State's folk arts, flower show big draws on Day 1 of Makkala Habba

Eight-year-olds performing balancing acts on poles and a reverberating performance on drums by children were some of the events that marked the first day of the Makkala Habba in Cubbon Park on Saturday.

The four-day children's carnival, organised by the Department of Women and Child Development Department in collaboration with government departments and organisations, witnessed the participation of children from across the state.

A section of the park was also transformed into a village with tiny huts. Each of the huts had volunteers teaching traditional games to children. Women grinding ragi, a potter churning out clay pots on his wheel were some interesting sights.

Rare art forms of Karnataka like dollu kunitha (drum dance) and bombe vybhava (doll dance) were brought alive by talented children. The dance performances were also a reflection of the cultures of the different communities in the state. The event will witness performances depicting the cultural heritage of Karnataka like sambala vadana, hagalu vesha, joguthi kunitha and kolata on Sunday.

"My son learned about the various life stages of the butterfly and how silk is obtained from silkworms. He also learned about traditional games like gilli danda and chowka bara, many which have been long forgotten. It was great learning experience for the both of us," said Veena Harsha, who visited the event with her son Gandharva.

A dedicated section titled 'Know Your Army' was set up by the Army to expose children to the lives of the defence forces, the various arms and ammunition and about their culture and dedication to the country.

Kannada and Culture Minister Umashree, who visited the venue, praised children for bringing folk art forms to the festival and called upon them to revive Karnataka's culture.

 
Flower show
The famous lotus temple was recreated using nearly one lakh flowers like roses, lilies and orchids. Another major attraction was the monument of love 'Taj Mahal' which was recreated using red and white flowers.

Another crowd-puller was a police station built entirely out of red, green and yellow capsicums with an objective of raising awareness among children about the police.

A life-like cobra made of bamboo was also among the installations.

The horticulture department also set up stalls that gave out information about low-cost terrace gardening, growing vegetables using hydroponics method under the theme of "urban horticulture".

"We come to the flower show every year and we enjoyed the outing this year. The installations look amazing, especially the police station made of vegetables," said Äshwin Shyam, a visitor.