“Aadi Mahotsav” a National Tribal Festival is being organized in New Delhi by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED to celebrate, cherish and promote the spirit of tribal craft, culture, cuisine and commerce. Addressing the media persons here today, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram, said that the Mahotsav will be held from 16-30 November, 2018 at Dilli Haat, INA; from 21-30 November, 2018 at Nehru Park and from 16-19 November, 2018 at Central Park, New Delhi. The Mahotsav will comprise of display and sale of items of tribal art and craft, tribal medicine & healers, tribal cuisine and display of tribal folk performance, in which tribal artisans, chefs, folk dancers/musicians from 23 States of the country shall participate and provide glimpse of their rich traditional culture.He said that the theme of the festival is: “A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Craft, Cuisine and Commerce”. The festival will feature exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, art, paintings, fabric, jewellery and much more through 100 stalls. Over 200 tribal artisans and artists from different States creating a Mini-India will be participating in the festival.Shri Oram said that as the name of this event Aadi Mahotsav suggests, it is it’s ‘Adi’ factor that is important about them. The Adivasi way of life is guided by primal truths, eternal values and a natural simplicity. The greatness of the tribes lies in this that they have managed to retain the primal skills and natural simplicity. Their creations issue from the depths of time. This quality gives their arts and crafts a timeless appeal.
The crudest tribal handicraft instantly touches a primal instinct in all of us. This is particularly true in tribal music and dance. He informed the media that more than 600 Artisans from 23 States, 80 Tribal Chefs from more than 20 States and 14 Dance Troupes comprising more than 200 Artists will participate in the Mahotsav.The highlights of the Mahotsav will be – Live demo for making Mahua wine, TAA Ras and Candy Mahua Imli Chutney etc; Live demo for making Lac bangles; Painting demo for 4 different school of painting i.e. Worli, Pithora, Gond and Saura; Fashion show for tribal textiles, fashion accessories etc. (23rd November) and Tribal Cuisines making and sale from different States.Tribal products to be displayed at Mahotsav will include - Heritage collection of Sarees like Bhandara, Maheshwari Bagh, Sambalpuri, Tassar, Cotton Kantha; Silk and cotton textiles from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhad, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal; Men’s collection includes cotton, woollen and silk Jackets, Kurtas from MP, Rajasthan and Jharkhand; Bell Metal from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh; Paintings from Gujrat, Maharashtra, Odisha and MP; Woollens from HP, Uttaranchal and J&K; Honey, spices dry fruits etc. from different States; Tribal Jewellery from Himachal, Odisha, North-East, MP, Telangana; Pottery from Manipur, Rajasthan; Home Furnishing from Rajasthan, North East, MP, UP; Bags collection from Gujrat, Telangana, Jharkhand; and Grass Mat and Coir collection from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Kerala.