Festival to celebrate Indian art, crafts and textiles
New Delhi: Over 200 artisans and master craftsmen from across the country will showcase their rich art and crafts traditions at Dastkari Haat's upcoming craft bazaar in January.
The 34th edition of the annual festival celebrating Indian art, crafts and textiles, will open on January 1, 2020, and will be held at Dilli Haat in INA here.
"To present genuine craftspeople and authentic crafts is our pride and joy. If our bazaar spreads happiness among our crafts people and visitors our objectives are achieved. Every year we try to do better. Do support our efforts by engaging with and enjoying our crafts bazaar," said Jaya Jaitly, President of Dastkari Haat Samiti.
With the spotlight on the intricacy of hand-crafted products and the importance of sustainable livelihoods, the event will witness participating artisans showcasing hand-made products crafted from recycled cloth, bamboo basketry, and Kantha embroidery work unique to the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, especially Bangladesh.
Other time-honoured crafts that will be part of the festival will include Pattachitra paintings (Odisha), Madhubani Art (Mithila region), mat weaving, Picchwai paintings with origins in the Deccan, inlay wood carvings, new brocades from Mubarakpur (UP), organic and natural-dyed saris from Kutch and the finest embroideries from Gujarat, natural-dyed fabrics from Akola in Maharashtra, jewellery, and saris and garments based on gamchhas of Bengal.
Also on display will be Kotpad weaves from tribal weavers of the Mirgan community in Odisha, papier-mache and wood work from Madhya Pradesh.
Cultural performances are also part of the line-up.
These will include performances by Mushtaq Ahmed, a flautist from Varanasi, who also makes flutes, Mooralala Marwada, a Sufi folk singer from Janana village of Kutch, who will bring alive the poetry of Kabir, Mirabai, and Ravidas, and Bhawani Kalindi from West Bengal, who will be leading a group of Chhau dancers.
The fair will also feature a 'Craft and Skill Exchange' program with Bangladesh, which will see Bangladeshi artisans like Tahera Begum, Suniti Kar, Shwettaj Jahan Tithi, Mohammed Harun, and Joshna Begum, working alongside their Indian counterparts Alima Khatun, Umar Daraz, Kalpana Das, Shivkumari, and Shanti Paswan on crafts like 'nakshi kantha', handmade paper, fabric jewellery, and bamboo basket weaving.
The Dastkari Haat Annual Craft Bazaar will continue till January 15.
