From rxpgnews.com
Sonia Gandhi dances at crafts fair inauguration
By IANS,
Feb 1, 2007 - 4:26:55 PM
New Delhi, Feb 1 - Congress President Sonia Gandhi Thursday participated in a tribal dance at the Surajkund crafts fair in Haryana and enthusiastically went around the stalls put up by various Indian states.
Gandhi, looking smart in a blue silk sari and navy blue coat, put her arms around the shoulders of Haryana Tourism Minister Kiran Chowdhury and a young tribal woman dancer as she stepped in tandem to the beatings of drums.
The United Progressive Alliance chairperson, known for her passion for arts and crafts, inaugurated the 15-day-long 21st Surajkund Crafts Mela, in which over 350 craftspeople, including those from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - countries, will showcase their skills.
The theme state for this year's fair is Andhra Pradesh.
Tourism Minister Ambika Soni, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister J. Geeta Reddy attended the inaugural function.
Artistes and craftspeople from Thailand, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are participating in the fair.
Organised by Haryana Tourism and the central tourism and textiles ministries, the festival will also have a kite flying competition, a painting competition to commemorate the 2,550th year of Lord Buddha's Mahaparnirvana -, designer workshops, folk dances and theatre performances.
The annual crafts fair, which began in 1981, has some of the finest handlooms and handicrafts of the country on exhibition.
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