Surajkund Craft Mela attracts huge crowd on last day

The Surajkund Mela at Faridabad ended on a promising note as it opened doors for global markets and provided craftsmen an opportunity to showcase variety of ethnically diverse handicrafts, handloom products and cuisines along with participants from various nations.

The annual fair which commenced on February 01 was inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and it showcased a variety of ethnically diverse handicrafts, handloom products and cuisines with a good number of foreign participants.

The Haryana Governor H.E. Jagannath Pahadia was the chief guest at the Closing-Cum-Award Presentation Ceremony and in his valedictory speech he said the fair has been a custodian of the dying arts and this time, a special area was created for craftsmen practicing and languishing arts where they showcased their talent.

"I am feeling really happy to be a part of the closing ceremony and primarily because the fair went very smoothly and all the necessary arrangements were taken care of by the authorities to make it a successful one. Our dream is that fair takes places in a similar way in the years to come and garners attention not only in India but worldwide," said Pahadia.

For the visitors it was an enthralling experience of witnessing a wide range of finest of ethnically diverse handicrafts, handlooms, authentic fragrance and flavours.

"I have been coming here to the Surajkund fair since the past six years and this Mela is becoming international every year. I would like to see more participation from foreign countries. This fair is not only surrounded with a few national but both national and international countries. It is a world renowned mela," said Sherin Esther, a visitor from Tripura.

No wonder, this colourful fair reflects and also promotes the rich and diverse cultural and artistic heritage of India.

For the less-known and unknown artisans, be they from India or abroad, the Surajkund Mela provides an ideal platform to showcase their creative talents with lucrative commercial prospects.

This trade fair has had a rich and illustrious past with many countries participating years in a row in order to build trade and harmony in crafts between the countries.

Among the prominent participants at the fair of this year's edition are artisans from the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations as well as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Goa was the theme state this year and the fair had over 1,170, artisans and weavers from India and participating foreign countries regaling the visitors.