Crafts mela: Dogri, Kashmiri folk renditions leave visitors mesmerised
As the 14th edition of the ongoing Chandigarh National Crafts Mela inches to its culmination, visitors from the distant corners of the tricity and the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana continue to throng Kalagram to witness the colours of India.
The morning and evening highlights on Friday were the pulsating folk and tribal dances of various regions, including dogri (Jammu), mathuri (Telangana), tamang selo/ Nepali dance (Sikkim), hozagiri (Tripura), bihu (Assam), purulia chhau (West Bengal), pung cholam/dhol cholam/dhangta (Manipur), balti (Ladakh), ghat nritya (HP), sidhi dhamaal (Gujarat), luddi (Punjab) and dhamaali (J&K), which evoked a thunderous applause from the audience.
The regular ground performances that continued throughout the day comprised kachi ghodi (Rajasthan), bajigars and nachaars, (Punjab), nagada and been jogis (Haryana) and a puppet show, which made the visitors to rejoice.
After spellbinding performances of folk dances from various states, glimpses from the rich cultural heritage of Punjab came alive with Khushi Mohammad of Nakkaal Group, displaying his robust singing prowess, offering a glimpse of the vibrant cultural heritage of Punjab. He kept the audience entranced with his captivating rendition.
The atmosphere turned completely divine as Padma Shri Mahavir Guddu, a well-known folk artiste from Haryana, started his invocatory rendition ‘Shiv stuti’, which the entire audience watched with their eyes transfixed. A native of Safidon, Mahavir, who has left an indelible mark of Haryanvi culture on the minds of the people around the world, says that ‘Shiv gayan’ was once delivered by sadhu-sants, which was why he choose to perform ‘Shiv gayan’ on stage while donning a dhoti-kurta and ‘khadka’.
Kashmiri sufi singer Gulzar Ahmed Ganaie presented a sufi qulaam, reflecting the trauma of the brutal murder of his brother by terrorists, which is visible in his soulful sufi compositions. Ganaie draws inspiration from mystic saints and poets like Lal Dev and Nand Rishi, symbolising Kashmir’s pluralistic cultural legacy. Starting with ‘valo yaaron ganimat chi shami gum’ and ‘vadh sario’, Ganaie turned the atmosphere completely mystic.
Chaman Lehri, a popular folk singer of the Jammu region also performed on the occasion. He chose from among his best songs for the evening. Some of the songs he rendered were ‘kala kala kot mere darji’, ‘chalge Jammu bazaar’, ‘udd bala kunjdiye’ and so on.
