JOIN USThe quintessential Punjabi ambience greeted people as they entered ‘Mela - For A Cause’, an annual event celebrating the cultural heritage of the country. It was held at St Mark’s Cathedral and organised by ‘AIM for Seva’.
The mela was inaugurated by singer Lucky Ali. Children from the NGO’s Yelahanka school sang an inaugural song to kickstartthe event.The guests were welcomed by Punjabi dhol players. They sang folk songs from the state and were accompanied by women, who danced to the catchy beats.
The mela had a mix of art, culture and food. To add a Punjabi feel to it, the entire area was divided into various parts — they were called Patiala gali, Amritsar gali etc.
Right from the stalls selling food to those offering handicraft, everything was kept Punjabi.
“I have a Punjabi daughter-in-law and all of us have set up a food stall, where we are selling homemade Punjabi food like, dahi bhalle, pyaj ke pakode, kachodi and aloo
sabji. It is fun to take part in programmes like these. We are getting a great response from people who have come to visit the mela,” said Nirmala Rao, one of the participants.
The ground was converted into a rural Punjabi landscape with vibrant colours and swings for children. Many women were dressed in typical Punjabi attire, as they sat in on charpai and chatted. There were other stalls, selling jewellery, handicraft and designer garments. Ruchi, who had set up a cotton handloom garment stall, was enjoying herself and said that more such events should be organised in the City.
“My stall has a lot of cotton and handloom garments like chanderi kurtas and jackets, which I have designed. Along with that, I have also put up handcrafted jewellery. The response has been good so far and I am hoping to get more customers throughout the day,” she added.
“One of our aims behind organising this mela was to spread awareness regarding ‘AIM for Seva’. The best way to do this was to promote the culture of the country. While we have showcased the culture of Punjab this year, we will portray the culture of some other state next year,” said Judy Nagarajan, the director of PR and communication of the NGO.