Unique folk dances, folk music, lip-smacking cuisines, exclusive array of tribal artifacts and much more, the annual extravagansa of National Crafts Mela is here again with a different theme — “Colours and Sound of North India”.
The UT Administration in collaboration with North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC) will organise the sixth edition of Chandigarh National Crafts Mela at Kalagram from Friday onwards.
The 10-day festival is scheduled to be held from November 14–23. The National Crafts Mela will be inaugurated on Friday evening at Kalagram by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Shivraj Patil.
Organised on the pattern of Surajkund Crafts Mela, the Chandigarh Crafts Mela has emerged as a fusion point for art and culture from across India.
While talking to the media on Thursday, UT Director Cultural Affairs, Amandeep Kaur said that a special focus is on showcasing folk traditions, arts and crafts of the Northern and also folk music, folk instruments and folk dances. Northern India is known for its diversity in terms of landscapes, people and cultures, food habits, art and architecture. This year’s special focus will be handicrafts, handlooms and folk traditions. Kalagram has been given an ethnic village look.”
Exhibitors’ huts have been made from traditional raw material. A huge entrance gate has been designed like the entrance gate of Khalsa College, Amritsar which depicting the rich Heritage.
This year, the organizers have invited around 300 folk dancers and folk instrumentalists including folk singers from all over the country. In addition to this, around 170 National and State awardees from across the country are participating.
Amandeep said, “Vibrant stalls, dance performances by folk artistes, mouth-watering cuisines, melodies streaming from musical instruments and breathtaking artifacts from all parts of the country would be the highlights of the Crafts Mela. Another attraction of the ten days Mela will be workshop of clowning for adults and youngsters by Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Academy at Kalagram village.
Besides showcasing art and crafts of the country during the forthcoming Crafts Mela, spectacular choreographed cultural programmes will be organised every evening with emphasis on folk music, folk instruments and folk dances from all regions of the country with special focus on Northern India. Besides this, there will be daylong performances by renowned folk artistes. The entry is free for all children, she added.
like the previous years, the visitors can witness the variety of bamboo, jute and cane items, handloom bags, jute jewelry, cane bags, dry flowers, shawls, dry flowers of natural jungle plants, sunflower, peepal leaf, bubber seed, cane leaf, dry wheat, pine seed, net flower, maize flower, pine flower, lily, sola flower, lichu seed etc at the Crafts Mela.
An exclusive range of tribal jewellery inspired by the tribal culture of northeast will also be on display at the Crafts. Bone, wood, clay, shells, crude metal are some of the common raw material used in tribal jewellery.