Bharat Parv got over 25,000 visitors in its first three days at Ekta Nagar. The festival started on November 1 and will run until November 15. It shows many traditions and crafts from across India. Visitors also enjoy regional food at 25 stalls and watch folk music performances every evening.
Organised by the Union tourism ministry in association with Gujarat Tourism, the festival began on November 1 and will continue until November 15. It is being held around the theme of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, bringing together tourism destinations, traditions and cultural expressions from different states and Union Territories at one venue.
Dedicated pavilions are displaying regional handicrafts, handloom products and traditional art forms. Among the exhibits are Sambalpuri sarees, Pattachitra paintings and silver filigree from Odisha; Muga silk from Assam; Madhubani paintings and Sikki grass craft from Bihar; Chanderi and Maheshwari sarees from Madhya Pradesh; and Pashmina and Kani shawls from Jammu and Kashmir. Gujarat’s Patola, Pithora art and Ajrakh printing are also on display, alongside bamboo products from Chhattisgarh and shell crafts from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Visitors can watch artisans demonstrate traditional techniques and buy handicrafts and handloom products at the pavilions.
Food is another major draw, with 25 stalls serving regional dishes from across the country. The offerings include Bihar’s litti chokha, Rajasthan’s dal baati, West Bengal’s jhalmuri, Sikkim’s veg momo and Kashmir’s nadru yakhni. Studio kitchens run by IIHM Shimla and IIHM Gandhinagar are also holding daily live cooking demonstrations.
Every evening, artists from different states present folk music and traditional dance performances.
The Statue of Unity will remain open on Monday, November 9, during the Diwali holiday period, with the viewing gallery closed. The arrangement is intended to give families an additional opportunity to visit the monument and attend the festival, which runs until November 15.