Pune: After Pune Book Festival, City’s Cultural Spotlight Shifts to Bhimthadi Jatra; Punekars Experiencing Rural Life and Traditions

Reported by Anil Dhanwate
Shivajinagar, 22nd December 2025: As the Pune Book Festival concludes, the city’s cultural focus has seamlessly moved to Bhimthadi Jatra, where bustling crowds and packed stalls are reflecting a growing urban curiosity about rural life, agriculture and indigenous traditions.

Held in Shivajinagar, the fair is attracting visitors in large numbers, particularly over the weekend, as Punekars explore an event deeply rooted in Maharashtra’s village economy. Organised by the Mahatma Phule Krushi Seva Kendras in collaboration with the Agriculture Development Trust, Baramati, Bhimthadi Jatra has evolved into a key platform that connects rural producers directly with city consumers.

Unlike a conventional exhibition, the jatra functions as a live marketplace for farmers, artisans, women’s self-help groups and small rural entrepreneurs. From organic farm produce and spices to handicrafts, traditional attire and homemade food items, the stalls offer a wide spectrum of products linked to farm-based and village livelihoods.

Participants from women’s self-help groups said the event enables them to sell their products without intermediaries, ensuring better returns and direct interaction with buyers — a feature that has become central to the fair’s appeal.

The holiday on Sunday further boosted attendance, with families, children and senior citizens visiting the venue throughout the day. Visitor Umesh Dorkar noted that the fair introduces urban audiences to occupations that are rarely seen in city life. “The exhibition presents the work of the twelve traditional service providers of rural society. Many people are unaware that these professions still survive. Bhimthadi Jatra helps people reconnect with India’s cultural roots,” he said.

Beyond commerce, the jatra offers an immersive experience of rural culture through folk art, traditional cuisine and demonstrations of village crafts. For many in Pune, it serves as both a cultural outing and a learning space, reinforcing Bhimthadi Jatra’s role as a bridge between urban lifestyles and rural heritage in Maharashtra.