Raipur: The Chhattisgarh Rajyotsava Mela witnessed a tremendous crowd of people on Sunday as well. People from all the districts of the state along with their families were seen enjoying the fair and the exhibition organized here. In the Rajyotsava fair, Chhattisgarhi jewelry attracted the villagers as well as the urban people. Urban girls could be seen filled with enthusiasm as they tried on wearing these traditional ornaments of Chhattisgarh. It is noteworthy that these traditional ornaments include Suta, Arai, Rupiya mala, kardhani, Banuvaria, Kakni, Mundri, Parry, kathal, Lachha, Beechhiya, and Nagmoti.
Many people who came to the fair say that they saw these ornaments for the first time in their lives. Some students say that till now they had only read about these ornaments worn by different tribes , but today they also got a chance to see them in this fair. Not only this, officers and employees on duty were also seen shopping for this traditional jewellery.
Hatum is a Gondi word which means market
Bhenu Thakur, the operator of this Chhattisgarhi jewelry stall and her colleague Pritesh Sahu informed that Hatum is a Gondi word which means marketplace. Hatum is a platform in which items made by different tribes are sold. This includes the materials, jewelry and clothes used by the Gond, Dhurwa, Oraon and Baiga tribes. It also includes ornaments made of gilt, which include suta, reached, rupiya mala,kardhani banuvaria, kakni, mundri, pairi etc. Items made of bamboo, wood and grass include piswa, gappa, small purse, paniya (comb), pedha, and chataai. The market is also known for selling garlands and paijans made from the seeds of Sihadi used as ornaments by the Dhurwa tribe. The ornaments used by all the tribes include Jhaling, Phundra, Couri’s makeup, Nerk mala, etc. Along with this, the clothes used by the tribal groups include sarees, gamchas, masks, coats, kurtas, bags. Bhenu Thakur expressed his gratitude towards the chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and thanked him for the opportunity given to the tribal youth to establish their identity in this festival.
