Cultural diversity elevated to a whole new level

annual fair

The much acclaimed event of Haryana Tourism’s calendar, the 29th Suraj­kund International Crafts Mela, was officially declared open by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will be celebrated from February  1-15 at Surajkund, Faridabad.

The Mela showcases the richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms and the resplendent cultural heritage of India.

The idea of hosting this Mela is to recreate a pristine rural ambience for foreign and domestic tourists to envelop themselves in as a change from their normal bustling urban experiences and, showcase to the patrons of arts and crafts the amount of skill and acumen that goes into the making of the artefacts at the fair.

This in turn will help to give an identity to the craftsmen of the numerous cottage industries that are across the nation and help to preserve and nurture their skills which are under threat from bigger conglomerates taking over.

The Mela is jointly hosted by Haryana Tourism Corporation and Surajkund Mela Authority, in collaboration with the Ministries of Tourism, Textiles and the Culture and External Affairs department each year.

The event has come to occupy a place of pride and prominence, garnering a footfall in excess of a million domestic and foreign visitors during the Mela fortnight.

One of the unique features of this Mela is that each year a state is chosen to be the centre of attraction or ‘theme state’. For this edition, Chhattisgarh is the chosen one, with a view to promote the arts and crafts along with the indigenous cuisine of the state.

The Mela provides a rare opportunity to the ‘Theme State’ to showcase its handicrafts, aptitude in the performing arts, cuisine and its tourist potential to a vast cross-section of people.

Chhattisgarh will showcase its tribal heritage and culture, which is still found well-preserved in the forests of Bastar. The skilled craftspersons, talented artistes and master chefs from the state are also participating in the Mela.
Also, an ethnic ambience representing the state’s rural ethos will be created on the Mela grounds.

Minister for State Tourism from Chhattisgarh, Ajay Chandrakar, spoke to Metrolife as he hurried across the pavilion to be certain that all the performances were happening without a hitch.

“It truly is one of the highest honours for the people of Chhattisgarh, including myself, to be a part of this magnanimous spectacle. Last year this festival managed to host 15 foreign countries when Goa was the theme state.

This year, I believe, we have crossed that mark and are near a score of nations. So that is something I am immensely proud of” Chandrakar said.

The Mela has grown in stature and it attained an international status in 2013. It is now attracting more and more foreign participation. Every year, a country is also chosen to be the Partner Nation that showcases the best of its art, culture, traditions and heritage. Lebanon has been given this prestigious position this year.

The deft craftsmen, cultural troupe and master chefs from the Mediterranean nation will present their talent and skills to enthral the visitors at the ongoing event.

For the first time in 2009, Egypt became the Focus Nation and the idea of introducing a country/nation as a Partner Nation was mooted. Thailand was introduced as the first Partner Nation during the 26th Surajkund Crafts Mela - 2012.

Later, African Nations participated as Partner Nations in the 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2013 and Sri Lanka was chosen as Partner Nation last year. The Theme State and Partner
Nation indeed lend a special appeal to the Mela complementing the Indian culture and leads to the confluence of various nations.

With a host of performances from the different states as well as nations and the crafts and scrumptious food from all over, this is one fair people would be unwise to miss.