Heavy crowd, mostly women, thronged the Society Collection exhibition when it opened here at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) on Friday.
The exhibition boasts of avant garde collection of artefacts, some of which were hallmarks of Indian creativity. From gold-embossed bracelets and photo frames to tribal handicrafts, pottery, paintings and murals; and contemporary floral arrangements, gem stone paintings, stained glass and ceramic ware curios, the exhibition had it all.
But the stalls that drew the shoppers’ attention were those trading in ethnic and Indo-Western designer wear, hand-embroidered and woven saris, traditional and contemporary jewellery, silver ware, linens and jute. “Some of the stalls were really good. I have spoken to some of my friends who feel the quality of works was very good this year. The crystal works were very nice,” said Sashi Nahta who had come shopping. “There is definitely more crowd this time compared to the last two years.”
Best entries
Organisers sifted through hundreds of applications from all over the country to select 125 final entries who were the best in their categories, said Aby P. Dominic, Head (exhibitions) of Magna Publishing Company Limited that publishes Society magazine, organisers of the exhibition. “The Society Collection is avidly patronised by connoisseurs, interior designers, home-makers, and those with good taste and quality.” People accept art provided you give them a new dimension. We read text of scriptures, debate on why and how it is to be made before coming up with the final product,” said Sunil Dutta of Urja Utsav, Jodhpur.
“We have handpicked crafts by artists and craftsmen from different parts of the country like Assam, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra, Dahod, Kutch, Muzzafarnagar, Bhilai, Kalpi, Chittorgarh and other places,” added Mr. Dominic. The exhibition will be on till Monday.
