10 days of cultural extravaganza, crafts mela at Kalagram ends on colourful note

Chandigarh, December 10

The city traffic came to a screeching halt on the concluding day of the 13th edition of Chandigarh National Crafts Mela organised by the NZCC in collaboration with Chandigarh Administration on Sunday with people thronging Kalagram in hoards.

The key morning stage performances on Sunday were folk dances of various states, including dhamali (J&K), ghoomer (Haryana), rai bense (West Bengal), Sirmauri naati (Himachal Pradesh), cheraw (Mizoram), bhangra (Punjab), geetru (J&K), chhapeli (Uttarakhand), hozagiri (Tripura), lai haroba and thangta (Manipur) to name a few. The evening session opened up with a flurry of folk and tribal dances. It started with a soulful folk singing by Sukhwinder Sukhi.

Acclaimed singers from various parts of the country performed during the 10-day long potpourri of folk songs and dances Prominent among them were Sultana Nooran, Punjabi singer Preet Harpal, Sufi singer Lakhwinder Wadali, “natti king” Kuldip Sharma, classical singer Maithili Thakur, Kamaouni singer Maya Upadhyay, Punjabi singers Joban Sandhu, Kulwinder Kally, Gurlez Akhtar and Prabh Gill.

City shoppers had a range of handcrafted items up for the grabs, which included Khurja pottery, designer crockery, cutlery, wooden toys, terracotta items, fabric, Phulkari, woollens, artificial jewellery, carpets, rugs, mats, designer suits and Banarsi saree and Patiala “jutti”.

Foodies had a range of traditional cuisines with as many 20 food stalls offering a variety of delicacies. States bringing a fare of delicacies from their respective regions included Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Andhra and Gujarat.