Sri Lanka seeks Haryana’s help to organise crafts fair

CHANDIGARH - Sri Lanka has sought Haryana’s expertise in organising a Surajkund-type crafts fair in Colombo, an official said Sunday.

Representatives of Sri Lanka Sunday said that their government is planning to organise a crafts fair in Colombo on the lines of Surajkund Crafts Mela.

Nihalsomawaree, secretary in Sri Lanka’s ministry of rural industries, Sunday urged Haryana Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati to impart the required know-how and also to send craftsmen from Haryana to participate in the proposed Colombo fair.

“We have sought consultancy services from the Haryana government through the (Indian) ministry of external affairs for organising a craft fair in Colombo,” said Nihalsomawaree, who uses only one name.

Nihalsomawaree is heading a delegation of senior Sri Lankan officers and 24 national award winning craftspersons from Sri Lanka to 24th Surajkund Crafts Mela.

The fair is annually organised Feb 1-15 in Surajkund town in Faridabad district, some 20 km from south Delhi.

“The motive of our visit to the Surajkund mela is to study the functioning and set-up of the mela and also to explore the possibilities for organising such art and crafts fair in Colombo. We are amazed to see the diversity of the mela. Our mela will be of similar nature, sometime in July,” Nihalsomawaree said.

The Haryana government and the Surajkund Crafts Mela authority have extended full support to Sri Lankan delegation.