Talent sees no age, neither any caste nor creed. Hunar Haat, an initiative of the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, has been able to bring different talents together on one platform and help them make a business out of it. Hunar Haat constantly tries to give a new identity to the art of artisans, craftsmen, artisans, and artists from across the country by providing opportunities and markets for their art.
The same picture is also seen in the running Hunar Haat in Sector 17 of Chandigarh. Apart from men, Hunar Haat is playing an effective role in the social and economic empowerment of women. There are many such women artisans who have come from different corners of the country, who have got a chance to showcase their art for the first time in Hunar Haat, due to which they are excited and dreaming of better prospects for the future.
Stall number 15 in Hunar Haat belongs to 21-year-old Ekta Arya, who came from Almora, Uttarakhand. Ekta is a student of Bachelor of Fine Arts. She has learned the subtleties of Aipan art from his maternal grandmother. Aipan is a folk painting art of Uttarakhand. Laxmi Chowki, Saraswati Chowki, Naamkaran Chowki, Acharya Chowki, Duliyarg, Ashta Dal Kamal, Ekta, who specialises in making Asan Chowki, make stickers and sells them by making stickers, printing them on jute bags. Ekta, who joined Hunar Haat for the first time, is happy with the response she is getting from the people of Chandigarh and thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving her a chance at Hunar Haat.
Like Ekta, there is a story of Nandini of Gorakhpur. Nandini sells designer items made of clay at Hunar Haat’s stall number 18. Under the Terracotta art, a variety of attractive items with artwork in the shape of bush, wagon, tortoise, hut, elephant table, deer narrates the story of his art. Apart from decoration, these items are used to keep small items and to plant plants. Nandini has come to Hunar Haat in Chandigarh with her husband and younger son. Together with her husband, she has been doing this work for the last 12 years. Nandini, the mother of four daughters and one son, tells that coming to Hunar Haat has given her the courage to move forward. Happy with the good sales, Nandini is now confident that with the earnings from Hunar Haat, she will be able to take care of all her five children and do their studies properly.
Similarly, stall number 121 belongs to Poonam Shashi Vaghela, who came from Hyderabad. Originally from Gujarat, Poonam has also become a part of Hunar Haat for the first time. Wall hangings, jute bags, banjara work ghagra choli, coconut handmade monkey and Ganesh ji shaped artwork. Nandini says that getting a chance in Hunar Haat has given her an opportunity to move forward. Earnings from good sales will help in supporting the family.
These are just a few stories. There are many such stories present in Hunar Haat which give encouragement to others and move forward with a positive mindset.