The Aadi Mahotsav is an attempt to showcase the arts and crafts of the tribal communities in order to enhance their skills, business and incomes
The advent of winter signals the beginning of fests and trade fairs in the city. At every corner you can see people making a beeline to various events. An important one in the cultural calendar of the city is Aadi Mahotsav with the theme — A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Crafts, Culture and Commerce. The festival featured exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, art, paintings, fabric, jewellery and much more through 150 stalls. It was inaugurated by Home Minister Amit Shah.
As the name suggests, it is the ‘aadi’ factor that is important about this festival. The adivasi way of life is guided by primal truths and a natural simplicity. The greatness of the tribes is that they have managed to retain their skills. This quality gives their art and craft a timeless appeal.
The tribes of India have a wide range of handicrafts — handwoven cotton, wool and silk fabrics, woodcrafts, metal craft, terracotta, bead-work, masks and other objects. They also produce vivid paintings. It is therefore important that their natural skills must be channeled to augment their income sources. So the government promotes interaction between the tribal artisans and the mainstream designers. The idea is to expand the product range and designs.
The Government has formed the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) which has embraced e-commerce and digital platforms in pursuit of the aim.
Om Birla, Speaker of Lok Sabha was the chief guest on Day 2 of the festival. He along with Arjun Munda, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs and Pravir Krishna, IAS, MD, TRIFED, visited stalls on the second day.
There was a cultural performance by Padma Shri awardee Malini Awasthi on third day of the festival and Qawwali by Chanchal Bharti and her group on the fourth day.
Classic flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia performed on the fifth day. Hema Malini, MP was the chief guest on Day 6 of the festival.
Indian Hockey team was the chief guest on Day 7 of the festival. There was a fashion show showcasing tribal products from different states and cultural performance by Sadhna.
Eminent fashion personalities were the guests on day 8. AWWA President Madhulika Rawat and other eminent fashion personalities were the chief guests on Day 9 of the festival.
There was a mesmerising performance by sufi singer Manak Ali on Day 10 which also saw a visit by the Chhattisgarh governor.
The tribal textiles manufactured by master tribal craftsmen from Jammu & Kashmir in the North to Tamil Nadu in the South and from Gujarat in the West to Nagaland/Sikkim in the East has been attracting the attention of all the visitors. Traditional tribal jewellery and items made of bamboo are the other items which have found favour with the buyers. Tribal handicrafts are being sold through 100 stalls by tribal artisans.
The mahotsav, which is on till November 30, is an effort to take tribal commerce to the next level of digital and electronic transactions. Apart from the exotic handicrafts the festival is also showcasing the electronic and digital skills of the tribals as a special attraction.