The village fair experience
Updated On: 06 January, 2020 08:35 AM IST | Prachi Sibal
Get transported to rural Maharashtra at a festival that lets you buy indigenous produce, handcrafted carpets and enjoy a wrestling match
A tableau from Mann Deshi Mumbai Mahotsav 2018
Kantabai was a welder who was trying to save some money to buy a tarpaulin sheet that would protect her family during the monsoon. Banks in her village, located in Mann taluka of Satara district, turned her down. She then met Chetna Sinha, founder of Mann Deshi Bank who took her request and decided to start a bank for others like her. Kantabai is now a micro-entrepreneur who sells her wares in the village and at festivals. Another woman from the tribal area near Nashik made Nirgundi oil, popular for relief from joint pain, for her family. At the last Mann Deshi Mumbai Mahotsav, she took a loan of R5,000 to set up a stall and went back with a profit of Rs 20,000.
The two are among the nearly 100 women who will bring a taste of rural Maharashtra, from the Mann region in Satara, to Mumbai as part of the Mann Deshi Mumbai Mahotsav. Organised by the Mann Deshi Foundation, the festival is an effort to give rural women micro-entrepreneurs a platform to exhibit and sell their produce and craft. "Besides, it gives them the opportunity to interact with customers and meet other entrepreneurs," says Devika Mahadevan, head of strategy and communications, Mann Deshi Foundation.
For visitors too, it is a rare chance to get a glimpse of rural life and interact with entrepreneurs and artisans from the region and be part of their growth story. "You will feel like you are suddenly a part of the village," shares Mahadevan, revealing that the venue will be decorated with sculptures and tableaus of village life.
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The evenings are for cultural and entertainment programmes where the highlights include a performance of the bharud folk songs by Chandatai Tiwari and troupe who sings songs of women empowerment, songs by RJ and singer Kerabai Sargar in her quirky extempore style and a unique wrestling championship for young girls.
Stall at the Mann Deshi Mumbai Mahotsav 2018
Akin to a state level competition, women between the age of 12 and 21 will compete in over 30 games to win prizes. "Over 50 per cent of these women are from the Mann region, and the others are athletes invited from all over Maharashtra," says Prabhat Sinha, founder of Mann Deshi Championship, who has spearheaded the initiative of bringing sports, including wrestling, into the lives of young rural women. The competition is open for visitors to watch and cheer.
Stall at the Mann Deshi Mumbai Mahotsav 2018
In a nutshell, the Mann Deshi Mumbai Mahotsav in its fourth edition will do what it does best, bring the experience of a rural setting to our backyards, while filling us up with lip-smacking food, hand-made souvenirs and a heartwarming display of culture from the drought-ridden but hardy region of Mann.
At the festival
Buy
Eat
Traditional savouries and sweets, khakhra, wheat/rice puffs and puran poli.
Make
A clay pot and take it home.
Free
On January 9 to 12, 10.30 am to 8.30 pm
At Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, Dadar West.
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