CHANDIGARH, December 5-Upbeat Mela enthusiasts continued to flock the Chandigarh National Crafts Mela, a joint venture of the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC) and the UT Administration, at Kalagram here on Thursay.
The day stage performances included prominent folk dances of various states, including
Chakri (Raj), Sammi (Pb), Dhamali (J&K) Dhangiri Gaja (Maha), besides the routine ground performances, Kachi Ghori (Raj), ‘Nachar’, Bazigar party (Pb), and ‘Been-Jogi’ and ‘Nagada’ from Haryana, which earned a full-throated encomium from the audience.
Mohd Furqan Khan, Director of the North Zone Cultural Centre, said that Punjab Governor and Chairman of the Centre, Gulab Chand Kataria, will present the awards to six acclaimed artistes. Khan informed that the Governor will present the Lok Kala Sadhak Award-2025 to folk singer and musician Major Singh of Punjab, Sirmauri folk singer Prem Chand Baunli of Himachal Pradesh, Bashir Ahmed Shah (UT, J &K), who has brought international fame to the popular Kashmiri folk dance Dhamali, and folk artiste Prakash Singh Bisht of Almora (Uttarakhand), who has highly contributed to the promotion and preservation of Uttarakhand's folk dances and folk songs through his performances,
The stall owners did a brisk business as buyers continued to be on a shopping spree, going for handicraft items of daily use. Artificial jewelry, handmade woollen garment stalls offering a wide range items, witnessed an unprecedented rush of buyers, and so did the designer crockery, wooden furniture stalls. Food court serving a rich fare of lip-smacking regional cuisines to satiate their hunger pangs, as Kehwa (from Kashmir), coffee freaks sipped off their hot favorite beverage.
The star performer of the evening was Rakesh Khanwal, who regaled the audience, turning the evening musical with the haunting music from the Garhwal hills.He rendered his hit numbers, one after the other. He started with the invocations number.
"Jai ho Badrinath, Jai Kashi Kedar, Je Je Himalaya...","Dhuridana burushi fulrauli gailpatla nevli bashrauli bhulijulo duniya yojnma ni bhulun. Meri aama aapno pahad...","Himuli Haldware ki chel Himul Himuli hathla ghadi channel...", "Cream podra ghisini kile mein meri Nirmala hansini keele...","Paara bheede ki Basanti chhori rumazhoonga..", "O Laali ho Laali hausiya padhani Laali teele dhaaru bola...", "Bedupa ko barumasa Naren kaafal pakucheta meri chhaila..."
Prominent Punjabi folk and pop singer Manmohan Waris will perform on December 5 evening (Friday).
The fair will continue till December 7