Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The 15th Toshali National Craft Mela- 2021 will start from 21st January to 4th February and will be organized by the Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts (HT&H) Department of the State Government at Janata Maidan.
Padmini Dian, Minister HT&H shared the details of all the arrangements and other amenities to be held during the Craft Mela. Dian stated Toshali National Craft Mela is the most important fair as it gives the opportunity to all the artists from across the country to showcase their art and culture. Every year at Janata Maidam Toshali National Crafts Mela is held with people coming from all over the state to witness it.
Artisans, weavers, sculptors from all over the country will participate in the mela and manifest their traditional and contemporary handicraft and handlooms products. The main aim of this craft mela is to open a forum to artists, artisans, and specialists for interaction and to establish the state of the weavers and artisans, which are economically derived by creating a market for their products.
Dian further said that this year the main motive of organizing the event is to provide marketing scope to the artisans/ weavers of Odisha and all over the country. And this is because due to the COVID-19 pandemic the artisans/ weavers are facing lots of difficulties in their business which is leading to face crises in their livelihood.
The Mela will be organized keeping all the necessary Covid protocols in view and all the guidelines by the State Government and Central Government will be followed in a strict manner. Social distancing will be strictly followed along with using masks and sanitizer. In fact, strict security facilities will also be provided at different blocks.
Dian informed that the mela will accommodate 250 handicraft and handloom stalls out of which 80 weavers/artisans from different states of the country will be sponsored by DC (Handlooms) / DC (Handicrafts), GOI.
Around 110 artisans and 60 weavers of the state will be sponsored by DH & CI, Odisha, and Directorate of Textiles and Handlooms, Odisha respectively.
This year no cultural programs will be conducted to avoid the gatherings and the mela will be opened every day from 2 PM to 9 PM.
The 15th Toshali National Craft Mela- 2021 will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on 21st January at 6 PM at Janata Maidan.
Image Source – Google
