Soon after Dusshera an impressive lineup of Diwali melas are waiting to happen in Delhi. What really made me so happy this year was that the artists and artisans had all made a special effort to make their products environment friendly, "green", and a lot of innovative crafts were upcycled .
The Dastakar Festival of lights is one of the forerunners. This year it started on 10th Oct and is on till the 23rd of Oct.
Lovely lineup of stalls, from almost every state, the food court and the cultural events and workshops every day make this mela a must visit. Shopping for Diwali is of course is covered as the handicraft and handloom products here are in a huge variety and of good quality.
Entrance ticket is Rs30/-.
The Delhi Government organised the Shahpur Jat Autumn /Diwali mela on the 19-20th of Oct. One of the oldest villages of the city, Shahpur Jat is a melting pot of urban and rural Delhi. It's home to potters, painters, designers, workshops, boutiques, NGOs, historical tombs, cafes and many more. Live performances, Fashion shows and nature walks are the highlight of this festival. Entrance is FREE
The Serendipity mela at Jaunpur near Chattarpur. The old restored haveli with a courtyard and two floors above is in it self a pleasure to visit. The stalls of jewellery, apparels, pottery, furniture etc were a delight . The cafe on the second floor ofcourse can be given a miss unless you are okay paying Rs 210/- for 100ml of sugarcane juice !!! Entrance is FREE.
The Sundernagar Dewali mela is perhaps the oldest and most popular one in Delhi. Always on the weekend just before Diwali was its usual crowd puller.
Next most popular one is the Blind School Mela, at the Blind School next to Oberois . A number of NGOs put up stalls here. It drew its usual large crowd of the regulars who don't want to skip it ever. The innovative designs of candles and diyas were a delight. Entrance is FREE
Apart from this exhaustive list, we have a Diwali mela in almost every colony of Delhi organised by their respective RWAs.
The Melas at Dilli Haat both at Pitampura and the one near INA, the Defence Colony Diwali Mela, the YWCA mela, are the other very popular ones.
So people happy mela hopping to all and have a wonderful safe and environment friendly Deepawali .
