The Surajkund Crafts Fair that takes place in the month of February in the town of Faridabad is perhaps the largest cultural and arts fair in the country. An important event for the Delhi NCR area, it hosts artisans from the country and all over the world too! Like all the other years, one country is selected as the theme country and this year it was Kazakhstan. The fair lasts from the first to the sixteenth of February every year.
While the even might be seen as an occasion to go out as a family, many art-lovers make it a point to head out to the fair to buy some unique artefacts from all over the country and all over the world. I was able to buy my stock of first-day covers, exotic stamps, contact-sheets from the post-office counter, while the rest were able to buy sarees, suits, and designer jewellery items. The handicraft items for sale were especially amazing and I couldn't help taking a few photographs of them. The use of Oxen horns, wood, cloth was prevalent throughout. Other most striking exhibits included colourful Turkish lanterns that were mesmerising in appearance.
It was also great fun to see the long-forgotten bioscope operator twirling his moustache and the man dressed up as the ten-headed Ravan. Our own Indian culture was highlighted everywhere, whether it was in the folk-dances or even the traditional costumes.
Also fascinating were the facades lining the entrance from the Chattisgarh gate. Replicas of important historical structures were there for all to gaze and admire.
And of course who could forget the ice-lollies and the traditional food that one doesn't really come across in daily life.
The cost of the tickets on weekends is Rs.180 for the general public while for senior citizens it is Rs. 90. On weekdays, however, there are numerous discounts. Students can get discounts on the tickets on showing their identity cards. When I visited the crafts-fair yesterday, a Saturday, it was overcrowded.
The Surajkund Crafts Fair had some important messages to convey to the visitors. These included the need to recycle things and the need to observe traffic rules. It was also most heartening to see how the organisers of the Crafts Fair had tried to communicate awareness about the harms of climate change. There was a display that reminded the visitors about the harm caused by the forest fires in Australia-a truly International and global message indeed! How can one forget the iconic Traffic Tao. I was able to get one photograph with Traffic Tao holding a placard exhorting motorists to follow traffic signals and to stop on the red light.
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