Nature Bazaar in New Delhi is a large, outdoor mela or market, made up of make shift colourful tents held up with bamboo poles, set around the rolling green lawns of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, on Janpath. This year (2009) there was a Monkey theme, and papier mache monkey's dangled from the trees, greeting visitors, whilst performers donned costume and performed their role as cheeky, naughty monkey's - sometimes too well. Nature Bazaar is the brainchild of Dastkar a society for crafts and craftspeople . It's an umbrella organization that brings artisans from different parts of India under one roof to enable them to sell straight to the public, so that they deal directly with their customer base, and cut out middle men & sales agents. For many groups this is one of the biggest events on their calender, and they spend many months in preparation - weaving, spinning, moulding, shaping, twining, twirling, embroidering.... Nature is held in various cities and showcases the dynamic and skillful work of artisans from across India. The Bazaar is really a hub for creativity, and a celebration of the country's cultural & artistic diversity. The exhibition really is also a sensory experience - popping with colour, texture and pattern.
