Day 3 of Saras Mela: Artisans unaware of facilities on offer

With the government providing free of cost boarding and lodging to stall operators who come from across the country to participate in Saras Mela — a regional fair showcasing handicrafts and handloom items from across the country — not all of them are aware of it while some are reluctant to avail it.

Shamshad, Khalid, Arash and Sher Wali, who have come from Kabul to sell dry fruits sourced from across Afghanistan, said they were not aware of the accommodation facility as nobody had told them about it.

Similarly, Ketan from Ludhiana who is selling ready-made garments at the Mela said he was not aware of government-provided accommodation along with meals being offered for stall operators.

An Iranian national, Mohammad Umar, who brought hand-made carpets of machine-manufactured silk from Ghazvin, said he along with his partner has set up a stall in the mela and it was for the first time that they were visiting the holy city. He stated that they were taken to the accommodation which is a common big hall where they were not comfortable. So, both of them were staying at a hotel.

Rahul from Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh, who brought ceramic wares to the mela and Shahmim Ahmad from Saharanpur were all praise for the boarding and lodging facilities provided by the government at a community hall. Besides, pick-and-drop facility for stall operators was also there.

On the third day of the 10-day Saras Mela being organised in Amritsar to promote the craft of artisans, people enjoyed the songs sung by Punjabi singer Jai Singh while Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO specially arrived last evening to enjoy the mela.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Kaur, DDPO Sandeep Malhotra, and others were present on the occasion. The guests enjoyed singer Jai Singh’s performance.

ETO thanked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for creating an atmosphere of fairs in Punjab and said that Saras Mela provides a stage to artisans from different states where they can exhibit their products. He said that apart from this, fairs help people of different states to get to know each other’s culture and enjoy regional delicacies. He said at the Saras Mela, free accommodation and food are also provided by the government to the artisans and artists of different states.

The minister invited the residents of the district to enjoy the fair and said that Punjab’s heritage is associated with such fairs and the state government was trying to revive it. He thanked the district administration and Rural Development and Panchayat Department for the success of the fair.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Kaur said that during the fair, which will last till March 23, there was an opportunity to exhibit and purchase goods from abroad besides India.