Fair and Festivals of Delhi

Delhi is the capital city of Indian Republic and thus has a vibrant culture. This is pretty evident from the fact that various kinds of fairs and festivals are held almost every now and then. No matter what time of the year you visit Delhi; you will find some or other fair or festival being organized. Most of these fairs or festivals are organized to showcase either the Indian culture or its technological advancement. They are organized in various parts of the city and are attended by people coming from different backgrounds and strata. Thus, besides reflecting the cultural, scientific, educational advancement, the fairs and festivals of Delhi bring cohesion among the people.

The foremost and the torchbearer among them is India International Trade Fair (IITF), popularly known as trade fair in Delhi. The Delhi Trade Fair is normally organized in the month of November (14-27). This trade pulls crowd in millions and is arguably one of the largest fair in the world in terms of footfall volume. Besides showcasing products from nearly all the states in India, it has pavilion from nearly 100 countries. This is a one-stop destination to shop whatever you like, literally, from a thing as miniscule as a needle to a thing as gigantic as an Aircraft. Then there is Art and crafts fair that showcases the vivid art and craft of India. There are stalls from nearly all the states with special emphasis on the Tribal art and crafts, fighting the war against extinction.

There are other fairs too that not only showcase the technological advancement of India but also make people interact with the contemporary technological breakthroughs in the world. This kind of fairs includes the Electronic fair and Automobile Expo. Both of them are very popular among the youngsters. The Electronic fair showcases electronic equipments from various Multinational Companies including the likes of Sony, Philips, Thomson and LG among others. The youth get attracted towards the gizmos and that's why this fair is such a hit. Similarly The Auto expo showcases various bikes and cars built in India and World and are immensely popular among youths.

On the cultural front, we have the very famous International Film Festival. Based on the format of the Moscow film festival, this festival witnesses a series of film screenings, carefully selected from all over the world to suit the audiences. The Indian film industry popularly known as Bollywood is the major contributor in this film festival. Then you have, very famous and prestigious Pirthvi Theatre Festival that is organized in the month of December. This theatre festival presents various plays, acts, monologues and one act plays in its weeklong extravaganza. These are from various languages from all over the India but primarily in Hindi, Urdu and English.

The Qutab festival and Jahan-e-Khusrau festivals, which are primarily Sufi in nature and attract Sufi singers from as far as Bukhara and Constantinople, are also one of the popular fairs of Delhi. These festivals also have presentations from Indian and Pakistani Sufi artists. Among the traditional fairs of Delhi, Phoolwalon ki Sair is perhaps the most popular. This fair is traditional in nature and attracts a lot of rural audiences. The same stands true for The Surajkund fair that has created a niche for itself among Crafts fair all over the world.

In a much lighter vein, winter also witnesses the Vintage Car Rally when the 'grand old ladies', sprucedup for the occasion, make the long haul from Delhi to Sohna. Winter is also the time for the popular Balloon Mela, the Surajkund Crafts Mela on the outskirts of Delhi, and Delhi Tourism's Gardens Festivals. The latter is a visual feast, for Delhi a blaze with flowers in the month of February Delhi Tourism also organizes cultural performances during the Garden Festivals.

In early October, a festival specific to Mehrauli, in Delhi, takes place. This the Phulwalon - Ki - Sair or the Flower sellers Procession, which originated in the 16th century. The highlight is a prossional of people carrying decorated floral fans, which are blessed at the shrine of the 13th -century Sufi saint, Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtyar Kaki and at the hindu temple of Jogmaya, both in Mehrauli. The procession ends with a formal ceremony at the Jahaz Mahal, a 16th - century pleasure resort by the side of a lake.

Delhi is also known for two beautifully choreographed ballets, Krishna Katha and Ram Lila, organized every year by the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra to celebrate the Hindu festivals of Janmashtami and Dusshera.

If you happen to be in Delhi in January, do catch the folk dances from each state of the country performed at Talkatora Stadium every year, just after the Republic day celebrations. Some of the other important events on the dance calendar of Delhi are the Qutub Festival organized by Delhi Tourism in October; the Folk Dance and Music Festival put up by the Indian Trade Promotion Organization in November and the Kathak Utsav celebrated by the Kathak Kendra in December.

Apart from Kathak which is the only classical dance of north Indian origin, all other classsical dances took root in the south. But that hasn’t kept India’s leading dancers from setting up home and dance centres in Delhi. Yamini Krishnamurthy, Leela Samson, Geeta Chandran, Raja and Radha Reddy, Swapna Sundari, Uma Sharma, Birju Maharaj, Shovana Narayan, Sonal Mansingh and Singhajit Singh are only some of the leading artistes who have settled down in Delhi. Celebrated dancers from the entire country perform in Delhi and the good news is that entry is usually free.