The creative synergy between intricate techniques of handwork and Nature is the leitmotif of the North East handicrafts where the artisan creates an organic lifestyle out of cane and bamboo, grasses, root, bark and flower, out of mud stone and beads. At the North East Crafts Bazaar , one can actually breathe in the smell of grass coming from the beautifully woven kuana grass mats and baskets from Manipur , mats and blinds crafted out of darbai grass by Uttam Sarkar and ingeniously woven on a sari loom, and pretty flowers fashioned by Naga artisans from the jungle flowers of the region.
Also on display are cane, bamboo and golden grass basketry, wall sculpture, coffee and tea mugs, decorative lamps, trays and table mats.
Assam’s cane and bamboo sofa sets , household articles and tables make signature statements. Both cane and bamboo grow in small landholdings of artisans Harder Ali and Mohammad Munwar Hussain of Berbeta district in Assam. They cut, splice, dry and treat the cane and bamboo themselves before making the frames and weaving cane and bamboo into sofas, coffee tables, linen baskets and collectables. Also available are Eri, Muga and ‘nonpat’ hand-woven saris from Assam, terracotta items as well as wooden combs.
Organised by the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd., Government of India, the fair is on at Co-optex Exhibition Ground, Pantheon Road, Egmore, till February 15.
