After three days of a delightful cultural extravaganza that left people wanting for more, the Punjabi Mela came to an end on Sunday(27 April) with high volatage performances of singers Mamta Joshi and Lakhwinder Wadali lighting up the last evening. The talents enthralled the whole mass present at the event.
Apart from a blasting ending of the festival, the first evening (25 April) saw performances by singers Gurmeet Bawa, Lachi and Glory Bawa and Jasbir Jassi. The people of Delhi turned up to devote their Saturday to a rocking Punjabi feast, where hugely popular Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali charmed the audience with his performance on the second day (26 April).
Presented by the Punjabi Academy, the three-day festival showcased the vibrancy of the land of five rivers at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts where the best of Punjab was brought to the capital. Ranging from the traditional artefacts of Punjab like phulkari and Punjabi jutti to bhangra and giddha and mouth licking delicacies like Amritsari Kulcha.
Over three days ethnic Punjabi items and artefacts like nale parande, bangles, wooden furniture and inlay items were put on display and sale in a perfect Punjabi Mela setting.
Cultural events like gatka, bazigar, dhadi, naqal, gidha, been, algoza dhol and bhangra vowed the audience while the evenings were devoted to Punjabi music.
'Through this festival, we tried to create the atmosphere of a Punjabi village in a traditional mela-like setting where all the traditional artefacts of Punjab were displayed and sold. Punjab’s vibrant culture, its rich cuisine and soulful music, has always attracted people, and the people who turned up were delighted by the colorful display and songs and music. We hope to keep alive many of these traditions through such festivals,’ said Jawahar Dhawan, Secretary, Punjabi Academy.