Melas or Fairs have always been an important part of rural India. Melas and Fairs in most cases fill a social and economic need of the society. In terms of social need it can be said that melas are a way for different sections of the society to come together and in terms of economic need it can be said that through fairs many small scale businessmen get an opportunity to make some earning. Normally, the melas that are celebrated in different parts of the country last either for a week or a month. It can be said that melas or fairs are colourful festivals which serve as a platform of celebration for the rural as well as the urban people.
Melas have become hugely popular these days and are enjoyed with great enthusiasm in India. Cultural programmes including magic and puppet shows are organised by professional artists and children to regale the crowd. Games and other fun-filled activities for children and grownups are usually a part of all Melas.
The melas or the fairs are widely celebrated in almost all parts of the country. Especially western India is a haven for a number of popular fairs. Some of the well known fairs of western India are
Nagaur Fair of Rajasthan, Baneshwar Fair of Rajasthan, Urs Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan;
Gangaur Festival is celebrated with lot of pomp and show in the districts of Jaipur,
Udaipur &
Mandawa, and the famous
Pushkar Fair of Rajasthan, Goa Carnival of Goa and Tarnetar Mela of Saurashtra. In Eastern India the popular fairs are the
Gangasagar Mela of West Bengal and the Sonepur Fair of
Bihar.
All the fairs and melas in the country are celebrated during different times of the year and as a result almost the entire year rural as well as urban year resonate the joy and celebration of the fairs.
Hence it can be concluded saying that fairs are not limited to particular region or community. People of every region and community take part in the fairs and through these fairs a social network is created when people from various strata of the society come together and enjoys forgetting all their differences.
