Lucknow Mahotsav gets new venue and avatar!
LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Mahotsav began at a new venue – Awadh Shilpgram and in a new avatar on Wednesday. The grand fest was inaugurated by vice president Venkaiah Naidu, after which it was open for the public.
The most unique aspect of the event this year were the domeshaped ‘pucca’ stalls where artisans from various districts were showing their work skills ‘live’. As the entry for the first three days was free, more than average crowd was witnessed at on day one. Overwhelmed by the arrangements, people said they were witnessing Mahotsav in a ‘new version’. “It’s nice to see our traditional Mahotsav in a new look. It’s much better than the previous ones,” said Sidhartha Shukla, a resident of Gomti Nagar.
Smriti Anand, another visitor, hailed the selection of the venue, saying it was much cleaner than the previous ones. Stall number 20 – the one where an artisan from Moradabad Ikram Hussain Ansari was displaying his brass art ware was another attraction. “By working live, we want to show people the art of brass work that is fading. We spend around 2 to 3 years on every artefact depending upon the size,” said the national awardee.
‘Gulabi Minakari’ from Varanasi, furniture from Saharanpur and glassware from Firozabad were other attractions at the craft court. A gallery was allocated to highlight the UP’s journey–from inception to present times. “We are highlighting UP’s journey through images,” said Santosh Yadav, technical assistant, UP State archives department.
The second most crowded place was the food court. Just outside it a stall ‘Chachajan Rasoi’ was catching the eye of visitors. “We serve traditional recipes. Today, we are serving a dish called ‘Dev Bhoj’— a special khichdi that is prepared from five types of pulses and rice,” said Abdullah Durrani, who owns the stall.