Chandigarh National Crafts Mela, an eleven -day annual extravaganza will begin on November 2 at Kalagram in the City Beautiful.
The theme of the 9th Chandigarh National Crafts Mela, a joint venture of the North Zone Cultural Centre, Ministry of Culture (NZCC) and Chandigarh Administration, will be ‘Dadra and Nagar Haveli’.
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore will inaugurate the Mela on November 2, said Chandigarh, Director Cultural Affairs, Jitender Yadav while talking to the mediapersons.
He said, “The theme of the Crafts Mela this year is ‘Dadra and Nagar Haveli’, which will bring into focus the rare folk arts and crafts and adorable folk traditions of various regions of the country”. like previous years, the NZCC has invited acclaimed handloom/handicraft artisans, including Shilpa Gurus, National Awardees, Sant Kabir Awardees etc, to showcase their traditional art and craft at the Crafts Mela, which will conclude on November 12, he said.
For the annual event, the NZCC has constructed as many as 160 ethnic stalls, out of which 12 stalls have been earmarked for artisan and craftsmen from union territory of Chandigarh and three stalls especially allotted for artisans from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, have been made from bamboos/ballies, hessian cloth, thatch.
All the eight editions of this unique festivity, being held here since 2009 have been attracting Mela lovers in thousands from the tricity and other parts of the country and abroad,” said Yadav.
Special emphasis this year has been given on the flagship campaign ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, he added.
This year, the entry gate has been tastefully designed as per the theme of the season. Aesthetically raised walls in a typical style are decorated with Warli paintings done in a typical Gujarati tradition. Food Court consisting of 16 stalls, including two stalls for Dadra and Nagar Haveli, offering rich Indian traditional cuisines and culinary delights has also been put up, where food lovers will have a date with their choicest delicacies. A spectacular cultural bonanza offering a string of fascinating folk dances and folk musical instruments from various parts of the country will keep the visiting Mela buffs enthralled in the evening segment of the Mela, everyday.
The 11-day-long festivity will have a typical folk and Manganiyar singing from Rajasthan by folk artistes, Qawali Muqabala (competition), Punjabi folk singing by budding artistes from Chandigarh, Qawali Night by Nizami Brothers, Sufi singing by Neelay Khan among other performances.