In this diverse yet united land of India, culture is vast and so are our tastes. We got to fetch ourselves a bite of this country’s rich heritage at the recently held Dastkar fair. Knowledgeable to say the least, the fair was colourful, full of fun things to do, live music, folk dance performances, munching and a platform to get acquainted with all the states that make us one. From the northernmost tip of Kashmir to the very eastern state of Manipur, from Gujarat’s and Rajasthan’s vibrancy to the tribes of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, we saw it all. Everyone was there to commercialize and interact with those from other states.
A place so lively, so colourful, it was an amazing way to bring this vast country under one roof. We were so delighted to visit the bazaar on the very patriotic, Independence Day and it made us very proud of being a part of a country with lots of cultures, religions and art forms. There was a strange feeling of joy and happiness running through our nerve. Our smile never left our face throughout the fair as we moved from one stall to another.

Dastkar Bazaar is the livelihood of people from various backgrounds of arts and crafts. We got to see the different cultures from various parts of the country here. Each of them had a different handicraft to showcase from Kutchi work from Gujarat to tribal jewellery from Manipur, leather items from Rajasthan and wood work from Orissa. Urban people got a chance to know about the incredible range, variety and richness of the unique craft traditions. The different stalls had various styles of handloom and handcraft items. It was a pleasure to visit the bazaar and get to see so many of our cultures so united at the same front.

There were also stalls that used waste materials to recreate a new line of products in the best way possible. We got to see lots of hair accessories, hand bags, earrings, bookmarks, clothes, paperweights, fridge magnets made out of used products.

DASTKAR – Nature Bazaar