at Bengaluru Santhe.

“Many visitors have told us that they faced lot of problems to find space for parking vehicles. If the authorities concerned take measures to provide a suitable place for parking vehicles, there will be more visitors. I request the BMRCL authorities to put up more banners on Swami Vivekananda Road to create awareness  about the Santhe,’’ said Hema Sekhar,  who won a national award for her skills in making batik tie-and-dye products.

Meanwhile, Prabhakara Rao agreed on the need to create awareness among Bangaloreans about the Santhe. “We are mulling over several options to ensure sufficient publicity. As far as the issue of vehicle parking is concerned, not many people are aware of the two-acres of land nearby meant for parking. Ours is the only Metro rail station in the country to have such a vast space for parking vehicles,’’ said Rao.