Surajkund

a must see for anyone visiting north india (to be precise, the delhi-haryana-rajasthan belt) is the Surajkund craft mela.this mela is basically to showcase art, crafts and products that are made by artisans who do not get an opportunity to display them and make sales like many of their more privileged colleagues.surajkund is located just outside delhi. you can reach this place by taking any bus that goes towards badarpur border.the fair is well organised with ample drinking water facilities, eateries, garbage cans,toilet facilities and yes good crowd control. (kudos to haryana police for this).the best part of this fair is that each stall bears the name of the artisan, the place from which he/she hails from, details of awards secured by the artisan and the specialisation of the artisan which indirectly is a pointer to what you can expect in that stall. the stalls are located amidst lush greenery and add to it the late winter sunshine, man..........its a deadly recipe for fun.now to the stalls themselves. they are well stocked with fresh stocks being made at the back of the stalls. woodwork, cotton, silks, leather stuff etc are a few samples of whats available. check out the handlooms from J&K and the north east (i really wonder how the fuck we can afford to behave in such a high handed manner with the people from these places.) jute work from bengal is also worth mentionmusic and dance also forms an integral part of this fair with a separate stage set for artistes from various parts of india to perform.what intrigues one the most is that with such talent and hardworking capability in our country, why is it that we lag behind a lot? maybe its because for every one of such dedicated people, there are 100s of people who are the epitome of laziness............