With the onset of the rains come Teej, the annual colourful festival from the desert land of Rajasthan. With an aim to bring to Delhi denizens a whiff of the tradition and the customs involved, the Union Ministry of Textiles is hosting ‘Colours of Teej' in Shilpi Haat, which is within the precincts of Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan, for next 10 days. A wide range of activities and things are on show like handicrafts items, puppet shows and kalbeliya dance performances.
Rita Menon, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, who was present on the occasion said, that the exhibition seeks to recreate the sights and smells of Rajasthan during the festival and vibrant colours are an important part of it. She also mentioned, that it is a potent platform for traditional artisans and weavers.
“This is one of our efforts aimed at encouraging domestic marketing so that the products of Rajasthani craftsmen become more popular,” said S.S.Gupta, Development Commissioner of Handicrafts.
Ethnic footwear, lac bangles, leather footwear, kundan jewellery with minakari work are in abundance here. The artistic innovations and contemporary twist given to them easily appeal to an urban buyer. The exhibition also features national and state award winning artisans in the field of minakari, tarkashi, blue pottery, stone carving, brass work, miniature painting, kotta doriya, tie & die, block printing etc. who have come there with their splendind creations.
Tilak Gitai, winner of Shilp Guru Award in 2007, is exhibiting miniature paintings on marble with 3D effect, which is quite an innovation in itself. A master of Blue Pottery, Prabhu Dayal Yadav has created a beautiful 17 inch circular plate filled with many colours and not just blue. The artist claims it is his biggest plate so far.
One might have to look through a magnifying lens to actually see the detailing done by the miniature artist Mohan Lal Soni in his 12 by 18 inch work. “It usually takes six hours of labour and more than eight days to make a miniature painting”, said Soni, who has also brought his works done in 24 carat gold.
