Entering the Gateway of The Suraj Kund Mela 2012, Faridabad, Delhi
They had fascinating crafts and clothing from every state around the countryWhen you walk in, you get the feeling of being in some village that has been stuck in time. Don't let the arid look fool you, because the mela was huge and endless. There were umpteen stalls that took over acres and acres (literally) of this land.This year's theme is 'Assam' an eastern state famous for its 'Bihu'. They have a really long Assam stall-cafe serving you decent sized thalis and other snacks which I had never even heard ofStates as far as Tamil Nadu had stalls show casing their famous fabrics. I was surprised to see better quality prints and cottons here than what I found when I was actually down South! And the prices are not ridiculous, considering the kind of material they hadIt's good to go to a place where you can still catch people working behind the scenes. This is a man from one of the Assam stalls putting together flower ornamentsAt the Lucknow stall a very personable 'Nawab' looking guy sat in the throws of running Chanderi Cotton. It was quite obvious that the stall owners/workers were accustomed to people with camerasIt was a beautiful day , with the sun out and the colourful umbrellas, lanterns and carpets from Gujarat and Rajasthan. What was better about the Suraj Kund Mela was the fact that there was an abundance of space, which allowed grand displays of crafts. You won't ever find such sights in any other crafts marketWhat I loved, was the sudden burst of 'Mela-ness' you got to see. While bending down to inspect the pottery, I was suddenly mesmerized by the old fashion ferris wheel up in the skyI have never seen woolly shoes with woolly laces before! From the Himachal Pradesh StallWell they had put up a make-shift temple for the Mela..........With make-shift priests too?...Hmm.
Just in case you aren’t familiar with the term ‘Mela’ it means ‘gathering’ or ‘to meet’ or a fair.
The overall experience of the Suraj Kund Mela was an outstanding one. Set up in the folds of the Delhi-Gurgaon-FaridabadIt took me back to a time where people from nearby villages would collect for such an event. Stalls were put up showcasing such talents from every nook and corner of the nation. It really makes you feel proud…And you will definitely enter gaining the happiness of a child!
[Remember to click on the images to get a larger experience]
The Behenji 