Virasat Mela off to a colourful start

BATHINDA: The renowned and much-awaited annual cultural extravaganza, Virasat Mela, got off to a colourful start here on Friday. As part of the inauguration of the mela, a procession was taken out by the Malwa Heritage and Sabhyacharak Foundation, Bathinda, in which decorated camels walked in a line, horses and adorned elephants danced while tractor trolleys carried a tableau depicting the now-forgotten culture of Punjab.

A procession being taken out in Bathinda to start the three-day Virasat Mela on Friday.

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 22

The renowned and much-awaited annual cultural extravaganza, Virasat Mela, got off to a colourful start here on Friday. As part of the inauguration of the mela, a procession was taken out by the Malwa Heritage and Sabhyacharak Foundation, Bathinda, in which decorated camels walked in a line, horses and adorned elephants danced while tractor trolleys carried a tableau depicting the now-forgotten culture of Punjab.

SSP Bathinda Nanak Singh, SDM Amarinder Singh Tiwana, Punjab Waqf Board chairman Junaid Raza Khan, District Congress Committee (Bathinda Urban) president Arun Wadhawan and other Congress leaders flagged off the procession, which was taken out from Hazi Rattan to Jaipalgarh village.

Organisers of the mela offered a ‘chaddar’ at Haji Rattan dargah before starting the procession.

Apart from Punjab, tableaus of Rajasthan, Haryana, Orissa, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh also showcased the culture and tradition of these states. Besides bhangra and gidda performances, artistes from other states also showcased their folk dances.

The rural Punjab also came alive with folk orchestra, folk music and traditional stalls set up at Jaipalgarh village, adjacent to Multipurpose Sports Stadium in the city. The entire village was decorated beautifully with things celebrating rural Punjab, including ‘chakkis’, ‘chattis’, ‘madhanis’ and ‘phulkaris’.

In the evening, students of SSD College, Barnala, presented a Punjabi play “Bukhal Di Agg”. Later, a team from Lok Kala Manch, Mullanpur, in association with Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy, Chandigarh, presented a play “Suraj Chupan To Pehla”.

Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, chairman of the Malwa Foundation, Harwinder Singh Khalsa, said “The procession showcased various facets of the Punjabi culture and how it has evolved over the years”. He said this year the mela, which is on till February 24, is dedicated to the 100 years of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

In these times when the Western influence was evident in the way the youngsters dressed up, showcasing our traditional attire was very important. Moreover, youngsters were drifting away from our culture. It was good for them to come, feel and know about the rich cultural traditions of the state, Khalsa added.