Remember those necklaces made of small crystals? Now they are bigger and brighter, growing to keep pace with the market they are capturing.
Necklaces, agarbathis, leather items, Chennapatna toys, colourful pith flowers, stuffed wire dolls and seashell hair clasps — all made by artisans from Puducherry, are on display at the Pondicherry Crafts Foundation exhibition, at G.R. Thirumana Maligai, Mambakkam Road, Medavakkam.
“The crystals are from Hyderabad. We buy them once a year in bulk. The smaller crystals are more popular as they can be made into bracelets and anklets and strung in sari borders”, says K. Valli Ramanujam, a craftsperson at the exhibition.
“Artificial jewellery and bags constitute close to 60 per cent of sales at most exhibitions. Women and children are major patrons of our exhibitions. They buy clay and terracotta dolls to decorate their homes. Wooden cars, buses and bikes are also popular with young boys,” says V.K. Munusamy, president of the Foundation and a master terracotta craftsman.
The exhibition, which is supported by the development commissioner of handicrafts, ministry of textiles, is on until Monday.
Master craftsperson D. Jayalakshmi’s stuffed wire dolls look so realistic that they catch most visitors’ eyes. The dolls showcase the different dance forms in India
If you are looking to decorate your garden, terracotta pieces including fighting bulls, Iyyanar horses, elephants, camels and lions are on offer at the exhibition.
