Haryana Governor, Jagannath Pahadia gives away awards to craftspersons for their skilled and profound works at the closing ceremony of the 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Surajkund in district Faridabad on Friday. Haryana Minister of State for Information, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs Pt. Shiv Charan Lal Sharma and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Ram Kishan Fouji are also seen in the picture.
Surajkund, (Haryana),February 15, 2013: 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela, which started on February 1 has come to an end.
Declaring the close of the Mela, Haryana Governor, Jagannath Pahadia commended the role of the artisans and artists in the safeguarding the traditional crafts and culture of the country.
He called upon the youth to continue this tradition and strengthen the national integration.
Pahadia said that history of ancient civilization is connected with the development of crafts and culture. The crafts products, the artifacts and cultural presentations are symbol of country’s rich heritage. The participation of different countries in this Mela has given it an international look.
Appreciating the contribution of theme state Karnataka, Pahadia said that handicrafts and handlooms of Karnataka are famous in the world. In the Mela, the Aapna Ghar of Karnataka had been the center of attraction for the visitors.
Pahadia said that it is a matter of pride that Mela provides a strong platform to the art lovers. Mela has given an opportunity to the exporters and crafts persons to deal with each other without middlemen. They also learn from the experience of each other and improve their art.
Pahadia congratulated the organizers for successfully organizing the Mela. He also gave away the Kalamani, Kalanidhi and Kalashree awards to the best artisans, who participated in the Mela. They were provided with prize money of Rs. 11000, 5100 and 2100 each respectively along with certificates.
Karnataka Tourism Minister, Anand Singh said that participation of Karnataka in the Mela is just a beginning of a long journey. He thanked the Surajkund Mela Authority and particularly the officers of Haryana Tourism for their Cooperation.
Haryana CPS of Tourism, Ram Kishan Fouji expressed his gratitude to the Governor for having graced the occasion. He said that numbers of facilities have been increased this time and more visitors have come to see Mela as compared to last year.
The Additional Chief Secretary of Tourism of Karnataka Arvind Jadhav, Principal Secretary Tourism of Haryana Vijay Vardhan, MD of Haryana Tourism Corporation Anand Mohan Sharan also spoke on this occasion.
Sharan said that over 1,200 artisans and 600 artists participated in this year’s Mela. It will be our effort to maintain the benchmark established by Karnataka in the coming Melas also.
A cultural programme was presented in the concluding function of the Mela by the artists of Asam, Guinea, Congo and the theme State Karnataka.