The nine-day annual extravaganza — Chandigarh National Crafts Mela — starting November 29 promises to showcase country’s unique folk dances, folk music, exclusive array of tribal artifacts and much more.
The UT Administration in collaboration with North Zone Cultural Centre will organise the fifth edition of Chandigarh National Crafts Mela at Kalagram from November 29 to December 7. Western India is the theme of Crafts Mela this year. The National Crafts Mela will be inaugurated on Friday evening by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Shivraj Patil.
This year, a special focus will be on showcasing folk traditions, arts and crafts of western states: Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and union territories of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu and also Rajasthan. Authentic fragrances and flavors of rich Indian cuisines, and also folk music, folk instruments and folk dances would be displayed at the ethnic village of Crafts Mela.
Vibrant stalls, dance performances by folk artistes, mouth-watering cuisines, melodies streaming from musical instruments and breathtaking artifacts from all parts of the country are the highlights of Crafts Mela. 300 folk dancers and folk instrumentalists including folk singers from all over the country would perform during the nine days long fair. In addition to this, more than 200 national and State awardees from across the country are participating to display their talent.
Beside, discerning and art inclined visitors will get a great opportunity to interact with Gurus in folk dance, art forms and instrumentalists from Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand among others. To add colours and effervescence to the nine days festivity, a photography competition to capture the vibrant moments in the Crafts Mela will also be organised. The competition is open for both professional and amateur photographers and would be held in the premises of Crafts Mela village
With participation of artisans across India, the special handicrafts to be displayed include shawls, stole, tie and dye muffler etc. from Gujarat, Kolhapuri chappals from Maharashtra. The artist from Uttar Pradesh are getting zari jangla sari whereas palm leaf engraving from Odisha shall be another attraction. The art and craft from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana are special features at the Crafts Mela village this year.
Also, to inculcate the value of Art amongst children, there will be live demonstration at few stalls, especially for kids. Besides showcasing art and crafts of the country during the National 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 Western India. Besides this, there will be daylong performances by renowned folk artistes at the Crafts Mela village.
UT Special Secretary Finance-cum-Secretary Cultural Affairs, Bhawna Garg said, “Designed on the pattern of Surajkund Crafts Mela, Chandigarh Crafts Mela has emerged as a fusion point for art and culture from across India. Western 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. The exhibitors’ huts have been made from traditional raw material. To enhance the beauty of mud clad walls, Pithora painters from Gujarat and Warli painters from Maharashtra are called, to set the ambience of Western India as the theme of the Crafts Mela. A huge entrance gate has been designed like Bakht Buland Shah (Gond King) Fort Darwaza,” she added.