New Delhi, August 21, 2023: Festivals and Fairs Exhibition under Mela Moments inaugurated at the Amrit Udhyan, Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi by Shri Rakesh Gupta (Addl. Secretary to the Hon’ble President of India) and Prof. V Nagdas, (Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi). The Inaugural ceremony took place in the gracious presence of Shri Mukesh Kumar (Director, Rashtrpati Bhavan) and Shri Rahas Mohanty (Deputy Secretary, LKA), participants, and art lovers in great numbers.
Around 60 Photographs of all the awardees and 22 best pictures clicked by the jury members have been put on display. The awarded photographs were selected by the panel of the jury comprising distinguished photographers across the spectrum. The Jury has selected 60 photographs from approximately 11000 entries summited by the common people across the country under Mela Moments Photography Contest under four categories- Mela Vibes, Chatori Gully, Mela Portraits, and Mela Stalls.
Inaugurating the Mela Moments Exhibition, Prof. V Nagdas, Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi, congratulated the participating artists and said, “We will do a lot more events in promoting photography and visual arts in the future”
The Mela Moments Photography Contest was organized by the Ministry of Culture under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Lalit Kala Akademi coordinated the whole contest as a nodal institution all across the country. Monthly winners will get prizes as follows: 1st Prize – Rs 10000/- 2nd Prize – Rs 7500/- 3rd Prize – Rs 5000/-. Out of monthly winners over six months duration, the grand finale prize will be announced soon where the 1st Prize of Rs 100000/-, 2nd Prize of Rs 75000/- and 3rd Prize of Rs 50000/- will be given.
The contest was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Culture of India Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi in October 2022. The competition took place for six months from 1st October 2022 to 31st March 2023. Akademi encouraged people to visit their nearest traditional fairs and festivals to relive the nostalgia and click the best pictures as per the given theme. Akademi organized various photo talks, photo walks, workshops, and camps across India under this campaign to promote the contest and to create awareness of Photography. The participants submitted their pictures on mygov.in and the Google form portal.
The Exhibition is open to the public from 19th August to 17th September 2023 from 10 am to 5 pm at the food court area of Amrit Udyan. No special entry pass is required as anyone can enter from gate no 35 of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
