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Indian Fairs or Melas
Indian Fairs or Melas are celebrated in different parts of the country during different times of the year.

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Indian Fairs or MelasIndian Fairs or Melas are an intrinsic part of Indian economic and socio-cultural scenario. Melas or Fairs have always been an imperative fraction of bucolic India. The Latin world "feria" denoting holy day was the origin of the word "fair." Each feria marked the initiation of a day when sea of human faces and heads pulled collectively for worship.

The commerce and trade of the medieval fairs designed monetary transactions. The church took a dynamic part in sponsoring fairs on feast days, and as a result, fairs came to be an essential source of revenue for the church. Commerce, by way of the Medieval fairs and religion became closely entwined. In India the concept of Barter system and fairs walked the similar journey the similar route and the destination silhouetted under the one and only umbrella of religio-socio and political vibes. Society is the complex network of social relations and relations of production is directly linked to the production. And these fairs aim to unify these path breaking conceptual notions. 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.

Starting from Trade fairs to Art fairs to Educational fairs, the concept of fairs has reached the zenith of global incorporation. India is diverse so is its cultural zone, the choice of products and the utilitarian motifs of people.

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.Indian Fairs or Melas 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.


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