Gorkha Sanskritik Mela concludes in Salbari

Prashant Acharya, EOI, Siliguri, 14 January 2014; The five day long ‘Gorkha Mela’ ended last night with performances by Soumya Rai and Om Chhetri from the popular TV show, DID Little Masters, along with Indian Idol finalist Kapil Chhetri. The trio rocked the last day of the show with their performances. Though the mela organizer’s aim was to highlight Gorkha tradition and culture but they failed to satisfy the people. Many of them complained about the lesser number of Gorkha related stalls installed at the mela ground.

Gyanendra Sharma from Darjeeling who attended the mela said, “We could hardly find the Nepali tradition in the Mela. 90 percent of the stalls were for selling Puchka, Chat, Momo, Noodles, Plastick and Ceramic items. But the cultural programmes and the Gorkha Fashion Show and contest were quite appreciable.”

This year’s Fashion Show and contest among the local models was one of the popular events in the mela. Nepali and Non Nepali models wearing Nepali attire walked the ramp, which was highly appreciated by the crowd.

The fashion show and contest not only gained popularity among the Nepali community but also attracted other communities.

Rashmi Mishra an upcoming model from Siliguri said, “I never thought that I will fall in love with the Nepali attire and tradition. I feel lucky to participate in this event.”

Another participant, Suvamoy Roy said, “I felt proud to wear the ‘Daura Suruwal’ and ‘Nepali Dhaka Topi’ during the show. Nepali tradition and culture is really very rich.”

Eminent dress designer Alka Adhikari’s collection ‘Nepali fusion’ was showcased by the models, while renowned beauty pageant trainer from New Delhi groomed all the models free of cost.

Other main attraction at the mela included Gorkha war memorial exhibition, amusement rides, water fountains etc.