Kids Corner

Current Events

Mela Phulkari

ANANYA BHATTACHARYA & AAKRITI SAWHNEY

 

 

 



From the Interiors of Punjab: The Mela Phulkari, a two-week long exhibition, recently kicked off in New Delhi, India.

Traditional Punjabi handicrafts and other knick-knacks that find place in a Punjabi household are all on display.

What catches one's eye are the vibrant baaghs (hand-woven Phulkari dupattas), the pukkhey (hand fans) suspended from the ceiling, the juttis (footwear), the miniature manjas (traditional cots), et al.

Out of the many hundred baaghs on display here, several belong to the late Khushwant Singh, to whom the exhibition is a tribute.

PUNJABI MILK, PUNJABI CUISINE

Conceptualised by Harinder Singh and Kirandeep Kaur -- the power-couple behind the “1469“ stores -- this mela celebrates Phulkari, the traditional embroidery of Punjab, and aims at giving a boost to the handicraft industry of the state.

Alka Pande is curator of the show.

James Bevan, the British High Commissioner to India, and wife Janet Bevan inaugurated the event. Janet looked dazzling in a kurta-baagh.

"Punjab is important to me and Janet because our Indian journey began there. Also, the milk we drink and serve here is from Punjab, and my favourite Indian cuisine is the Punjabi one!" Bevan explained in his speech. 

Amid snacking on delicacies and admiring the wares on display, guests were seen sharing their experiences of Punjab, while the dhol beats kept spirits up.

The festival began earlier this month, witnessing the Open Palm Court getting converted into a Punjab house. An art installation made of guggars (pitcher), a Punjab kitchen that gives out the look and feel of how kitchens in Punjab are, and a whole lot of Punjabi music.

"The festival will have items on display that will take phulkari to a completely new level. The idea is to ­contemporise Phulkari and save this rich and old tradition," says Pande.

The festival has not only been replete with rich cultural performances, but also saw the book launch of a new edition of the book “Nanak: The Guru,” which is lavishly illustrated with paintings by Arpana Caur. The text is by Mala Singh Dayal.


The Mela continues till April 24, 2014.

[Courtesy: The Times of India & The Hindustan Times. Edited for sikhchic.com]
April 19, 2014

Conversation about this article

Comment on "Mela Phulkari"









To help us distinguish between comments submitted by individuals and those automatically entered by software robots, please complete the following.

Please note: your email address will not be shown on the site, this is for contact and follow-up purposes only. All information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sikhchic reserves the right to edit or remove content at any time.