The 34th edition of Surajkund Mela comes to an end today, after 15 days of fun, food and unending entertainment. MUSBA HASHMI visits the fair to bring you untold stories of artisans and the hidden treasures that the festival has on offer
To bid adieu to the chilling winters of Delhi and to give a warm welcome to the hot summer months to follow, the 34th edition of Surajkund Mela in Faridabad always has a few surprises waiting for those who visit the mela. Today, is the last day of the 15-day long festival that was nothing short of a power-packed fiesta.
From the Rajasthani folk dance to the mouth-watering Rajasthani cuisine to the craft from Himachal Pradesh to souvenirs from Ghana and to bamboo sofas made by local artisans, the festival had it all. There was something for everyone to relish and cherish. The festival is hosted by the Surajkund Mela Authority in collaboration with the Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture, External Affairs, Department of Tourism, Government of Haryana and Haryana Tourism Corporation. The theme State of the festival this year is Himachal Pradesh; last year it was Maharashtra.
The world’s largest international crafts fair has been drawing crowd in tens of thousands and this was no different. One of the highlights among the flooded streets of the mela apart from the luxurious craft from all over the world was the behrupiya brothers. With people lining-up to click selfies just like they do with B-town celebs if not more. The behrupiyas stood calm and patiently posed for the photos. Among all the behrupiya brothers, the one who drew the most attention was the djinn or the genie.
Naushad Khan, the 32-year-old from the community based out of a village in Rajasthan is carrying forward his forefathers’ legacy. He has been visiting the mela for several years now.
“I have been into this profession all my life. It is a skill passed down to me by my forefathers. This is a craft that we live for. As far as my visit to the mela is concerned it is because of the Haryana tourism board. They have called me and my five brothers, who are disguised as Lord Krishana, joker, dacoit, genie and a monkey, here,” the well-built Khan tells you.
Dressed in a black gown paired up with an orange pyjama, face painted with purple-pinkish colour with silver highlights, messy hair, wearing devil’s horns and necklaces made of both big and small beads, there was something eye-catching in Khan’s appearance. On closer inspection, one will notice his deep yellow eyes. Not that Khan drinks or smokes, it is a part and parcel of his profession. A reaction of wearing paint on his face for too long.
“I wear the costume for about eight to 10 hours a day. It takes me three hours to disguise myself as different characters. It is not an easy task. There are certain challenges that we go through daily. Like whenever I put paint on my face my eyes turn yellow. It is due to an allergic reaction. As soon as I will remove it, they will get back to normal. Not only the eyes but my skin too had to pay the price. Though the paint is home-made but still it affects the skin,” he says.
Coming from the behrupiya community who have been into the profession for several centuries, there is no alternative for Khan but to earn a living from this.
“My purpose of visiting these fairs is to bring the behrupiya art to light. I want the art to be recognised by the people. I love entertaining people and making them happy. Of course, money is another reason but its not the sole one. I want people to respect this art form. There are many people in my village who are sitting jobless because they are not getting a platform to showcase their talent. We don’t have any other option to eke a living,” Khan says.
However entertaining people is not everyone’s cup of tea. There is a lot that Khan has to go through to make others happy. “I come across a lot of people who mock me. They ask me ‘why am I doing this? Can’t I follow another profession?’ It hurts and sometimes I get angry but then I can’t do anything since I want to carry on the legacy. I have to listen to their taunts and behave as if I am deaf,” Khan tells you.
Khan feels that mobiles are responsible for certain people’s behaviour to some extent. “When my forefathers were into this business, people appreciated the art form. But nowadays its all about, hello, taking a selfie and bye. That’s it. People have no time to appreciate you. Some are kind enough to stop and give us a reward while others just leave after taking photos,” he explains.
Though Khan has a lot of love and respect for the art he has made up his mind to not allow his children to take up the profession. “While I am all set to take this art to other States, I feel there is no money. While I am here entertaining people, I am not sure whether my family back home has enough money to buy food. It is discouraging to see that no one is bothered about taking the craft ahead. My children are currently studying. I have already told them to do whatever they want but not follow our footsteps. I don’t want to see them suffer since I don’t see any future for this craft in the future,” Khan, who has done theatre and taken part in Ramleela events in his home State, tells you.
Another gem hiding a few shops is edible kitchenware. Yes, you read that right. Plates, spoons, bowls and glasses that can be eaten!
Brainchild of Delhi-based environment conscious Puneet Dutta, Attaware is offering edible kitchenware that is easy to dispose and is environment friendly.
“I was working as a global recruitment manager for a software firm and had to travel frequently. I always wanted to do something for the environment. One day, while I was crossing River Yamuna, I noticed a long stretch of some white things floating in the black water. I went closer and to my horror it was thermacol plates. I was disappointed to see how we are spoiling the Nature. I was travelling to Vrindavan back then. Once I entered the city, I saw a man holding a puri in his hands with sabzi on top of that. I realised that there was no thermacol or plastic plates required. That’s when the idea hit me to come up with something that leaves no residue — Attaware — a brand that offers cutlery made of atta and gur,” Dutta tells you.
It was in 2013 when he started to play with ideas and a bowl was the first thing that he made. Dutta then went on making plates, spoons and glasses. The brand was launched in August last year.
“It took me several years to do the research before I came out with the products. Then I went for the trials. I did lot of lab tests. But I was not satisfied. I wanted to note its practical applicability. I approached a pub in Gurugram and asked them if they would sell their drinks in our edible made glasses. They agreed and the response was positive. Everything went smoothly. But then I decided to check where these glasses went after use. I found, that people generally preferred to have their drink in cars and throw the glasses away. After a few days, we got to know that mice would carry them to their burrows and eat them,” he tells you.
To begin with, most people including his brother, Sahil, would laugh at his business idea. But he too came on board. “Initially, he used to laugh at my idea. He used to make fun of me by saying ‘pehle Puneet suit pehan kar flights mein jata thha ab dekho kaha atte ki boriyan lata rehta hai.’ I used to keep quiet but once the brand was launched he too accepted the fact that whatever I was doing was good,” he says.
Since its launch the brand has sold 35,000 samples. “Yes, the samples are not free. People have to buy them. The response that we have received from our customers is overwhelming. Even the vendors at the Surajkund Mela have been kind enough to agree to sell our products,” he says.
The edible kitchenware is an answer to many problems. It not only helps in reducing waste as it is completely bio-degradable, it also helps in saving water that is used for washing dishes, provides employment opportunities and offers food to all living beings. One can eat it too!
“Through this start-up we are able to give employment to around 1,100 widows from Delhi-NCR and Mathura. The work they do can never be replaced with machinery. The women need to check the texture and the quality of the dough before the final product is moulded. If the texture is not correct it will fluff up like a roti. Also, our products are completely safe and hygienic. Atta and gur are baked at very high temperatures; this kills the germs,” Sahil, who doesn’t want to disclose the whole process tells you.
This is not all. The next product on cards is a water bottle. “We will soon come up with an edible water bottle. The name has not yet been finalised but we are planning to call it Power Bottle,” Sahil tells you.
Adding to the charm of the festival was an Armenian souvenir shop in the Foreign Shops section. Cute handmade necklaces, woolen scarfs and bags, wall hangings and fairy dolls are a cherry on the cake.
Maral Sheuhmelian Berberian, a Syrian-Armenian, who visited the festival for the first time did everything possible to make her shop look one of the cutest among all the chock-a-block shops with variety of stuff.
“The reason why I am here is I wanted to showcase the culture of Armenia. We have received a warm welcome from the people here and I already have made a lot of friends in India. The one thing that I liked the most is the kind nature of the people,” she tells you. All the designs on the shop have been handcrafted by Maral. “I loved designing since I was a child. I had seen my mother and grandmother doing this and wondered how they were able to design their thoughts so beautifully. I wanted to do the same. Now, its more like a passion,” she tells you.
The delicious food that the mela has on offer definitely needs a special mention. However, many shopkeepers felt that the year was not as good for them as it used to be but having said that if you have a keen eye for art and culture and want to see the heritage of the country of for that matter other countries, Surajkund Mela makes for a must visit place. If you have missed it this time, don’t forget to add it in your bucket list for next year.
