Surajkund Mela Conglomeration Of Cultures

Music and colour are harmoniously in sync, whilst the aura of a place of joy and merriment takes over your senses. I could barely contain my excitement as I entered through the gates of Surajkund Mela. The annual fairwas heldin Faridabad recently.The fair draws crowds from all over the country as well as international traffic. As I navigated my way along the fair, I tried to explore as much as I could.

There werelittle children running around, high on the sugar rush from eating too many jalebis while the parents enjoyedDaal Bati Churma. Walking down any lane, I witnessed a drum band playing with gusto and within minutes, people gathering around.Laughter and dance huddleswere a common sight. With cameras out, Instagram and Snapchat ready, carefree dancing began right in the middle of the road

There's so much to take in. People from around the country and the world put upstalls. Lamps, carpets, shawls, flags, quilts... the list is endless. Just the sheer options of products to choose more is overwhelming. If you weren't thinking of redecorating your space, you would by the time you browsed through the stalls.

Brushing shoulders, pushing and stepping on feet are common as you walk down the lanes. Men and women approach you to come and look at their wares. The distant noise of an argument, where a bargain is being struck, can be heard. Another step forwardandabeautiful stallselling fabrics will melt the inner threshold and question your rationality as yousuddenly see yourself planning a whole new wardrobe. Every step is a new world of products and a new argument with your inner-selfto tighten those purse strings (heart strings are a little harder to convince.)

In the area of the International stalls, the eye directly went to Lebanon.Gorgeousglass lamps adorned the roof and a bunch of photographerstried to capture the magic. I,of course, joined the bandwagon from behind the lens. The Bangladesh stall, dressed up in batik and jute, stood tall while the Thailand area always remained overcrowded, much having to do with the small purse products at a bargain rate.

As darkness fell, an area dedicated to the Ferriswheels and other such entertainment-driven mechanisms lit up, drawing crowds. Screams of thrill and fear muddled together constituted the background noise as families and couplesindulged in cotton candy and delicious food. There were umpteen photo opportunities for tourists as men dressed up as characters from theEpics. In fact, a child stood next to Ravana as his parents took a picture and the little one couldn't stop smiling. Walk around some more and at this point, you just might come across Rama taking a break, enjoying an ice cream cone

As it was time to leave, my mind tried navigating through all that I had seen,how could I best describe the Surajkund Mela A place of inspiration amidst chaos, a riot of colours, foot-tapping music, carefree dancing and delicious food. I smiled, promising to be back next year this time again.