Sale and placing of orders worth over Rs 12 cr took place at Hunar Haat: Naqvi

Sale and placing of orders worth over Rs 12 crore took place at the Hunar Haat here with exquisite indigenous products of artisans and craft persons getting a major boost, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Saturday.

Over 550 artisans and craftspersons from more than 30 states and union territories (UTs) participated in the 33rd Hunar Haat, organized at the India International Trade Fair at the Pragati Maidan from November 14 to 27.

Speaking with reporters at the conclusion of haat, Naqvi said that while people purchased indigenous exquisite handmade products, the artisans and craftspersons also received orders from national as well as international buyers.

The sale of the products and orders placed during this Hunar Haat amounts to over Rs 12 crore, he said.

The Hunar Haat also received the India International Trade Fair, 2021, silver medal for strengthening commitment to the 'vocal for local' initiative and for its strong presence at the fair.

Naqvi said that while on one hand, visitors made large-scale purchases of indigenous traditional products from every corner of the country at the haat, on the other, renowned artists from various parts of the country mesmerised the audience through their cultural and musical programmes.

The visitors also enjoyed a "circus" at the Hunar Haat, where artists performed spectacular entertainment shows. 

Naqvi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra of 'vocal for local' has encouraged and promoted India's traditional and ancestral legacy of handloom-handicraft.

With 300 stalls, this was the largest participation in the India International Trade Fair this year by the Union ministry of minority affairs.

The Canara Bank had also set up a stall at the Hunar Haat to provide easy loans to artisans and craftspersons for employment and self-employment.

Renowned artists such as Annu Kapoor, Vinod Rathore, Sudesh Bhosale, Roop Kumar Rathore and Sonali Rathore, Suresh Wadekar and Padma Wadekar, Amit Kumar, Mohit Khanna, Prem Bhatia, Osman Mir, Rekha Raaj, Vivek Mishra, among others, performed at Hunar Haat.

The next Hunar Haat will be organised at Surat (December 11 to 20) and thereafter, at the JLN Stadium, New Delhi (December 22  to January 2, 2022). 

Hunar Haats will also be organised in Mysuru, Guwahati, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Patna, Puducherry, Mumbai, Jammu, Chennai, Chandigarh, Agra, Prayagraj, Goa, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Kota, Sikkim, Srinagar, Leh, Shillong, Ranchi, Agartala and other places in the coming days.

(Image: PTI)