Not far from the place where I live in Navi Mumbai, the state government administration has developed an unique concept of showcasing indian traditional arts and crafts, handloom and textiles from rural artisans across india in a city like setting called the Urban Haat(market). Built on a hilly area with lush natural greenery, the 12 acre area has several stalls to showcase rural talent and products from the various Indian states, with events spanning through the year. The place also includes an ampitheatre, a nature trail and butterfly park in a natural ecosystem.
It also holds food festivals and cultural events for music and dance shows. The announcement of these shows are often made in local newspapers and website.
Visitors can directly interact with the artists and learn the art during scheduled workshops. One art that is purely traditional in our state of Maharashtra is Warli painting which is a tribal art style of painting. Each circle, square and triangle represent an entity or an element in the artwork and each artwork has a story whose focal point relates to nature as explained by the artist. Traditionally chiselled bamboo sticks are used for the painting. Sharing some pictures of Warli art and painting by a talented traditional artist Ujjwala Bhatte.
Do share some of your traditional art and craft from your local area. Cheers!
