34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela | 03 Feb 2020
Why in News
The President of India inaugurated the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Surajkund, Haryana on February 1, 2020.
- The Mela is organized by the Surajkund Mela Authority & Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.
Key Points
- The Surajkund Mela is unique as it showcases the richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms and cultural fabric of India, & is the largest crafts fair in the world.
- The Mela was initiated in 1987 to promote the pool of skilled artisans, who used indigenous technology, but were suffering due to the cheaper machine-made imitations.
- The fair was upgraded to an international level in 2013.
- Himachal Pradesh is the ‘Theme State’ and Uzbekistan is the ‘Partner Nation’ for the Year 2020.
- A record number of 20 countries participated in the Mela in 2015 when Lebanon was the partner nation and Chhattisgarh was the theme state.
- Every year, each theme state constructs a replica of one of the most popular monuments of its state to be displayed as a Commemorative Structure in the Mela Grounds.
- England will participate for the first time in the Surajkund mela.