Dipchand Bihari, OP
Bhubaneswar: ‘Adivasi Mela2018’ has many colours to draw a large number of visitors to the Exhibition ground venue in Unit III. Right from the entrance, the Mela’s beautiful tribal handicrafts items and jewellery and delicate food recipes will entice the beholders’ eye.
Tribal haat
The Mela is a perfect spot for women who look for tribal jewellery and ornaments. Interestingly , the stall owners have claimed that tribal ornaments like necklaces, contemporary bangles, earrings and pendants are adorable stuff for city women. Craftsman Bishnu Sahoo, hailing from Mayurbhanj, told Orissa POST, “Urban women no longer believe that tribal ornaments are old-fashioned. They seem to appreciate them more in recent times.
Dhokra items are also popular among ladies.” Visitors were seen swarming not only stalls with tribal jewellery, but also shopping at the tribal haat. Malkangiri stall has been selling turmeric and chili powder at an affordable price. People were also buying spices from them. “We buy spices here at reasonable prices. Badi, peanuts, ginger, pulses, split green gram, split Bengal gram, chick peas, urad Dal/ black lentil, toor dal and also yellow peas are obtainable for good price, said Nirupama Swain, a homemaker from Saheed Nagar. Well-known phula badi and kakharu badi of Keonjhar are available in the stores.
Tribal village
Apart from shopping, visitors showed interest for artificial tribal villages which were constructed by the tribals.The tribal houses represented architecture, skill and culture of various communities of Orissa. Ganda house of Nabarangpur, Khadia house of Karanjia, Bathudi house of Kaptipada, Bonda house of Mudulipada, Santal house of Baripada, Juanga house of Keonjhar, Bhumija house of Nilagiri, Soura house of Gajapati district, Koya house of Malkangiri, Munda house of Panposh and Oram house of Bonai were built to showcase tribal art of building cottages at the venue. A government employee, Nirakar Sahu said, “I never thought that these houses are beautiful to watch. These people are more talented than I thought. Munda house is beautiful to look at and Adivasi mela is certainly a great platform to get in touch with tribal art and culture.” Sanjukta Tripathy, an engineering student, says, “I am grown up in Bhubaneswar and I never saw such beautiful houses. The atmosphere here is very peaceful.
The exhibition has changed my mind and I want to visit such communities to explore more of their lifestyle.” The artificial houses are not only small cottages to watch, but also represent several festivals and rituals of respective communities. The organisers have arranged many tribal performances for entertainment in the evening in addition to providing shopping opportunities. “The entertainment segment is well arranged here. People like me get a chance to watch different tribal dances daily. I enjoy good time with my family in the evenings,” said Subrat Maharana, a resident of Sishu Vihar.
