New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit Wednesday to ‘Hunar Haat’ at Rajpath where he interacted with artisans and relished ‘litti-chokha’ and ‘kulhad’ tea.
Soon after chairing a meeting of the Union Cabinet, the PM reached Rajpath where ‘Hunar Haat’ is being organised by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Officials of the ministry were surprised when they came to know about Modi’s visit, sources in the government said.
Modi, who was there for over 50 minutes, ate ‘litti-chokha’, a dough ball made of whole wheat flour and stuffed with ‘sattu’, and paid Rs 120 for it. The dish is popular in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. He later had tea served in ‘kulhad’ with Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and paid Rs 40 for two cups.
The prime minister, along with Naqvi, took a round of the ‘Hunar Haat’ and stopped at several stalls to interact with master craftsmen and artisans.
“Spent a wonderful afternoon at Hunar Haat on India Gate. It showcases the best of products including handicrafts, carpets, textiles and of course, delicious food! Do visit it,” Modi tweeted later in the day. The participation of people from all across India makes ‘Hunar Haat’ a vibrant place, he said.
The prime minister also tried his hand at music, playing a traditional musical instrument at a stall.
Modi tweeted several photographs from his visit to the ‘Hunar Haat’ in which he is seen interacting with the artisans and appreciating the traditional handicrafts at various stalls.
Artisans participating in the event told Modi that traditional arts were dying, but the ‘Hunar Haat’ initiative had given a new lease of life to them.
There was a surge in crowd when people came to know that the prime minister was visiting the event. Several people were seen taking selfies with Modi.
PTI
