HARYANA’S VERY OWN INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR
Haryana had been the cradle of Indian civilization since the dawn of time. The Indus valley
civilization flourished in the areas of Punjab,Haryana and Sindh.This land,blessed with agricultural
bounty had been the first place where the Aryans settled,bringing along with them a new chapter in
the history of India.Moreover,Haryana had been a mute audience to the mystic unfoldings of events
during the time of the pandavas and Krishna. Hastinapur saw God himself stepping in between
Draupadi and Dushasan to save the honour of a helpless woman.Most importantly,it was here in
Kurukshetra that the Gita came to the from the holy mouth of Shri Krishna which has become a
symbol of Indian philosphy and culture.All these prove that there could be no better place than
Haryana to showcase India’s tradition,culture and crafftsmsnship.And if someone is visiting Haryana
to explore and experience these things,the Surajkund trade fair is a must visit.
Organized every year in Faridabad, Haryana,it covers an area of about 40 acres and about a
thousand work huts. It was started in 1987,with an aim to showcase the traditions and crafts of the
different states of India.Firstly operating on a relatively smaller stae,it garnered an international importance in 2013 when it started collaborating with different countries every year.By 2015,the
crafts mela garnered international attention with the fair gathering about a million footfall each
seoson. The proposed dates for the Surajkund trade fair this year is 2 nd to 18 th February. The theme
state has not been decided till now but whichever state is selected will get a special preference and
the whole fair will decorated in the traditional style of that state. It comes as a boon for small and
economically deprived states who get to showcase their crafts and in turn promote their
tourism.The tickets this year is INR 80/- on weekdays and INR 120/- on weekends.50% discount is
available to war widows, senior citizens, differently abled people and school and college students.According to me, the Surajkund trade fair is a must visit for people who want to experience
the beauty of the country.
This year,the fair is going to be an extravaganza because almost 22 countries will be exhibiting
their crafts and traditional works.Other than this,there will be stalls from different states of the
country as well,so it will be a shop till you drop affair.The Surajkund trade fair is a shopaholic’s
paradise.You have carpets and curtains from Eygpt,tea from Sri lanka,jade figurines from China and
handmade wall clocks all the way from the German-Swiss border.There is muga silk from Assam,
Kantha work from Bengal and oxidized jewellery from Orrisa and Himachal Pradesh.The sandalwood
and the rosewood carvings from South India are a must buy and should definitely be bought.The
Pashmina from Kashmir and Bandhej from Gujarat are beautiful.So are the wooden toys and brass
idols,which are a speciality of Varanasi and Moradabad respectively.The beauty of Kanjiwaram from
Chennai and Chikankari from Lucknow cannot be ignored and draws the customer to itself,s if a
splendid and sensual aroma engulfs the visitor.
Traitional paintings also find a mention in the the Surajkund fair.There are beautiful madhubani
paintings from Bihar and the Pattachitra paintings from Orrisa.The warli paintings from the tribal
areas of Maharashtra are one of the oldest surviving forms of paintings and are much sought
after.The Tanjore paintings from South India and the Kalighat style of art from Kolkata are a feast for
the eyes.Then there are Pahari mimiature paintngs from Kangra and Tibetan paintings coming all the
way from Ladakh and Lhasa. The paintings of Rajasthan are a beauty to behold and should definitely
bought.The Eygptian papyrus paintings are too beautiful to be described in words.
This fair is the Mecca for food lovers.The fair offers a sumptuous variety of ational and
international cuisines.There are croissants and chole -bhature, doughnuts and dahi bhalle ,jalebis
and gulab jamuns.There is so much to eat and relish that you need at least two days to relish
everything that the mela has to offer.
Other than these the mela also offers a cultural fest and an open amphitheatre where artists from
differentstates showcase their culture through folk dances and ‘naatak-nautanki’. An open
amphitheatre offers the audience a cultural treat from 10:0 in the morning to 8:30 in the
evening.There are helicopter rides that one can take to see the ariel view of Surajkund or indulge in
your childhood at the amusement centre of the fair.Or one can just stand and admire the enormity
of the fair.
All in all, the Surajkund trade fair is a treat for the senses.You can shop,eat,enjoy and admire, all
in a single place.It a beauty to behold, a fair par excellence.And most importantly,it is not only the
shops and their articles,but the visitors,the enjoyment anfd the very nature of this fair which the
Surajkund fair one of the most successful fairs in India and around the the world.