Shilp Samagam Mela 2026 Concludes in Mysuru, Karnataka

The Shilp Samagam Mela 2026 came to a close on 20 October 2026 at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds in Mysuru, Karnataka, after a run of nine days. The fair was put together by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and thousands of visitors walked through it before it wound up.

Who the fair is meant for

The Mela opens a selling counter to craft workers drawn from the Scheduled Castes, the Other Backward Classes and Safai Karamcharis. Their handicraft and handloom goods reach buyers with the backing of three national corporations that work under the Ministry, listed here with their short names:

• the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation, known as NSFDC;
• the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation, or NBCFDC;
• and the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation, the NSKFDC.

The Mysuru edition in numbers

An officer of the NBCFDC, Deputy General Manager Rajnish Banker, said the Mysuru fair was the first of these melas in the financial year 2026-27. The Ministry took up the idea in 2022 and the 13 fairs held up to now have carried the goods of 975 craft workers to buyers.

What the stalls carried

Shoppers found handloom sarees and Kanjivaram sarees, block-printed cloth, spices, pickles, honey products, incense sticks, leather goods, wooden toys, terracotta ware, artificial jewellery, rosewood wall hangings, bags, purses and bed and cushion covers. Food counters served regional dishes. The craft workers had travelled from twelve States and Union Territories, among them Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

BHARAT TULIP

The Ministry has also started BHARAT TULIP, short for Traditional Artisans' Upliftment Livelihood Programme. Goods made by the target groups carry that brand name and are offered on digital platforms in India and overseas, so that a craft worker is not held to the buyers who happen to pass a stall.

What artisans get, and what comes next

A stall costs the artisan nothing: the Ministry pays for the journey, gives a daily allowance, moves the goods and provides lunch and dinner. Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale looked around the stalls during his visit, and Union Secretary Sudhansh Pant, who was on a two-day visit to review the Ministry's schemes with the State Social Welfare Department, also came. More Shilp Samagam fairs are lined up this financial year at Guwahati, Dilli Haat in New Delhi, Jodhpur and Lucknow. The Ministry and its three corporations will also set up at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from 14 to 27 November 2026, and at the Surajkund Mela in Faridabad in February 2027.