The 5-day Kisan Mela gets underway in Padhar in Mandi

Yesterday marked the start of a five-day district-level farmers’ fair, or kisan mela, in Padhar, Mandi district. Padhar SDM Surjit Singh Thakur blessed the fair and offered prayers to the gods.

Under the direction of Sutradhari Brahma deity, a shobha yatra of deities left the Dalah rest house in the Jal Shakti Department of Padhar. At the Lord Shiva temple in Padhar, more than two dozen deities participated in the Shobha Yatra, lowered their heads, and bestowed blessings upon the populace.

Women’s groups from Padhar’s Government Senior Secondary School, Himgiri School, and Gurukul Public School took part in cultural events on this particular occasion.

As a part of their welcome, Tehsildar Puran Chand Kaundal gave main guest Surjit Singh and his wife Meenakshi Thakur a shawl, a hat, and a picture of the god as mementos.

The SDM commended the people for organizing the event in his speech. “These fairs are the symbols of our culture, and we should participate in them wholeheartedly,” he said. Events like this sustain our kinship.

He continued by saying that the locals had founded this fair back in 1956. The fair was extended to five days and became a district-level occasion in 2016.

Among those in attendance were principal Lalit Thakur, Naib Tehsildar Vikas Kaundal, DSP Dinesh Kumar, Panchayat Samiti vice-president Krishan Bhoj, and zila parishad member Ravikant.