Drums, folk songs, and the warmth of a hill town in full festival stride — Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu walked alongside residents of Chamba on Sunday, 2 August 2026, as the grand shobha yatra (ceremonial procession) of the International Minjar Mela 2026 wound through the district's lanes and street corners.

Sharing his experience on X, CM Sukhu wrote: 'I am extremely happy to be part of the sacred shobha yatra of International Minjar Mela-2026 alongside brothers and sisters. The resonance of dhol-nagaade (drums and percussion) and the melodious folk songs of women fill the entire atmosphere with devotion, faith, and enthusiasm. This grand procession passing through lanes and street corners presents a vivid glimpse of Chamba's rich cultural heritage and folk life. Being present in this procession, I am experiencing the affection and belonging of Chamba.'

What the Minjar Mela is and why Chamba guards it closely

The Minjar Mela is one of Himachal Pradesh's most distinctive annual fairs, rooted in the harvest traditions of Chamba district. Centred on the maize cob — the minjar — it celebrates the onset of the agricultural season through processions, folk performances, and community rituals that have been passed down across generations. Chamba's Pahari cultural identity runs deep here: the fair is not a tourist spectacle grafted onto a calendar, but a living expression of how the district marks time and community.

The shobha yatra is the procession's beating heart — a moving tableau of costumed participants, traditional instruments, and women's folk songs that snakes through the old town's narrow streets before culminating at the riverbank. The 'International' prefix signals the fair's growing ambition to draw visitors and diaspora communities beyond the state.

Why a Chief Minister walks these streets

Himachal Pradesh chief ministers have long made district cultural fairs a fixture of their public calendar, and for good reason. Chamba is geographically remote, historically underserved in infrastructure terms, and politically significant — a district whose residents notice when the state's top leader shows up in person rather than sending a representative. CM Sukhu's attendance at the shobha yatra is both a cultural gesture and a political signal: that Chamba's heritage registers at the highest level of the state government.

The Himachal Pradesh tourism department has consistently used events like the Minjar Mela as anchors for promoting the state's cultural tourism circuit, and the Chief Minister's visible participation amplifies that effort without requiring a formal policy announcement.

For a state whose economy leans heavily on tourism, every headline from a festival like this is also a quiet advertisement. Chamba's temples, its Pahari miniature painting tradition, and its folk music are assets that rarely get national prime time — the Chief Minister walking its lanes on a festival evening changes that, at least for a day.