PUNE: The 13th edition of the annual rural carnival, Bhimthadi Jatra, commenced on Saturday, with sellers embracing the ‘online’ marketplace as well as the physical one to full extent.
The five-day cultural fair, in which Self Help Groups (SHGs) from rural areas of Maharashtra bring their produce, was inaugurated by Sunanda Pawar, trustee, Agriculture Development Trust, Baramati, at Agricultural College Ground in Sinchan Nagar.
Pawar, also the organiser of the Jatra, said, “This year, Bhimthadi Jatra has started a website for online shopping for Punekars in which 278 sellers have registered. This step was initiated to help Self Help Groups (Mahila Bachat Gutt), who come to the Jatra to sell their produce.”
Pawar said there are 350 stalls selling organic farm produce, handlooms, handicrafts, jewellery and food stalls.
“This time, we have given a chance to those SHGs that have never participated in the Jatra,” she informed about the 27 groups, that have come from 22 states to Pune for the first time. From 1,500 online registrations, we have selected 350 stalls,” Pawar revealed.
“A special section comprises 38 stalls of artisans, craftsmen and designers working in the field of reviving and sustaining the traditional handlooms, handicrafts and other crafts. These artists are coming from nine states including Gujarat, Kolkata, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka and some others. On December 23, there will be saree, dhoti draping workshops from 4 pm onwards,” Pawar added.
LIVE SHOWS AT BHIMTHADI JATRA
- December 22: Kashmiri folk music by Sufiyan Malik.
- December 23: Kathak dancer Aabha Auti and contemporary dancer Hrishikesh Pawar’s performance on the theme of ‘Tridhara’.
- December 24: Performance by noted Sufi singer and playback artiste Kavita Seth.
- December 25: Performance by the Mumbai-based band, Abhanga Repost, on fusion of the abhang (devotional poems by saints) with Western musical instruments like drums and guitars.
- December 26: ‘Spandan,’ a fusion of Bollywood dance and Kathak.
— As told by Saee Pawar Negi, member of organising committee.