Team News Riveting
Mumbai, April 16
The 40th edition of the ‘Hunar Haat, a credible and consummate platform to preserve, protect, promote ‘Swadeshi’ products is being held at MMRDA Ground, Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai from 16th to 27th April, 2022.
It will be formally inaugurated by the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur tomorrow morning.
Briefing media about the special features of the 40th edition of Hunar Haat in Mumbai today, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said more than 1,000 artisans and craftspersons from 31 States/UTs are participating, displaying variety of wares.
Artisans and craftsmen from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Nagaland, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Goa, Punjab, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu-Kashmir, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other places of the country are displaying indigenous products at the Mumbai ‘Hunar Haat’.
The Minister said that the younger generation of families associated with handicrafts, craftsmanship had started to drift away from their traditional ancestral legacy mainly due to lack of markets. He added: “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has taken various effective steps for preservation, protection and promotion of the ancestral heritage of indigenous artisans and craftsmen. Programmes like ‘Hunar Haat’ enable artisans and craftsmen to carry forward their ancestral heritage by providing them tremendous opportunities.”
Speaking about success of the ‘Hunar Haat’, Naqvi said the ‘Hunar Haat’ has helped the artists connect to the mainstream economy. “Today every artisan and craftsman of the “Hunar Haat” is selling a large number of indigenous products and it has brought economic revolution into the life of artisans and craftsmen.”
Naqvi said that the “Hunar Haat” is full of inspiring stories of artisans especially women artisans who have not only become independent themselves, but have also supported their families through their earning from “Hunar Haat”.
The Minister also added that a thematic food court has been set up called ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh’, where traditional foods from across various states of India can be savoured. More than 60 food stalls have been set up at the Haat.
People visiting the 12-day ‘Hunar Haat’will also get to enjoy various musical and cultural programmes of renowned artistes such as Annu Kapoor, Pankaj Udhas, Sudesh Bhosle, Suresh Wadkar, Sadhna Sargam, Amit Kumar, Shailendra Singh, Shabbir Kumar, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Bhoomi Trivedi, Kavita Paudwal, Daler Mehdi, Altaf Raja, Rekha Raj, Upasana Singh (comedy artist), Ehsan Qureshi (comedy artist), Bhupinder Singh Bhuppi, Rani Indrani, Mohit Khanna, Priya Malick, Jolly Mukherjee, Priyana Maitra, Vivek Mishra, Dipak Raja (comedy artists), Aditi Khandegal, Ankita Pathak, Sidhant Bhosle, Rahul Joshi, Supriya Joshi, Bhoomika Malick, Prema Bhatia, Posh James and others.
A laser light show will be organised on 26th April and visitors can also enjoy “Antakshari” by Annu Kapoor at the ‘Haat’.
The entry to the ‘Hunar Haat is free.
