- Presented by Punjabi Academy and Department of Art Culture & Languages, Govt. of Delhi, three-day Baisakhi Mela is an ode to the culture of Punjab
- Singers Harshdeep and Vatsala Mehra perform on second evening
New Delhi, April 11, 2015: Popular Punjabi singer Harshdeep, also known for singing mellifluous Bollywood songs such as ‘Heer’ and ‘Kabira’; and singer Vatsala Mehra delighted the audience on the second evening of the Baisakhi Mela here today.
The three-day festival is presented by Punjabi Academy and Department of Art, Culture & languages, Government of Delhi to mark the beginning of the Punjabi New Year with Baisakhi.
In a setting that replicates a typical vibrant Punjabi village, the Mela puts different facets of Punjabi life on display. There is the best exotic food from Punjab and the most authentic arts and artefacts such as Phulkari, Nale Parande, Bangles, inlaid wooden Furniture & Punjabi Juttis to give your wardrobe an ethnic look.
The Festival is also enriched with beautiful cultural programmes such as Gatka, Bazigar, Dhadi, Naqal, Gidha, been, algoza dhol and Bhangra. The evenings are devoted to musical performances by some well-known Punjabi singers who will showcase different facets of Punjabi music, from Pop, Bhangra to Sufi and Folk Music.
The last day will see popular Punjabi singer-actors Hardy Sandhu, and Ami Virk light up the cultural evenings.
“If you live in Delhi, you live in the midst of a thriving Punjabi community. The Punjabi food and culture is bound to touch you in many ways. However, the urban shift of Delhi means we never get a glimpse of a true Punjabi setting, which is ethnic in every way. Punjabi culture is a rich tradition and this annual Festival is a vehicle that gives us an opportunity to present these beautiful forms of Punjabi Art and Culture,” says Secretary, Art, Culture & Languages, Government of Delhi.
“Through the Baisakhi Festival, we try to re-create every aspect of Punjabi life in a traditional setting of a Punjabi Mela where the traditional artefacts of Punjab are displayed and sold. The Phulkari, the Punjabi juttis, the wooden furniture designs are hardly ever seen in our everyday urban lives and the Baisakhi Festival is the place where you can find them. Well-known singers of different genres have come together to present the wide and versatile facets of Punjabi music, be it the soulful Sufi music that talks about the sufi saints of Punjab, or the foot tapping bhangra, pop music, every musical form from Punjab is inspiring,” says Mr. Jawahar Dhawan, Secretary, Punjabi Academy.
About Punjabi Academy
Delhi after independence emerged as a cosmopolitan city of diverse cultures and languages. It has always been the endeavour of the Delhi Govt. to provide all possible facilities for the development and promotion of different languages and projection of the composite culture of Delhi. Thus, the Delhi Govt. established the Punjabi Academy in September, 1981 to propagate and promote Punjabi language, literature and culture as an integral part of composite culture of Delhi.
Ever since its inception, the Academy has been playing a catalytic role in the propagation of Punjabi literary and cultural activities, in the spheres of music, folk dances, seminars, symposia, short story, poetry, novel, literary criticism, drama etc. where it has assumed a significant role and status of the premier organization in the field of Punjabi culture.
Please visit www.punjabiacademy.com for more information.