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SURAJKUND FAIR: The Surajkund Crafts is an annual event that highlights some of the finest handloom and handicraft traditions of the country. From 1st to 15th February rural India basks in the warmth of admiration at Surajkund mela village that lies some 8 km from South Delhi. The Mela also celebrates the rhythms of folk theatre- and a theme State that makes each visitor marvel.

According to the Fair Authorities the objectives of the fair are to create a rural ambience for the foreign and domestic tourist to see; To educate patrons both from abroad, urban centres and educational institutes about the fascinating technique and skills involved in craft creation; To introduce crafts and craftspersons directly to the buyers and help them find their patrons; To Identify, nurture and preserve languishing crafts of the country and save it for posterity; and Suraj Kund is a beautiful tourist location of Haryana Tourism and in its lovely setting, folk painters, metal workers, stone and wood carvers, tie dye crafts persons, embroiders, lace makers, textiles printers, carpet and loom weavers, producers of silk fabrics, jewelers and sculptors- execute and display their skills.

The fortnight long celebrations also come as a food festival. The Surajkund Crafts Mela has grown equally famous for the rhythms of folk theatre. All these colourful events are also presented before the audience in the open-air-theatre named Natyashala.

Warli Paintings: Indian paintings have been in the forefront for their superior creative and imaginative skills. Warli art is an ancient Indian folk art tradition of painting of a Maharashtrian tribe called Warli.. Historians believe that the Warli tradition can be traced back to as far as the Neolithic period between 2,500 BC and 3,000 BC. It has since, traveled across borders and territories and home décor products with Warli paintings have an international appeal and demand too. The Warli paintings essentially depict the basic principals of life which are main theme or basis of any tribe. Their major designs include the harvest season, celebration, wedding, rituals and births. The Warli houses also see a pattern in decoration and designs. The Warli art has a special characteristic of representing the humble life of the Warli tribe.

The trademark of Warli paintings is the use of geometric designs such as triangles, circles, squares, dots and crooked lines are used to depict human figures, animal figures, houses, crops etc. Warli art is known for its monochromatic depictions that express the folk life of socio-religious customs, imaginations and beliefs. Predominately white color is used on a red earthen background.

To make the warli painting tribal people thinly covered the surface first with mixture of cow dung and soil. After the surface is dried they make the figures on this surface with the help of white and red soil cakes. The colours used to make the warli painting are very natural and locally available in abundance. Though this art form is very time consuming, but after completing its look like a miniature painting on natural canvas.

I hope you will like it.