Crafts Mela a meeting ground for art, culture, music, dance

The Fourth Chandigarh National Crafts Mela, the theme of which is 'Tribes of India', was inaugurated by UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil at Kalagram on Friday evening. The fair is a meeting ground of various art forms, and showcases the best of handlooms, paintings, apparel, jewellery, furniture, home accessories, pottery and handicrafts from across the country.

The evening began on a colourful and musical note as more than 100 dancers and performers from different regions of India, dressed in their traditional costumes and with their indigenous instruments, filled the air with sounds and notes. "This is such a grand platform for us to display our art and also meet musicians and dancers from other states,'' said Pritha Mukherjee from Bengal, as she got dressed in her white and red costume. The ambience created for the mela was an artistic mix of creativity and art, with each of the 120 stalls depicting the tribal motifs, painting styles, colour combinations special to each tribal area of India. A must-look is the 20-foot entrance gate styled on the tribal theme.

The mela is also a place where you cannot just buy, but also get up, close and personal with craftsmen who are carrying on the tradition against all odds. For instance, national award winner Wahed Ahmed's wood carvings depict not only his dexterity and creativity, but also his imagination, as he draws inspiration from the environment, people, animals and gods.

The North Zone Cultural Centre has invited acclaimed handloom/craft persons which include Shilpa Gurus, National Awardees, Sant Kabir Awardees. From Assam come amazing creations in cane while you can watch the absorbing Theva art, gold work on glass. From Mirzapur are hand-woven woollen and cotton durries, which, according to the young weaver, take weeks to weave and colour. The stall of Tribes of India has metal and wood work from various states. Apparel made from yak wool come from Himachal and are traditionally designed.

A special corner is reserved for foodies, with stalls from Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kashmir, Punjab and South India offering the best from their states.

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