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 The
Surajkund Crafts is an annual event that highlight some of the finest
handloom and handicraft traditions of the country.
From 1st to 15th
February rural India
basks in the warmth of admiration at Surajkund mela village that lies
some 8 km from South Delhi.
The Mela also celebrates the rhythms of folk theatre- and a theme State that makes each
visitor marvel.
The Mela is organised under the aegis of the Suraj Kund Mela
Authority. This comprises of the Department of Tourism Ministry of
Tourism and Culture, Governement of India in collaboration with Haryana
Tourism, Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Commissioner
Development (Handicrafts)
The objectives
- To create a rural
ambience for the foreign and domestic tourist to see.
- To educate
patrons both from abroad, urban centres and educational institutes
about the fascinating technique and skills involved in craft creation.
- To introduce
crafts and craftspersons directly to the buyers and help them find
their patrons.
- To Identify,
nurture and preserve languishing crafts of the country and save it for
posterity.
- Suraj Kund is a
beautiful tourist location of Haryana Tourism and in its lovely
setting, folk painters, metal workers, stone and wood carvers, tie dye
craftspersons, embroiders, lace makers, textiles printers, carpet and
loom weavers, producers of silk fabrics, jewellers and sculptors-
execute and display their skills.
 The
fortnight long celebrations also come as a food festival. Some of the
popular food traditions from Punjab come at the Punjabi 'Rasoi'. South
Indian delicacies come in from South Indian Section. Popular Chinese and
snack foods also arrive for the event along with a special stalls where
patrons are introduced to the traditional foods and sweet meats of the
selected theme State.
 The
Surajkund Crafts Mela has grown equally famous for the rhythms of folk theatre: It resonates with the formal notes of the
classical genre: The heady rhythms of percussion instruments: The ballads
of singing minstrels: The clebration of the simple joys of rural life and
reverence of epic traditions all mingle well. All
these colourful events are also presented before the audience in the open-air-theatre named Natyashala.
 Some
of the most deligtful crafts collections of the Mela arrive from
practically all over the country. In wood and cane come inlay work, rose
wood carving, sandal wood from Punjab and South India. Chiki wood craft of
Kashmir and some very fine cane craft come from West Bengal and North
Eastern States. Delcate sholapith and shital patti work come from Assam
and West Bengal. The phulkari of Punjab, the Banjara and Banni embroidery
of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the Kantha traditions from West Bengal and
Tripura, lace and crochet from Goa, the Suzni of Kashmir and Mirror
encasing work along with the traditional chikan work of Lucknow
delight.Oxidized jewellery, sea shell decorations and agate stone work
delight as also do delicate gold work and chunky silver jewellery. Toys in
wood and cane, ply and mud make the young thrill with joy. Some of the
fine phad paintings of Rajasthan, the kalamkari of Andhra and Karnataka,
temple paintings of Orissa, madhubani of Bihar, fascinate. In the metal
section tribal dhora work, classical south Indian metal work, glittering
brass ware, bell metal and iron craft delight collectors. In the field of
woven textiles some of the finest silk work of Orissa, Patola, Bandhini of
Gujarat and Rajasthan, Ikat, Kanjeevaram, Dharmavaram and temple silks of
South India vie for attention with the most simple cottons of West Bengal,
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and tribal textiles of North East India as also do
the handloom of Haryana. The Various Crafts particpated in the Mela every
year. The Introduction of some of the Crafts are as follows:
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