Cultural ‘Dhamaal’ at Crafts Mela draws unprecedented: Sunday, being a holiday, was the happening day for city folks, who thronged Kalagram on day 3 of the ongoing 14th Chandigarh National Crafts Mela, jointly organised by the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC), Ministry of Culture, Government of India and Chandigarh Administration.

During the 10-day cultural ‘dhamaal’, music lovers from the tricity witnessed a flurry of fascinating folk dances of various states during the morning and evening sessions. States on focus were Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jarkhand, Uttrakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Rajasthan and others, which kept the audience enthralled.

The visiting guests, especially the tiny tots, enjoyed the ground performances, including ‘Kachi Ghori (Raj), Behurupiyas, Nachar and Baajigar (Pb) Nagada and Been Jogis. (Har). Enthusiasts made it sure to click a selfie with artistes.

The typical Punjab village created at the venue had on public display the conventional spinning wheels, kitchen utensils made of copper and  bronze and agricultural tools, ploughs, ploughshare, hand-driven ‘chakki’ and all other gadgets reminiscent of the times gone by.

Gaily dressed damsels sporting the traditional salwar-kameez attire with colourful ‘duppata’ fluttering across their heads shown with earthen pitcher at the village well, which enchanted the visitors. Terra cotta images of horses, elephants and other wild animals and wooden sculptures created during workshops dot the venue attracting the crowd.

Food lovers had a gala time during the  as they relished a fare of traditional cuisines at the food court offering a range of delectable dainties from the states of Maharashtra, Bihar, Sikkim, Punjab, Haryana, Awadh, Hydrabad, Gujarat and so on.

Artisans and craftsmen drawn from different corners of the country displayed a range of designer crockery, cutlery, fabric, woollens and other winter wear, artificial jewellery, carpets, rugs, mats, designer suits and sarees, Patiala ‘jutti’ for men and women.

“We owe a big thank you for the organizers for hosting the annual Crafts Mela, a confluence of art-centric, cultural and culinary activity, which keeps us hooked for 10 days. The opportunity offers a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of India.

We also get an opportunity to interacting with the artisans, which is a rewarding experience for us to know more about our diverse country and its ancient heritage” said Meenakshi, a Chandigarh government school teacher.

The singers of the evening were Bollywood legends Padmashri Suresh Wadkar and his wife Padma Wadkar, who belted out their hit numbers, turning the evening musical. They rendered their solo and duets and even obliged their fans singing songs of their choice. “Tumse mil kar na jaane kyon…”, Megha re megha re…”, Meri kismet mein tun nahin shayad…”Hoosan Pahadon Ka…” et al

Tomorrow’s (December 2) fixture: Well-known Punjabi singer and a heartthrob of the young and the old, Kulwinder Billa, will perform.

The Mela will continue till December 8