Vijayawada SARAS Mela: cultural programme scheduled through October 30

Vijayawada’s Punnami Ghat is the venue for a series of cultural evenings under the National SARAS Mela programme. A Ministry of Rural Development release dated October 20 lists performances from October 21 to 30, starting at 6:30 pm each day.

The published schedule brings together folk music, dance, theatre and puppetry from several regions. It lists Ladakh’s traditional songs and dances on October 22; Punjab’s Giddha and Bhangra on October 23; Goa’s Fugdi on October 24; and Odisha’s Dhemsa and Sambalpuri dances on October 25.

October 26 features performances from Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, including puppetry. Tamil Nadu is listed for October 27, Nagaland for October 28, Maharashtra for October 29 and Meghalaya’s plate dance for October 30. Andhra Pradesh artists also appear across the programme, including Kuchipudi and devotional performances.

The ministry says the mela has 630 stalls showcasing products from 35 states and Union Territories. It is organised with the Andhra Pradesh government to give self-help-group artisans and women entrepreneurs a marketplace for their products. The evening programme adds a cultural component to those exhibition and sales activities.

These dates describe the announced programme; they do not confirm that each performance has taken place. Source: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Rural Development, October 20, 2026.