Surajkund mela: Eclectic mix of arty options and good memories make it a must visit event

Made to perfection: One look at the wooden boxes from Syria mesmerizes you! The intricately
Handmade beauties

Vibrant hand-painted flower vases, ceramic dolls, tea pots, cups and coasters from Vietnam are here at Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2015 for the first time at Workhut FC-22. Not to miss, the silver jewellery boxes with beautiful embossing done on it are up for grabs. Tells Shuong, the Vietnamese craftsperson, here, "We have got our specialties at the Mela from hand painted lampshades to our traditional dresses and silken stoles. Visitors are appreciating our unique stuff and are buying them too.

designed boxes, side tables and trays made from walnut wood with inlay work on them are on display at Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2015. In the foreign pavilion's Workhut FC-33, Mohammed Dib Ajaj from Damasucs, Syria, has come to the Mela for the first time and is enjoying all the attention that his inlay art boxes are getting. Adds Ajaj, "These boxes in all shapes and sizes have been designed with utmost perfection and are priced at pocket friendly rates from Rs. 800-2200".

This year, Surajkund International Crafts Mela has given a chance to many hidden talent to come forth and showcase their talent. Like artist Arun Kumar Bajaj of Patiala, who has brought a number of portraits and paintings made with thread work. Tells Bajaj at Workhut no. 946, "I am a trained embroiderer and sketch artist, so I combined both my talents and have been using thread work to make paintings and portraits. My biggest achievement is my Lord Krishna painting for which I used 27,53,000 meters of thread and it took me three years and an investment of 1.5 lakhs to complete this creation. This painting of mine has got me laurels and now I figure in Limca Book of Records and India Book of Records." Bajaj plans to auction this creation of his someday.

He has also made portraits of Shri Narender Modi, Prime Minister, India and Sh Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, which just look so very real. He adds, "It takes 3-4 days to make one portraits with a clear vision and focus. I also do 3-D paintings based on my ideas of life and nature." His works are on sale starting from Rs. 1500 to Rs. 12,000.

Painting with a difference

Stone powder mixed with tree resin helps translate ideas on canvas for artist duo Suraj and Nisha from Faridabad. They are showcasing wood framed paintings in all sizes at Workhut no. 961 using natural colours. A big size painting which is their masterpiece on display at the Mela is a painting of Lord Vishnu in ten avatars and is priced at Rs. 2, 25,000. Adds Suraj, "We use crushed stone on the background of the painting and then with the mix of stone powder, colour and resin, we fill the painting to give it an embossed look, and then do the final finishing." These are priced from Rs. 500 onwards, a good buy.

Capturing Mela ambience

Lot of visitors made their way to Surajkund Mela on Tuesday to enjoy the picturesque ambience of the Mela. They enjoyed clicking pictures with the backdrop of big size snowman placed at the Shishir zone and Chhattisgarh's tribal figurines and statues of dancers. The street dancers were a centre of attraction for many youngsters, who enjoyed shaking a leg with them. The fascinating ambience comprising colourful elements from nature like sunflowers, rainbows, flowers, birds, butterflies, mangoes, to name a few, adorn every corner of the Mela area, and the interesting depiction of seasons gathered many eyeballs.