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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
The 15 day long National Tribal Crafts Mela 2020, popularly known as 'Adivasi Mela', was underway in Bhubaneswar recently at the IDCO Exhibition Ground, Unit 3. Held every year in Bhubaneswar, starting from 26th January, with the aim of promotion and popularisation of traditional tribal arts and crafts of the country, the Adivasi Mela also exhibits Odisha’s rich tribal art, artefacts, culture, tradition, lifestyle and music of the tribal community. One can find a vast array of traditional, indigenous and contemporary handicrafts at the Adivasi Mela. Such tribal fairs certainly help in strengthening the livelihood of the tribal communities by providing them with a market and business opportunities for the tribal artisans.
You may also love to read about My second visit to Adivasi Mela 2020 -
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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
Of all the Indian states, Odisha has the largest number of tribal groups (64 tribes in total), constituting almost 24 percent of the total population of the state! Most of the tribals in Odisha are hillfolks (girijana) or forest inhabitants (vanajati) who depend on the forest resources for their livelihood. While the Kondhs and the Santals are two of Odisha's most populous tribal communities, other tribes like the Sauras, the Bondas, the Gonds, the Oraons or Orams, the Koyas, the Parajas and the Gadavas too have a significant presence across the state. Each of these tribes has its own distinct customs, traditions and costumes and their folks have earnestly protected and preserved their rich cultural heritage. So the annual Adivasi Mela at Bhubaneswar is actually a great way to explore and experience the tribal way of life in Odisha.
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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
Incidentally, this was only my second time at the Bhubaneswar Adivasi Mela – the only other time I had visited the tribal fair was a couple of years back in February 2018 but that was during the fag end of the fair, and therefore I hadn't been able to fully explore the tribal fair that time. Not this time though, as this year, I was determined to discover my share of all the buzz that the Adivasi Mela garners in and around Bhubaneswar.
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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
This year, besides having a dedicated food court selling indigenous tribal food, there were close to 260 stalls set up to display and facilitate the sale of various tribal products that included handicraft items, handloom products, wooden and iron crafts, bamboo products, puppets, siali crafts, tribal textiles and embroidery work, tribal paintings and other such tribal products. But for me, one of the major attractions of the Adivasi Mela was the mini tribal village on the left side of the exhibition ground, where as many as 25 life-size replicas of tribal huts of different tribal groups were built up by the tribals. Those makeshift huts were built with bamboos and red soil and their walls were daubed with a paste of cow dung mixed with red soil. Painted with natural colours like plant dyes, the walls were then embellished with Saura mural paintings - an acclaimed tribal art form of Odisha. I was totally enthralled by the almost 'true-to-reality' experience of a tribal hamlet, that provided a good glimpse of the tribal lifestyle and culture in Odisha.
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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
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Saura Painting, Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
The fair also gave me a first-hand opportunity to interact with several Tribal artisans who had come all the way from places like Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Deogarh or Koraput to sell their wares. And those interactions have certainly left a lasting impression. It was their honesty and simplicity that I've been in awe of, since then.
Another major highlight of the tribal fair used to be the cultural programmes featuring tribal music and dance performances, conducted every day during the evenings.
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Adivasi Mela 2020, Bhubaneswar |
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