Get ready to see the skills India has to offer.

Union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi along with Union tribal welfare minister Arjun Munda and Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth on Sunday inaugurated the eight-day Hunar Haat at Harmu Ground.

Artisans and craftspersons across 22 states have put up over 100 craft stalls and 25 food stalls as a part of the mega fair.

“Hunar Haat is an idea conceived by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi that aims to train and encourage indigenous artisans and craftspersons and boost traditional arts, crafts and culinary,” said Naqvi in his address.

The inaugural day saw over 10,000 visitors.

Two hours in the evenings have been slotted for cultural performances with noted names such as standup comic Binod Bajaj, singers Rani Indrani Sharma and Bhupinder Singh.

Union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi at Hunar Haat, Ranchi on Sunday.

Seven kilometres from Harmu Ground, Morabadi Ground, where the 10-day National Tribal Festival Aadi Mahotsav started from Saturday, boasts tribal artists and craftspersons from over 25 states.

Meenu Minal, a homemaker of Hinoo, said she visited both fairs on Sunday with her children. “Both the grounds looked like mini-India with displays of the mosaic culture of the country. The variety of traditional art, culture and culinary delicacies was wonderful. Parents must take their children to such fairs if they want children to understand the country,” she said.

Shaheen ‘misguided’

Union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi who spoke to the media on Sunday, alleged that those at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi protesting against the new citizenship matrix were “misguided by some people”. Naqvi said that in order to break the deadlock, the Supreme Court had appointed Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran as interlocutors. “But protesters are not ready for talks. The fact of the matter is that the Citizenship Amendment Act has nothing to do with the citizenship of any person in India,” he said.