New Delhi: Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on Wednesday inaugurated the three-day long Craft Mela at Chandni Bagh at the Bikaner House in New Delhi. The event, which will last from February 23 to February 25, 2022, was inaugurated by Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi and Rajya Sabha MP and ICCR President Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe. The inauguration marked presence of about 70-75 Head of Foreign Missions in India and few Indian dignitaries.
There are 22 craftsperson from 11 states of India who shall be exhibiting 5 forms of Indian Traditional Art including Crafts (Bamboo Art), Textiles, Traditional and Folk Art, Beauty Aromatics and Recycled Products in the Crafts Mela. Across the three days, the participating artisans in turn will give 45-60 minute talks with demonstrations of the skill or show videos to explain their creative processes to visitors. There will also be lecture demonstrations on Gond Art of Madhya Pradesh, Miniature Art from Rajasthan, Bamboo Craft from Delhi, Kalamkari Art from Telangana, Moonj Grass Baskets from Uttar Pradesh, and Warli Art from Maharashtra among others.
The event is aimed at highlighting the role of India’s craft practices in achieving the balance in the ecology of the planet, while also parallelly sustaining India’s cultural heritage, local livelihoods and meeting the Millennium Development Goal. The program also aims at propagating the thought that all these art forms are considered sacred and associated with some deity so that humans understand they have to be honored, preserved and cherished for their survival. This comes out subtly and strongly in the creative works of all the craftsman and artisans participation in this Craft Mela.
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