CHANDIGARH, FEB 2
The second day of the 29th Surajkund International Craft Mela-2015 enthralled the visitors with a perfect mix of art, crafts, culture, cuisine and entertainment.
This time, lyrics and brush came together at the stall of Artists Ajay Kumar Samir, a poet-cum-artist. He was seen exhibiting his extraordinary creations based on poems of Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi. Displaying his water colour, pen and ink drawings framed with poems of Prime Minister Modi at Work Hut 786, Samir said that he had been regularly putting up his exhibitions at art galleries and through this Mela, he wanted to introduce serious art among visitors and connect with more people.
A graduate of Fine Arts from College of Art, New Delhi, Samir got his real break when he made drawings based on former Prime Minister A.B Vajpayee’s Hindi poetry. He further added that his biggest achievement is that his drawings were on display at 7 Race Course, residence of Prime Minister.
He has also given colours to the poetry of known poet-writer Gulzar. “The jugalbandi of lyrics and brush is a unique combination. I try giving words shapes with my colours,” adds Samir, who has his latest works along with books penned by Modi on sale at the Mela. His works are priced at Rs 1,20,000-Rs 2,50,000.
The Surajkund International Crafts Mela also unfolded the unique crafts of India at every corner of the Mela grounds. Immersed with rich culture, immense art forms, foot tapping music and vibrant colours, the Mela embodies various arts and crafts not only of India but also of other nations with matching crafts and traditions.
Theme State Chhattisgarh’s crafts displayed its spellbinding crafts made from terracotta, brass, wood, bamboo and wrought iron. Known for its bell metal items, visitors got to witness an elephant weighing one quintal priced at Rs 1.5 lakhs. The craftsperson at Work hut no. 26 said that the intricately crafted bell metal elephant took about one-and-a-half month to be made and took about 15 men and five women to make it.
At Work hut no. 29, Shivmangal from Balrampur had brought magical pitchers (surahi), lanterns and cooking pans. He said that his terracotta crockery was sturdy and whatever cooked in these utensils would taste better than the iron vessels.
The Work hut no. 30 where craftsman Bhubneshwar from Kondagaon was a must see, who displayed intricately designed elephants, utensils (urns, tavas and dishes) and masks in terracotta at very pocket friendly prices.
Wrought iron masks, hangings and partitions at Workhut no. 171 were fascinating. The man behind these tribal arts of Bastar was master craftsperson Sonadhal Poyani, said “I feel elated to be a part of this Mela and my entire range of crafts is handmade and washable.”
At workhut no. 178, state awardee Daheshwar Verma of Om Wooden Art surprised with his creations crafted from ‘Sagaon’ wood. From Ganesha to Mahatma Gandhi, he sculpts with precision and keeps the natural finish intact, and then places it on wooden base embellished with pieces of stone, marble or wood.
The largest egg of a bird formed the canvas for artist Issam Mirvat from Lebanon. He has brought original ostrich eggs that are stacked in a basket and are catching many onlookers attention. He likes to share that his passion of painting ostrich eggs happened many years back. He said “I use acrylic colour to paint monuments and flowers on the eggs. The art lies in carving these eggs, which takes one to three hours.”
He has further beautified these eggs by showcasing them in transparent containers and fitting a bulb or LED and it can be lit up too and used as decoration pieces to add to the look of the house, priced at Rs 1,800 onwards.
The Chaupal also remained the centre of attraction at the Mela, with visitors enjoying every bit of the national and international performances being stages by folk artistes. Audience enjoyed the folk dances of Chhattisgarh like Raut and Panthi, Bidhai of Madhya Pradesh, Kud of Jammu and Kashmir, Ghoomer of Haryana, Kalbelia of Rajasthan by artistes of Zonal Cultural Centres and a musical performance based on women rights staged by students of APJ School sponsored by Haryana State Legal Authority. The gyrating moves of the international folk dancers of Lebanon and Tajikistan stole many hearts.
Face painting competition was organised at Natyashala and students of various schools participated with enthusiasm. The first prize was bagged by Debeyan and Yashdeep of DAV Public School, NH-3, Faridabad; second and third prizes were bagged by Prachi and Ayushi of Holy Child Public School, sector 29, Faridabad and Vaibhavi and Kavina of Gita Bal Niketan, NH-3, Faridabad. Consolation prize was given to Suraj and Umesh of Govt. Boys Sr Sec School, NIT,-3, Faridabad.
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