International Shivratri Festival 2025 Invitation Featuring Mandi Kalam
Mandi, February 20: This time, the firsthand mastery of the International Shivratri Fair (Niyundra/invitation) in Mandi, which is to be held from February 27 to March 5, has taken on a cultural perspective. This invitation was made with Mandi Kalam an ancient and divine art that has left a beauty mark on national and international forums. This deliberate integration serves not only to celebrate the festival’s long legacy but also to showcase the rich culture of the locale.
Mandi District Commissioner, Apoorv Devgan saying that Mandi Kalam is historically very important and through this unique step, the administration plans to provide a living portrayal of the old culture and civilization. “This year’s Shivratri Festival invitation card pays homage to that legacy… Mandi Kalam is such a proud part of our artistic heritage,” Devgan said.
Invitations: A Way to Bring Back Mandi Kalam
Importantly, the festival’s specially designed invitation card captures the spirit of Mandi Kalam, a traditional painting style celebrated for its exquisite motifs and natural hues. The card features a festival message written in Mandiali, the local dialect of the region, in accordance to traditional style. It strengthens the bond of the festival with the cultural heritage of Mandi.
They commissioned Mandi Kalam artist Rajesh Kumar to design the invitation. Kumar, who regularly fights to preserve this art form, said this is a “proud moment” to be part of such a “significant cultural initiative.” “When the administration came to me, I was thrilled about the honour of creating the design with Mandi Kalam. It was a way to reflect the rich history of our art and take part in the modern-day celebrations. “It feels really nice that our tradition is being acknowledged in such a high scale international fair,” says Kumar.
The finalized design was worked on in coordination with the district administration and published. The invite has been dispatched to dignitaries, including Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, and all the gods of the district, allowing the cultural and historic glow of Mandi Kalam fly to every part of the celebration.
Mandi Kalam: Fifth Generation of Ancient Tradition
All you should know about Mandi Kalam | Mandi Kalam is a unique style of painting that is done on a wide range of surfaces, including wood, cloth, stone, and paper, and is known for its use of natural colors, intricate designs, and themes inspired by local culture, mythology, and folklore. Mandi Kalam is distinct from many contemporary art forms because it isn’t based on synthetic materials and chemical paints; it uses natural resources — soil, herbs, minerals — for coloring. This organic process gives Mandi Kalam its distinct identity inherent to its culture, making Mandi Kalam increasingly recognised internationally.
This tradition of art has been existing since ancient times in the region of Mandi. This traditional craft is used for decorative murals and art pieces for temples, palaces and other significant buildings. Slowly, though, the tradition started to dwindle, and today only a handful of artists, including Rajesh Kumar, are still sculpting the ancient art.
Artisan Kumar, whose works culminated to the revival of Mandi Kalam, feels that this initiative of the administration will not only promote the art form, but also educate the masses about the same through the Shivratri Festival invitation. “It is at the point where Mandi Kalam is becoming endangered, and we need to actively do something to save and promote it. The step taken by the district administration is a way forward in the right direction. It provides Mandi Kalam with a new identity globally,”” added Kumar.
International Platform for Mandi Kalam
Mandi Kalam is already gaining international recognition. A few weeks ago, four archaic Mandi Kalam paintings were auctioned in Mumbai for ₹5 crore, the sticker price of one going up to ₹3 crore. This is one of the most sacred arts of these paintings due to their historical significance, intricate elaborate artwork and natural pigments that have survived the test of time.
The sale has highlighted the significance of Mandi Kalam as a way of creating art that is not merely artistic but is an art… In fact these paintings are realizing its worth in the market and that gives us the hope to preserve such times of the art which are backbone of the region like Mandi.
The recent sale of these paintings also underscores the rising interest in Mandi Kalam on the international art market. This new attention has resulted in demands for more efforts to document and showcase the art form. The invitation card of Shivratri Festival is one such art form that can be incorporated in the modern world and will help preserve it for the next generations.
Mandi Kalam Gets a New Identity
Mandi Kalam being recognized in the international art arena and the invitation to Shivratri Festival, Mandi is on the path of rejuvenation of its own cultural roots. While the suggestion to visit Mandi Kalam at the festival is a pleasurable one, the incorporation of this particular style in the invite has captured the richness of the region’s artistic tradition, a cry to ‘return to the past’.
Mandi Kalam is a traditional South Indian art of decoration and is a lucrative forming of folk art, showcasing the beauty of felt colors and decorating the landscape of the region making it sparkle and shine with the colors of their culture. The move has already generated excitement at home, with locals highlighting that the designation is another landmark milestone in the ongoing work to preserve the legacy and celebrate the culture of Mandi.
Ancient skills and cultural practices are in danger of dying out, and these kinds of initiatives ensure the continuity of traditional art forms in a modern world. Now that Mandi Kalam is in the limelight, one can only hope that the world takes notice of this exquisitely rich heritage and sensibility of this art and its eternal beauty.
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