Thousands of art lovers from the tricity thronged Kalagram, Manimajra, (Chandigarh) here, on the 6 th day of the ongoing Aadi Mohatsav (Tribal Festival), today, despite the chilly winter winds that failed to play a dampener.
The first-of- its-kind cultural bonanza has been jointly organized by Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, and North Zone Cultural Centre, Ministry of Culture (NZCC), Government of India.
The unique festivity, which is soaked in the unbridled tribal spirit, will offer a great shopping experience for the shoppers.
“A celebration of the spirit of tribal culture, craft, cuisine and commerce’, being the theme of this season of the festival, Aadi Mahotsav, has proved to be a lifeline for the teeming millions of artists and artisans from across the country, by offering them space and sustenance to showcase their talent on a wider scale.
TRIFED has invited 150 artists and artisans from as many as 25 states of the country, including Karnataka, Odisha, Jharkhand, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttrakhand, West Bengal, Gujarat, North-east, to be a part of the grand tribal festival.
The stalls selling handloom and handicraft items witnessed a huge rush of buyers, especially at the black pottery stalls and designer pottery stalls from North-East, while the designer’s jewellery from Rajasthan, cotton frocks from Manipur, hand- woven fancy socks, cardigans, gloves and jackets from North-East and Himachal Pradesh were in great demand.
‘Pashmina’ shawls from Jammu and Kashmir, silk ‘sarees’ and suits from Maharashtra and tribal jewellery, ear-rings, bracelets and from West Bengal were the hot favourite with the buyers. The food court rolling out a variety of tribal food from various regions of the country witnessed an unprecedented rush of foodies, who had a date with their choicest culinary wonders that they savoured to their heart’s fill.
There were guys from Lahaul and Spiti region serving steaming-hot ‘siddu’ that the food-lovers relished with ghee and akhrot-ko- chattni. Hyderabadi veg ‘biryani’ was much in demand as was the non-veg ‘biryani’ and ‘rice’. Dochak, a sweet dish from Himachal Pradesh, was favorite with the sweet tooth.
Odisha stall churned out ‘manwa-ka- soup’, ‘Gundali-ki- kheer’ relished by the choosy few. The new Director of NZCC, Professor Saubhagya Vardhan, paid a visit to the festival venue on the first day of assuming charge in the head office at Patiala.
He took a round of the gaily-decorated festival venue this evening and interacted with the artists and artisans. He was all praise for their role in the preservation and promotion of the rare tribal art and craft of their respective regions.
He also lauded the role of TRIFED for offering them space and wherewithal and helping them to carry forward the legacy of country’s ancient cultural heritage”
In the evening segment, children learning ‘tabla playing’ under the stewardship of Gautam Dhar, at Kalagram, gave a powerful ‘tabla’ presentation on the stage, which evoked full-throated encomium from the audience. The festival will continue from 10 am to 8.30 pm, daily, till February 12, 2018