Aadi Mahotsav 2021: The Tribal festival concludes successfully
17 Feb 2021 16:36:39
New Delhi, Feb 17: The Tribes India ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ that was held from Feb 1-15, at Dilli Haat in New Delhi came to a successful close last evening. The closing ceremony was presided by Ramesh Chand Meena, Chairman, TRIFED in the presence of Krishnadhan Das, Chairman, Tripura MARKFED and Pravir Krishna, Managing Director, TRIFED.
The closing program began with the visit of dignitaries to the stalls. In his welcome address, Krishnadhan Das thanked the dignitaries for their visit and the residents of Delhi for making the event a grand success. He was confident that the heavy footfall and the phenomenal sales registered despite the times of pandemic, would definitely go a long way in helping the tribal artisans and dwellers overcome the setback that they faced during the lockdown.
The short ceremony which also saw the felicitation of the top three tribal artisans categorized in different groups such as textiles, gifts and assortments, organic products, cane and bamboo, jewelry, metal, paintings, pottery, and tribal cuisine based on their sales and popularity with the audiences. The artisans and organisations that were felicitated were given a memento.
The fortnight-long National Tribal Festival saw the participation of thousands of tribal artisans, chefs, artists and cultural troupes from 25 states across the country. The rich tribal culture was evident in the form of rare tribal handicrafts, hand loom and natural products, tribal cuisines were on display in about 200 stalls. The Aadi Mahotsav succeeded in winning the hearts of the residents of Delhi as witnessed by the heavy footfall over the past 15 days and the sales registered.
The wares of the tribal artisans,such as the fine Pattachitra paintings, the lovely silks from Assam, the exquisite tribal jewelry from Odisha and the beaded necklaces from the North-east have been very liked. The earthy, exotic cuisine of the tribals, ranged from momos from Sikkim to mahua laddoos from Chhattisgarh, from Dhuska and litti chokha from Jharkhand to thapdi roti of Odisha and chapda chutney of Chhattisgarh added to the flavors of the festival.
According to the reports of TRIFED, considering making up from the losses registered due to the lockdown, the tribal artisans have registered approximately Rs 4 crore in direct sales over the past fortnight of the Aadi Mahotsav. Moreover, a purchase order worth Rs 8 crores has been placed by TRIFED, leading to a total of approximately Rs 12 crores in business transactions for the tribals participating in the festival. The Aadi Mahotsav has truly been a celebration of the spirit of tribal life; Crafts, Culture and Cuisine.