The Punjabi Mela kept its promise to bring the most authentic arts, artefacts and traditions of Punjab together to Delhi as part of the Baisakhi celebrations. Presented by the Punjabi Academy in association with the Department of Art, Culture and Languages, Government of Delhi, the three-day festival that started on friday showcased the vibrancy of the land of five rivers.
The carnival was unveiled at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts and had put on display every aspect of Punjabi life– from its rich food to its colourful dances to various forms of its arts, to give a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of the people of the land.
The first evening of the festival 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).
The day time was dedicated to display and sale of ethnic Punjabi items and artefacts like phulkari, nale parande, bangles, wooden furniture and inlay items; and cultural events like gatka, bazigar, dhadi, naqal, gidha, been, algoza, dhol and bhangra; the evening was devoted to Punjabi music.
'Punjabi culture is a rich tradition, many of whose components are today slipping into oblivion. Through this festival, we have created the atmosphere of a Punjabi village in a traditional mela-like setting where all the traditional artefacts of Punjab have been displayed and sold. Punjab’s vibrant culture, its rich cuisine and soulful music, has always attracted people. We hope to keep alive many of these traditions through such festival,' said Jawahar Dhawan, Secretary, Punjabi Academy.
The last evening (27 April) of the festival featured Mamta Joshi and Lakhwinder Wadali.