WHAT: National Tribal Festival
WHEN: 1st – 15th February, 2021
WHERE: Dilli Haat, INA
A universe of colours, crafts, art and culture, Aadi Mahotasv will take your breath away! More than 200 tribes from different parts of this vast and wonderful country have come together to display a range of crafts, ranging from traditional wear and woollens to pottery, jewellery and home decor. Not only that, high quality organic foods, spices, and natural oils and fragrances etc are also available for visitors at the festival.
A vast majority of these crafts are hand-made and trace their origins to centuries-old traditions that engage with intricate techniques that are not only specialised, but also in alignment with Mother nature. How, you ask? “We make traditional wear from cloth that is made on our handlooms. All the scrap cloth is collected instead of being thrown away, and is used to make smaller bags and pouches. The waste that comes out of these processes, in addition to the residual cloth is broken down and used for making diaries”, said a tribal crafts-maker from Assam.
Towards evening time, the festival witnesses a cultural program where folk groups from different states of India perform music and dance, in addition to other skill-shows that are specific to tribal cultures.
The festival was inaugurated on the 1st of February at Dilli Haat, INA with the Vice President of India, Sh. M. Venkaiah Naidu as the Chief Guest. The Minister for Tribal Affairs – Sh. Arjun Munda, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs – Smt. Renuka Singh and Chairman of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India – Shri Ramesh Chand Meena were also present at the inaugural event.
With an idea is to promote the rich cultural heritage and crafts of the many tribes spread across India, the festival was first organized in 2017. The direct advantage of this setting is that it provides the people with an access to the customers without any middlemen.The Vice President in his speech said that the culture of adivasis is their identity which needs to be kept intact while at the same time, drawing them into the mainstream.
‘A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Crafts, Culture and Commerce’ is the theme of the festival. It will go on for fifteen days, that is, till the 15th of February, and will comprise the showcasing and selling of different art, tribal medicines, food and folk performances from about 20 states of India, ranging from Leh to Tamil Nadu and Gujarat to North Eastern states.
Aadi Mahotsav is an effort to provide the tribals with a source of income along with bringing their art and culture to the knowledge of city-dwellers. The interaction between the tribal artists and mainstream designers and consumers would generate a spur in the handicrafts market. Their creations, which include handwoven fabrics, beads, wooden ware, terracotta craft, spices, organic foods, room decor, utensils and much more have a timeless appeal because of their unique simplicity.
Head over to Dilli Haat to shop from amongst the finest crafts of India, binge-eat at the mouth-watering food counters, and have a jolly time watching some unique performances.
