CHANDIGARH, November 29 The 14th Chandigarh National Crafts Fair, an yearly feature, was inaugurated by Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh Gulab Chand Kataria, at Kalagram here, today, with much fanfare. The annual Crafts fair, organized by the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC), Ministry of Culture, Government of India, under the aegis of the Department of Art and Culture, Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh, went off to a colourful start with the city's who's who from various spectrums in august presence. The chief guest was accorded a rousing welcome by, among other dignitaries, NZCC Director, Mohd Furqan Khan, amid a symphony of soulful folk tunes played on by folk artistes. In his brief address, the Governor lauded the pivotal role played by the NZCC in the preservation and promotion of the art and culture in any form, on the virge of extinction.He was all praise for the invitee artists who continue to do their bit to perpetuate the country's cultural heritage.
Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria said that the Raj Bhawan has helped in every possible way to honour the artists. I want that artists should be honoured in every corner of the country and this is our responsibility. There are still many artists hiding in the villages. I request Director Furkan Khan to find them and bring them here. We will honour them, which they deserve. On this occasion, Administrator's wife Anita Kataria, Advisor Rajiv Verma, Secretary Tourism Mandeep Brar, Director Tourism Pradyuman Singh, Director Sports Saurabh Arora and many other officials were present.
An imposing entrance gate, aesthetically designed by Bengali artisans, offers a rousing welcome to the visiting guests drawn from distant corners of the tricity and elsewhere.The backdrop of the main stage has also been prepared by in a way to give a visual support to the respective presentation lined-up for the 10-day long cultural bonanza. The soulful presentation of 51 folk musical instruments themed “Rhythm of India” assiduously prepared under the watch of Director Mohd Furqan Khan, which was followed by a well-choreographed presentation, blending the folk dances of as many as 14 states, choreographed by Sushil Sharma under the theme “Colours of India”, which elicited thunderous applause from the audience. Punjabi Sufi singer Kanwar Grewal, considered to be the icon of Sufi singing, enthralled the audience, doling out his hit numbers, one after the other.He started with the invocation 'Nachna penda hai...', followed by his all-time hit 'Na jaayin mastan de behde...'Ticket do leleen..., 'Rang Kartar De...', et al, forcing the gung-ho audience to shake a leg.He also sang 'Chhala' in his own inimical style. A surfeit of cultural performances, based on folk theme, continued to entertain the visiting guests throughout the day, which included ground performances by folk artistes from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and elsewhere.In the evening segment, haunting folk tunes continued to mesmerise the music lovers, offering a slice of our rich and robust cultural heritage. Special attraction of the 10-day long event will be live performances by acclaimed Bollywood singers, Suresh Wadekar and Amit Kumar, who will recapture the magic of the music of their era. Some prominent Punjabi singers, who are lined up to perform live, include Gurnam Bhullar, who will regale music lovers on November 30, Kulwinder Billa, Firoz Khan and Harbhajan Mann. With a view to bringing live the regional flavours of India, host NZCC has gone a step further and invited artistes from various states. Geeta Bhardwaj, a well-known face of Himachali folk singing and Kaku Ram Thakur, Chaman Lehri (Jammu), Gulzar Ganai (Kashmir), Inder Arya from (UK) will give their stellar performances during the fair. The Lok Kala Sadhak (Lifetime Achievement Awards) were also given to folk artistes by the Governor for their insignificant contribution to the diverse fields of performing art. In the “Folk Dance” category, Tehartal artiste Durga Devi (Raj) and Balak Ram Thakur (HP) and in the “Folk Music” category, Lifetime Achievement Award was jointly shared by Des Raj Lachkani (Pb) and Gujri artiste “Begum Jaan” (J&K).The award carried an amount of Rs. 2.5 lakh, a plaque and a shawl,beach. Two youth awards, instituted this year, were also given to Manoj Jale (Har) and Sudhanshu Bisht (Uttarakhand) carrying an amount of Rs 1 lakh, a plaque and a shawl, each. The heritage street set up at the Mela venue, turned out to be a one-stop destination for the visiting guests, offering a peep into the world of art and ethnicity that the people have zealously guarded against time and space. What really took the urban guests by surprise was the idea of setting up a typical Punjab village at the Mela venue, offering a candid view of the typical rural life in a village. A string of more surprises of sorts are in store for the mela buffs.The Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Academy will organize a one-hour program on days earmarked for the purpose where local artistes from the city will give their performances. The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Academy will also organize an exhibition during the 10-day cultural extravaganza, besides an on-the-spot photography competition to be held daily. The fair will continue till December 8