Folk artistes from various states enthralled audience

The much-awaited 28th edition of Orange City Craft Mela and Folk Festival was recently organised on the premises of South Central Zone Cultural Centre after a gap of one year. The event saw an impressive lineup of beautiful folk performances from various states, such as Bihu from Assam, Gotipua from Odisha and Raai from Madhya Pradesh.
Needless to say, the visual treat delighted the city’s culture enthusiasts.Another attraction of the event was the presence of Behrupiya artistes from Dausa district, Rajasthan. Decked up as Ravan, Sethji etc., the artistes hogged the limelight with their impactful dialogue delivery and colourful costumes. Artistes were also happy to see the visitors requesting selfies with them.

Fareed, a behrupiya artiste expressed, “It always feels great to be amidst the people and to showcase our art. However, we went through a difficult phase after the pandemic began. We even sold groceries to stay afloat. Having said this, it is amazing to be back to work and we are hoping that we get invited to more cultural events now.” Another artiste, Shamshad added, “It is great that the events have started in full force. But we want to make a request that the ministry of culture should allot some grant to the artistes’ community so that we don’t have to face an adverse situation again, in future.”