The month-long folk arts festival and fair titled ‘Loko Karu Shilpa Mela O Lokojo Utsab 2017’, which is currently being held on the premises of Bangladesh Folk Art and Crafts Foundation at Sonargaon in Narayanganj, is drawing the attention of a huge number of visitors every day.
This year, the event--organised by the Bangladesh Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation--has begun on January 16 followed by an award ceremony. Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor inaugurated the fair, while foundation director Rabindra Gope presided over the opening ceremony.
Every day, many visitors, including students from the school and college, service holders,  local people and others are visiting the fair to witness and buy folk artworks and handicrafts from the venue.
A total of 193 stalls has been set up on the festival premises this year; among these, 27 stalls have been allotted among the underprivileged craftsmen for making and displaying their works. A number of 58 craftsmen are participating in the fair and they will become financially self-reliant from this fair.
Besides, a number of 46 stalls are placed for handicrafts, 43 for dresses, 35 for stationeries and cosmetics, 25 for foods and 17 for pithas (cake).
Moreover, Manipuri performance, ethnic cultural programme, reading puthi, rural games, exhibition on rural life, bioscope, boat driving and pitha utsab are being arranged every day during the fair.
In the evening segment, a cultural programme is being held every day where local artistes and several other organizations are taking part.
This year, the award has been given to Sufia Kamal from Dhaka in Jute Product category, while Sabita Modi from Munsiganj in Shital Pati, Sudonno Chandra Das from Narayangaon in Sorachtiro and Manik Sarkar from Comilla in Clay Craft category. Each of them received Tk 30,000 along with a gold medal.
Rabindra Gope, director of Bangladesh Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation, told DhakaLive, “Nowadays, folk arts and crafts are losing their own identity. In order to give rebirth to the almost dead products, we have organised this month-long event. Through this festival, many craftsmen, who were deprived, will become financially self-reliant.”
Sree Sanjay Kumar Paal, a clay craftsman, said, “Bangladesh Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation invited us and provided us a chance to display our products at the fair. For this purpose, we received 1000 taka daily from the foundation. We also earn money by selling our products.”
A visitor, Sanjida from Dhaka, expressed her feelings about visiting the fair, “I enjoyed the Bioscope a lot at the fair. It seems that I saw the whole Dhaka within in a minute.” l