Dastakar Spring Mela

Some more colours as Delhi goes all out to welcome and celebrate the Spring season. Over the weekend, I went to Spring edition of the Dastakar Mela. Dastakar is Hindi for handicrafts. The event held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is a celebration of the handicrafts from all over India.

As we entered the lush green lawns, we saw this man sitting outside his stall and making lac bangles.



This was his final work.

Further into the mela, I spotted these wood carvings and cane furniture pieces.

There were a lot of terracotta plant holders for gardening enthusiasts.I loved these butterfly shaped garden steps.
There was a lot to eat but the best find in the food court was Daulat ki Chat. Traditionally chat is full of salt and spices. But Daulat ki Chat is a sweet preparation. It is made of the milk foam and has just a little bit of sugar and is garnished with pista (pistachio), kesar (saffron) and powdered brown sugar. In short, it is DELICIOUS!

Dastakar Mela

Monkeys eating bananas greeted us at Dastakar Mela held in Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, India Gate. My friend and me realized that monkeys and banana were the theme of the fete when we reached this stall.
But, we were not just 'monkeying' around and had gone to feast our eyes and loosen our purse strings on handicraft goodies on display at this annual handicrafts bazaar.

So we bought some bags and bangles:
Looked and praised some statues
Bought some nice earthen pots

Saw a few more monkeys on banana trees
And with hands full of shopping bags bid adieu to the Dastakar and its colours at dusk.

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts

This is the building in Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. Named after the first woman prime minister of India, Mrs Indira Gandhi, this is a place that is haven for people interested in the diversity of the country. It holds several exhibitions and seminars highlighting the specific regions of the country and even other nations.