Mela Phulkari: Awakening of Panjab

To unify the art, craft, and culture of Panjab (Punjab) in its true essence and spirit, 2019 brings with it the sixth edition of Mela Phulkari – which revolves around 'Awakening of Panjab' (Jaago Panjab). The festival will go on until February 17, 10 am – 8 pm, at India Habitat Centre.

Mela Phulkari is an organic extension of 1469, the conceptual brand which showcases Panjab through its eclectic range of products that reflect Punjab and Punjabiyat in every piece.

Speaking about the 6th edition, Harinder Singh and Kirandeep Kaur, co-founders of 1469 said, "Time has come for Panjab to wake up and face 2019 head-on, and show the world what it is capable of."

The word 'Jaago' is also synonymous with a wedding tradition of waking up the community of a new bride as she readies to enter a new phase of life."

The curator of the Mela, Dr Alka Pande, highlighted how women have held an important position within the social and cultural life of Panjab since time immemorial. "Along with the tradition of musical performance of Jaago, phulkari is synonymous with the new bride, who not just inherits her mother's phulkari, but also learns the craft from her," added Pande.

"2019 is also the year when we celebrate 550 years of Guru Nanak Dev ji's coming," Harinder further said in a statement.

"Guru Nanak was a revolutionary of his times as he brought about an awakening in the society with his concept of no rituals, no superstitions, no caste, no aayo, woman remarriage, hard work, sharing, and langar. And we, at Mela Phulkari want to highlight the beauty and importance of our first Guru's teachings," she stated.

These strong topics are being converted into a series of art installations brought together by various designers along with the team of 1469. Each work of art has a story to narrate through the theme of #JaagoPanjab.

Like the previous years, we intend to release edition of our Mela Phulkari Journal highlighting these themes through short stories, articles, and poems, informed Harinder.

"In this journey of Mela Phulkari, we have been able to not only sensitise the audience to the story of Phulkari but in the process mobilise the rural women of Panjab towards progress and self-reliance," mentioned the 1469 team.

Mela Phulkari 6 has its own unique vocabulary. The overarching idea is Jaago of Panjab, which is manifested in the first-morning cry of the cock. The twelve installations are symbolic of the 'baramasas' or twelve months, which have been eulogized by the poets and painters over the aeons.

Five beautiful and antique pieces of jewelry have been painstakingly painted in great detail on "Taat" (jute) showcasing the opulence and fertility for a new bride, beautiful "Dolus" encrusted in gold representing the prized tradition of milkmen going to every single house of the neighborhood and delivering fresh milk each day, the Kukkad as the symbolic representation of 'Jaago Panjab', the Pakhi (fan) covered in antique Phulkari bagh, in a way stirring movement (Jaago Panjab) – the installation in this edition open doors to the real Punjab.

On February 10, don't forget be a part of cultural programme with celebrities like Imtiaz Ali, Harshdeep Kaur, and Jassi Jasbir who will be singing and dancing to the beats of Bhangra. The cultural extravaganza will begin 3 pm onward.