A Never-Ending Love Affair

It’s not always new experiences that exhilarate us. Sometimes, a recurrence of what we’ve enjoyed several times in the past can drive us to the same state of euphoria! One of such love affairs for me, year after year, has been the Surajkund Mela. The same month of February, the same dates, the same place, the same dusty parking lot, the same madness at the ticket counter, the same stalls, the same artisans from across the country, the same jostling crowd, the same food and the same scampering for a place to sit while we eat. Yet, I love it; yet it gives me a high! The splash of colours, the reverberating amphitheatre, the resounding ‘nagada’, artists and people dancing with joy, couples holding hands and walking, husbands looking on as the wives bargain, fathers walking with their kids on piggy back, women from neighbouring villages dressed in their finest jhak-mak sarees for a day out at the mela – this annual festival is a complete ‘joie de vivre’; a celebration of life!

But for now, I sit here brooding; reliving this two year old memory, mollifying myself that it’s okay for not being able to make it this year!

An Odyssey of the Senses

An Indian I am, and my India I celebrate,

I don’t need a reason to do so,

I shall grab every occasion and seize every chance,

To let my love for my country show!

Oh how we pride ourselves on our vibrant cultural legacy,

And the whole world rests enamoured too,

So come hither, allow me take you on a mesmerizing journey,

And reveal this enchanting land to you!

A wonderful day I’ve had today,

I simply can’t help but share,

A day filled with food, entertainment and shopping,

I spent my day at the Surajkund fair!

February 1^st -15^th is when it happens every year in Faridabad,

This month is thus awaited with much excitement and glee,

So off I was as early as I could manage,

On a wonderful culture spree!

A culture spree is what I call it,

Why….you’ll soon realize,

As I take you through this odyssey of the senses,

Where one day just didn’t suffice!

  

 The ticket counter with its mud walls and bamboo roof,

Was a sneak preview to the grand village waiting inside,

The quiet ‘Surajkund’, which means ‘Lake of the Sun’,

Had come alive as the Sun shone, leaving the rest of the world aside!

As I set foot inside the majestic entrance to the ‘mela’,

And began absorbing the richness on display,

I gasped, turned numb for a few moments,

The sheer grandeur of the event took my breath away…..

Festoons and coloured canopies ornamented the place,

Mud walls adorned with Worli art,

Folk music playing in the background,

Oh…there goes my heart!!

Rows and rows and rows of shops,

With stuff from various parts of the country to be bought,

Most people with bags full of handicrafts and souvenirs,

Others wondering what to buy and what not!

Just then, I spotted a ‘nagada’ with six men next to it,

Impeccable whites with orange turbans they wore,

“We play this during celebrations in the village,” they said,

But ‘kheti-baadi’ is what we do…farmers to the core!

I loved the bedspreads from Barmer in Rajasthan,

I was told he supplied them to Fabindia and Westside,

The fabric was called 20-20-56-60,

Awe-struck by the name, my smile I couldn’t hide!

And then there were ‘Phulkari’ dupattas from Punjab,

The brass stall from West Bengal,

Sarees, bags, sandalwood carvings, carpets, shawls,

Paintings, stoles, pots, jutis, kolhapuris et al!

A sketch artist who claimed to replicate you,

For a reasonably decent fee,

And Gopal bhaiya with his bioscope,

That didn’t fail to catch everyone’s fancy!

My favourite was the wooden toy stall from Channapatna,

With its kitchen sets, bullock carts and vintage cars,

I saw silent dreams in the eyes of the artisans,

A desire to touch the sky, to reach the stars!

This ‘mela’ that dates back to 1987,

Was started with this aim indeed,

To provide craftsmen with trade opportunities,

Skilled but unexposed, with numerous mouths to feed!

The ‘Naatyashaala’ reverberated with music,

 As a Sri Lankan troupe danced to the beat,

The amphitheatre was more than full to its capacity,

And I decided it was now time to eat!

“Where do I begin?” I thought,

As I saw every possible food item from around the country,

So had a bit of all that I could, ending with Sri Lankan sweets,

They offered ‘four for the price of three’!

As I looked at my watch, I realized,

Six hours I had spent in this engaging ‘mela’,

Six hours of discovering my country’s heritage, talent, skills,

‘Mera desh sachmuch anokha, sachmuch albela!’

Now as I load the back seat of my car with my shopping,

And am ready to drive away,

I look back smiling at the crowd waiting to go in,

Hoping to enjoy this resplendent country in just one day!