30th Surajkund International Crafts Mela culminates on promising note

Hon’ble Governor of Haryana, Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki declared the
30^th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Faridabad officially closed during his valedictory speech on the occasion. He was the Chief Guest of the Closing-Cum-Award Presentation Ceremony.

Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Telangana, Shri Kadiyam Srihari was the special invitee on the occasion. Tourism Minister, Haryana, Shri Ram Bilas Sharma; Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism & Hospitality, Haryana, Smt Seema Trikha; MLA, Bahadurgarh, Shri Naresh Kaushik; MLA, Bawal, Shri Banwari Lal, and senior tourism officials from Telangana  Shri B. Venkatesham, Secretary, Tourism, Government of Telangana, Smt. Sunita M Bhagat, Commissioner, Department of Tourism, Telangana, Dr. Christina Z Chongtu, Managing Director, TSTDC and Shri Hari Krishna, Director, Culture, Telangana were among the other dignitaries to grace the occasion.

Drumbeats and foot-tapping music gave the esteemed dignitaries a rousing welcome from the participating cultural troupes of various countries and states of India.

A hearty and warm welcome was extended to the Chief Guest and all the esteemed guests by Sh Vikas Yadav, Managing Director, Haryana Tourism, & Chief Administrator, Surajkund Mela Authority. He said that the Mela has been conducted very smoothly and has attained many new milestones.

Dr Sumita Misra, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Haryana & Vice-Chairperson, Surajkund Mela Authority read out the performance report of the 30th Surajkund International Crafts Mela and highlighted that the Mela had become a repository of arts and crafts from across the globe. He added that 23 countries participated in this edition of the Mela and among them Japan, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Maldives, Tunisia, Seychelles, Namibia and Malaysia were participating for the first time.

Dr Misra also said that this year 988 craftspersons took part in the Mela and 180 international folk artistes performed at the Chaupal during the Mela fortnight. Dr Misra also stated that the Government of India initiatives of Digital India, Beti Bachhao Beti Padhao and Swatchh Bharat were followed in principle during the Mela. She further added that the Dharohar Museum, Kurukshetra had contributed in adding to the charm of Apna Ghar of Haryana. Besides which, the ambience of  the Mela encapsulating the five seasons had been created by a professional agency Creative Dimension of Kolkata and for the convenience of visitors, Mela tickets were available online through number of online ticketing portals, also tickets were available at over 30 metro stations. Free ferry service from nearest metro stations was also extended.  

Shri Ram Bilas Sharma, Tourism Minister, Haryana, said that the participation of a record number of 23 countries blended the crafts and traditions of different countries beautifully during this Mela. Shri Sharma complimented the support extended towards the success of the Mela by the officials of Haryana Tourism, Surajkund Mela Authority, Haryana Police and mediapersons. He also added that the Mela has brought artistes from different states and regions displaying best of their handlooms and handicrafts on one platform. The Mela saw a stupendous footfall of 15.00 lakh visitors during the fortnight.

Shri Kadiyam Srihari, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Telangana stated that it was an honour to be a part of this internationally acclaimed Mela in which their 350 cultural artistes and 80 craftspersons showcased the best of their talent. He further added that during this Mela they constructed a commemorative gate Kekatiya gate and three more gates showcasing the national symbols of the state and flavours of Telangana especially Hyderabadi biryani was dished out at the Food Court. Shri Srihari also stated that they too plan to organise a similar Mela back home.

Hon’ble Governor, Haryana, Prof Solanki said it was heartening to see the Mela being organised on this magnitude and extended his congratulations for the successful conduct of the Mela. He added that Haryana is known as the land of Mahabharata and now the Surajkund International Crafts Mela has brought Haryana on the world map.   

Prof Solanki said that the Mela is an ideal opportunity to bind countries together and has left behind all the Melas happening in the country. Haryana is moving ahead and progressing, added Prof Solanki, who also mentioned that the international solar alliance signed between 122 countries during the Climate Change Conference in Paris has decided to set up their headquarters in Gurgaon.

Prof Solanki also complimented and congratulated Haryana Tourism and Surajkund Mela Authority for organizing a Mela of this stature. Later, he gave away awards to the craftspersons adjudged by a jury for their unique crafts showcased at the 30^th Surajkund International Crafts Mela.

Following are the names of the craftspersons who have been awarded during the closing-cum-award presentation ceremony:

Parampragat
1.	Gauri Jana	West Bengal	1059	Mat Weaving
Kala Ratna
1.	Taka Shima Setsuka	Japan	FC7	Painting
KALAMANI
1.	Alima Khatun	West Bengal	1011	Hand Embroidery
2.	D.Vaikuntan	Theme State	Telangana Apna Ghar	Mask & Dolls
3.	Cyzylgui	Turkmenistan	FC29	Lecstil
4.	Narayan Maharana	Orissa	802	Pat Chittra
5.	Vankar Kaya Samat	Gujarat	117	Woolen
6.	B.R. Shankar	Telangana	Apna Ghar	Nirmal Toys
KALANIDHI
1.	Ganga Singh Gautam	Rajasthan	130	Handloom
2.	Shah Rashid Ahmed Quadri	Karnataka	1010	Bidriware
3.	Fauzi Kabbi	Tunisia	FC-9	Olive Woodart
4.	V.Madhavi Koyalagudem, Choutupal Mandal	Telangana	155	Pochampalli Textiles
5.	P.Sengottuvel	Tamil Nadu	597	Wood Carving
6.	Noor Mohd.	Uttar Pradesh	960	Stone Carving
7.	Ubaid Ulla Khan	Karnataka	591	Bidri Craft
8.	Budhiyarin Jhara	Chhattisgarh	1060	Dhokra Craft
KALASHREE
1.	Hussny Husan	Egypt	FC 4	Mother of Pearl
2.	S.Bhaskar	Andhra Pradesh	571	Kalamkari Textile Painting
3.	P.Venketesh Warllu	Karnataka	672	Wood Carving
4.	Naseem Ahmad	Uttar Pradesh	940	Zari Embroidery