Adivasi Mela in Odisha capital transacts business worth over Rs 5 crore

Bhubaneswar: The annual Adivasi Mela-2024, organised by the ST&SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare department, concluded in the Odisha capital here today.

The tribal fair had kicked off at Adivasi Exhibition Ground in Unit-I area of the city on January 26.

ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Jagannath Saraka, departmental secretary Roopa Roshan Sahoo and several other dignitaries were present at the valedictory ceremony of Adivasi Mela-2024.

“Over 10 lakh people visited the tribal fair this year. Business worth over Rs 5 crore was transacted at the 11-day fair,” said an official.

The fair had 66 stalls at Tribal Haat and 15 special stalls to showcase tribal art and crafts before the visitors.

Besides, at least 10 tribal huts were also set up at the fair to showcase various aspects of tribal life and culture. As many as 40 cultural troupes from various tribal communities performed at this year’s Adivasi Mela.

A three-day multilingual drama festival was also organised at the fair. Several plays in Santali, Desia, Ho and Mundari languages were staged at the drama festival, organised as a sideline event of the World Odia Language Conference in the capital city here.

Tribal products including Kandhamal ‘haldi’, millet products, minor forest produce from different tribal pockets and freshly-procured strawberry from Sunabeda were the main attractions of the fair, sources said.