CHANDIGARH, JAN 31
All is set for the 31st Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2017 beginning at Surajkund in district Faridabad on February 1, 2017
. More than 20 countries from Europe, Africa and South Asia are participating in the Mela and Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Tunisia, Mongolia, South Africa will be the first timers. It will be inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal. Haryana Tourism Minister Ram Bilas Sharma will also be present on the occasion.
This was stated by Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, and Vice Chairperson, Surajkund Mela Authority, Mr. V.S. Kundu while addressing mediapersons at the Chaupal, Surajkund Mela Ground today.
Mr Kundu said that Tourism and Culture Minister, Jharkhand, Mr. Amar Kumar Bauri, Ambassador of Egypt to India, Mr. Hatem Tageldin, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Mr. Krishan Pal, Haryana Industries Minister, Mr. Vipul Goel, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism and Hospitality, Mrs. Seema Trikha, Chairman, Haryana Tourism Corporation, Mr. Jagdish Chopra, MLA, Ballabhgarh, Mr. Mool Chand Sharma and other distinguished dignitaries would also grace the occasion.
Mr. V.S. Kundu said that keeping pace with the Digital India Initiative, the Mela entry tickets are available at online portal ‘bookmyshow’. The offline ticket sale is also strengthened to ensure convenience of visitors with minimal waiting time at the gates. The offline ticket counters at mela grounds have been increased to avoid queues. As a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, the Surajkund Mela Authority provides 50 per cent rebate on the entry tickets to the differently-abled or Divyang persons, senior citizens and serving soldiers and war widows, and their dependents. Similarly, to encourage youth participation, a discount of 50 per cent on entry tickets is being given to college students on weekdays on the production of valid ID cards. A free ferry service for visitors has been extended throughout the Mela fortnight from different areas of Faridabad and metro stations in the vicinity. Golf Cart and Battery Operated Rickshaw are available on request, for facilitating the movement of senior citizens and differently-abled or Divyang persons.
During the Mela fortnight, special to and fro bus services are available to Surajkund from ISBT Delhi, Shivaji Stadium, Gurgaon and Faridabad. Special Mela express buses would offer smooth connectivity from the far flung areas of Haryana to Surajkund. Also, a bus service from Ballabgarh to Tughlakabad metro station via Surajkund and Tughlakabad metro station to Ballabgarh via Surajkund, Badarpur metro station to Surajkund and back is made available on a 30 mts interval. Metro services are also available from Central Secretariat till Badarpur via Sarita Vihar and Mohan Estate. Badarpur locality is close to the interstate border between the city of Faridabad and Delhi.
With a view to ensure 100 per cent cashless mode of transactions, Dena Bank, the official banker has been asked to provide 100 POS Machines, a dedicated bank branch with two ATMs and six Mobile ATM Vans to facilitate participants and visitors to ensure their comfort. Mobikwik has been roped in as a cashless wallet partner to ensure further convenience of the visitors and participants to adopt hassle free cashless mode of transactions. He said that at the ‘Surajkund Mela 2017’ wi-fi facility is made available through Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to ensure connectivity of visitors even in peak rush hours. The girl students of government and government-aided school and colleges of Haryana will be given free entry to the Mela on weekdays, as a part of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign of the Haryana government.
Mr. V.S. Kundu said that besides attracting over a million visitors each year, the Mela has also helped in reviving the heritage crafts of India. He said that during this year, Jharkhand, the ‘Theme State’ of this year’s Surajkund International Crafts Mela, would showcase its unique culture and rich heritage. Jharkhand has constructed a permanent commemorative structure; Maluti Temple Gate situated in Santhal Pergana Region in the Mela near main Chaupal. Besides this, there are five temporary gates displaying the state symbols of Jharkhand. About 300 artistes from Jharkhand would be performing famous folk arts like Chhau, khaira, karsa, Paika, he added.
To enliven the visitors’ mood, scintillating performances would be presented by international folk artists from Egypt, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. A variety of dance forms during day performances would be staged by folk artistes of North Zone Cultural Centre and other Zonal Cultural Centres such as Haryanavi Dances, Bhagra and Gidda by Punjab Police Group, Badhai from Madhya Pradesh, Brij ki Holi and Mayur dance from Uttar Pradesh, Rathwa from Gujarat, Chapeni from Uttrakhand, Paika of Jharkhand to name a few, at the open-air theatre, ‘Chaupal’, in the Mela ground.
Enthralling evening cultural performances during the Mela fortnight would entertain the visitors. Visitors would enjoy rib-tickling Hasya Kavi Sammelan by renowned poets, resonating sarod recital by Aayaan khan and Armaan Khan, Vibrant dances of Jharkhand, International medley by participating nations, Sufiana Kalam by Nooran Sisters, Indian Classical performance by Padamshree Ranjana Gohar, Punjabi Singer Mohd Irshad, mesmerizing Haryana Swarna Jayanti celebrations by Mahabir Guddu and Harvinder Rana, and soulful performance of Vidya Shah, besides adrenaline-rushing dance and song shows of Telangana. This all would be held at the Chaupal from 6 pm onwards every evening.
Mr. Kundu said that the Mela ground is spread over an area of 40.5 acres and houses about 1010 work huts for craftspersons and a multi-cuisine food court consisting of 36 food stalls, which is immensely popular amongst visitors. This year, visitors can relish mouth-watering cuisines including authentic flavours of theme State Jharkhand and partner Nation Egypt, Haryana and Punjab, sumptuous Mughlai, subtle aromas of the South and oriental flavours of Chinese along with Indian street food and other state specialities at the food court. Also, state-owned Institutes of Hotel Management of Faridabad and Panipat would dish out various ethnic delicacies of Haryana in particular, he added.
A family each from Haryana and Jharkhand would live in specially-created ‘Apna Ghar’ to showcase the typical lifestyle of their states. To mark Haryana Swarna Jayanti celebrations, ‘Apna Ghar’ of Haryana would also display most popular sports of the state such as boxing and wrestling. To promote women empowerment, the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign would be showcased in the Apna Ghar with women in different roles - distinguished women achievers in sports, boxer, milkmaid and homemaker.
The Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism have commissioned consultants, Moinish Garga of Z Axis Design Consultants Noida to lend the Mela grounds a special ambience to showcase the vibrancy and charm of rural India and expressing gratitude to mother nature. Flowers and butterflies, splendid sun and sunflowers, cloudy sky and rain, and similarly trees in fall colours made the entire Mela area vibrant and alive. Each zone also carries a colour code — Green, blue, orange, red and white in the form of designer buntings showcasing Haryana Swarna Jayanti Celebrations on the trees and workhuts.
Both Chaupals (amphitheatres) have been imparted a folk theatre look with pillars adorned with masks and decorative ceilings. The Food Court has been highlighted with the cut outs of various seasonal fruits. Interestingly, ethnic, traditional and sustainable material has been brought into use to design elements such as bamboo for gates and pole lights; cane and metal tokris as diyas and standing lights, fabric for buntings, kites and other props.
Managing Director, Haryana Tourism Corporation and Chief Administrator, Surajkund Mela Authority, Mr. Sameer Pal Srow said that this year a lot of enthusiasm has been shown by the participants of foreign countries, which included Partner Nation - Egypt. There would be enthusiastic participation from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon and Tunisia. He said that the heritage crafts have been promoted in a very big way by inviting all the states and union territories to send their participations.
He said that under ‘Ek Bharat, Swatchh Bharat’ initiative, as Haryana is paired with Telangana state, in order to connect with the culture of Telangana, February 12 will be celebrated as a Telangana Day. He said that Telangana would organize various cultural programme showcasing their traditions, art and culture. A special amusement zone with swings and rides has been created for wholesome family entertainment. Besides, a number of competitions such as Painting, Kite Flying, Face Painting, Folk Dance and Photography would be organized for school students.
He said that to beef up security arrangements, around 200 CCTV Cameras for e-surveillance have been installed in the Mela ground along with the night vision capability. A large number of security personnel, including women guards, are deployed in the mela premises to prevent the occurrence of any untoward incident. The Disaster Management Plan or Evacuation Plan is in place with state-of-the-art medical, fire and disaster management facilities at all crucial points in association with Police, Municipal Corporation, Fire Dept, Health Department and Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad. Bank, dispensary, mela police control room and CCTV control room are located at a centralized location so that visitors and participants can have easy access to these essential services. Additional public conveniences like permanent toilets, five mobile toilet vans and environment-friendly e-toilets have been set up.He said that visitors and participants are sensitized about complete ban on the plastic and polythene bags within the Mela area.
The Surajkund Crafts Mela was hosted for the first time in 1987 to showcase richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms and the cultural heritage of India. Jointly hosted by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with the Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture, External Affairs and Government of Haryana, this festival has come to occupy a place of pride and prominence on the international tourism calendar for its display of crafts, culture and cuisine of India in aesthetically created ambience. He said that benchmark was set in the history of Surajkund Crafts Mela as it was upgraded to an international level in 2013.
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