Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a surprise visit to 'Hunar Haat' at Rajpath where he interacted with artisans and relished ‘litti-chokha’ and 'kulhad' tea. Soon after chairing a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi reached Rajpath where 'Hunar Haat' is being organised by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Officials of the ministry were surprised when they came to know about the prime minister’s visit, sources in the government said.
PM Modi, who was there for over 50 minutes, ate 'litti-chokha', a dough ball made of whole wheat flour and stuffed with ‘sattu’, and paid Rs 120 for it. The dish is popular in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. He later had tea served in ‘kulhad’ with Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and paid Rs 40 for two cups.
The prime minister, along with Naqvi, took a round of the ‘Hunar Haat’ and stopped at several stalls to interact with master craftsmen and artisans. “Spent a wonderful afternoon at Hunar Haat on India Gate. It showcases the best of products including handicrafts, carpets, textiles and of course, delicious food! Do visit it,” PM Modi tweeted.
The participation of people from all across India makes ‘Hunar Haat’ a vibrant place, he said. “Had tasty Litti Chokha for lunch along with a hot cup of tea...,” he said in another tweet. The prime minister also tried his hand at music, playing a traditional musical instrument at a stall.
Modi tweeted several photographs from his visit to the Hunar Haat in which he is seen interacting with the artisans and appreciating the traditional handicrafts at various stalls. Artisans participating in the event told Modi that traditional arts were dying, but the ‘Hunar Haat’ initiative had given a new lease of life to them.
Modi interacted with a specially-abled painter who benefited from the government’s Hunar Haat initiative. There was a surge in crowd when people came to know that the prime minister was visiting the event. Several people were seen taking selfies with Modi.
The ‘Hunar Haat’ here is based on the theme of ‘Kaushal Ko Kaam’ and will be held till February 23. Master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts, including more than 50 per cent women, from across the country are participating at the Haat. A ‘bawarchikhana’ section has also been set up with traditional delicacies of several states available for people to savour.
Hunar Haat will be organised in Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Dehradun, Patna, Bhopal, Goa, Kochi, Guwahati and Bhubneshwar, among other places, over the next few months. Cultural programmes are also being organised on a daily basis at the Hunar Haat.
(With agency inputs)
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