Mann Deshi Mahotsav: Festival from drought-prone Maharashtra's Mann is back

The Mann region in Satara is extremely drought-prone. The region has traditionally faced challenges with failing crops and consequently little or no work for its people who depend heavily upon agriculture.

While the hill station of Mahabaleshwar in Satara receives the highest rainfall, Mann receives the lowest.

Three decades ago, into the lives of these farmer families, came social entrepreneur Chetna Sinha and her determination to change the lives and destiny of this community, which she went on to do with the establishment of the Mann Deshi Foundation, proving transformational for the people here.

Over the last few years, locals from Mann travelled to Mumbai to host the 'Mann Deshi Mahotsav'.

However, for the last two years, the festival could not be held because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, the fifth edition of the festival will be held from January 5-8 at the Ravindra Natya Mandir at Prabhadevi in Dadar.

Sinha encouraged women to turn into entrepreneurs and the Foundation provided them with the training and business acumen for the same.

“But there was also a need to provide access to better-paying markets, and from this was born the 'Mann Deshi Mahotsav' – a celebration of the fabulous food and non-food produce made by the women entrepreneurs of Mann Desh,” she said.

The 'Mann Deshi Mahotsav' is in many ways a showcase of everything the Mann Deshi Foundation and Mann Deshi Women’s Bank have strived hard to build over the last three decades.

The 'Mahotsav' hosts a variety of stalls -- all run by rural women entrepreneurs from across the state. On sale are a range of food and artisanal products unique to their region of origin.

This year, the exhibition is expected to host several unique art forms such as Rogan art from Kutch, Jain Durries from Mann taluka and Kasuti Art from Karnataka, and give people a chance to see how Indian craft practices can sustain the country’s cultural heritage, promote local livelihoods and meet sustainable development goals. Visitors to the 'Mahotsav' can also buy agricultural produce including chemical-free grains, millets and staples directly from farmers, and spices and specialty ready-to-eat foods prepared and branded by women entrepreneurs at home.

Special teams at the Foundation carefully curate the food products, the art and the trades that are shown at the exhibition to ensure Mumbai gets a true flavour of what rural India has to offer.

“The experience is authentic, rustic and transformative in nature. Women exhibitors forge lifelong relationships with paying customers who continue to patronise them way long after the 'Mahotsav' ends,” according to a press statement.

Visitors to the exhibition can also participate in live stalls set up by the village tradespeople, or the Bara Balutedar, and actually make pottery products, learn to weave baskets, make lac bangles and much more. Come for the artisanal products, and stay for the food!

Satara's 'kharda', a range of chutneys including the region’s famous peanut chutney, pickles, jowari bread, 'kurdya', 'masavadya' and Satara's 'kandi pedha' will all be available.

It will also see performers bring Mann Desh to Mumbai through the Gajji -- a vibrant folk dance typical to the region.

Chandatai Tiwadi, a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, will perform Bharud, or performance poetry. Young girls from the Mann Deshi Champions Sports Foundation will participate in exhibition wrestling matches.