Saras Fair commences at Kunnamkulam with a bang
Saras Fair, the celebration of entrepreneurship has been kick started at Kunnamkulam of Thrissur district of Kerala, when hundreds of CDS Chairpersons of the districts lit the lamps to mark the inauguration of the event on 28 March 2019. The gathering of entrepreneurs from the fields of art, craft, food and clothing across India marked their presence as the 11 days exhibition cum sale began at Kunnamkulam. Followed by, the entrepreneurs across the India were wholeheartedly welcomed by a ceremonial procession through the town starting from town hall, Kunnamkulam to Cheruvathoor ground. The procession was accompanied by hundreds of performers with live performance of traditional art forms like daff mutt, kuthirakali, folk song, mohiniyaattom, theyyam, shingarimelam, thiruvathira, karakaattam etc.
The fifth edition of the Saras Fair organised by State Kudumbashree Mission was began with a theme feast- ‘India on plate’. The food items prepared by the representatives of 29 states and 7 union territories were arranged in a single table. All the people gathered were amused by the varieties of cuisine on a single plate like Puran Boli of Maharashtra, Khilanchi of Lakshadweep, Buttari of Punjab, Sarli soup of Jarkhand, Dal Batti and Churma of Rajasthan, Hadi Chaaval of Haryana, Telangana special Dhum Biriyani, varieties of momos and chaumin of Sikkim, Pothrekula of Andhra Pradesh and a lot more were presented. Followed by the official inauguration and theme feast, the big stage of SARAS was opened to cultural programmes performed by Kerala Kalamandalam artists and a mega stage show.
Pink force, a bunch of women volunteers controlled and managed the crowd on the first day of Saras Fair. In addition, 22 selected women are trained and appointed as pink force. These women force would act as security guards with uniform including a cap and whistle. The main objective of the force is to control traffic and to facilitate vehicle parking space allotted at the Cheruvathoor ground. They are on force after the 10 days training conducted by Kunnakulam Muncipality. T0he pink force will be on power in the upcoming days as well.
The Saras fair, which is being conducted by the Kudumbashree Mission in cooperation with the Ministry of Rural Development and the State government is a 11 long days stretched exhibition cum sale programme. The objective of the fair is to ensure market for rural entrepreneurs and to provide an opportunity to sell their products without any interference of any second person. Through this fair the rural artisans, craftsmen, and beneficiaries of Self Help Groups (SHG) across India would be able to exhibit and sell their products directly with customers, thereby earning additional income as well as a significant exposure. Saras Mela 2019 would be an incredible opportunity to get acquainted with the cultural, artistic, traditional, and rich heritage values of different states across the country. Undoubtedly, Saras Mela 2019 would add more colour to the festive days of Kerala. The mela would come to an end on 7 April 2019.
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