On the first day of the fortnight-long India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur evinced keen interest in khadi and handicraft products exhibited at the Khadi Pavilion on Saturday.
After inaugurating the pavilion, Ms. Kaur spent nearly an hour examining the products on display and interacted with some of the karigars.
“I went to all the stalls and was happy to observe the exquisite craftsmanship in the products exhibited here. I took fancy to a number of items but restrained myself from buying them because the stall employees would have refused to accept money from me. I am overwhelmed by the love and respect showered on me by the karigars who work so hard to earn their livelihood. The products being showcased here are from every part of the country,” she said.
Ms. Kaur visited one stall in which Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram and Gandhi Ashram Haldwani are jointly showcasing a wide array of khadi products. While MGSA is exhibiting items like kurta and shirts besides office bags and belts, Gandhi Ashram is showcasing bags with butterflies emblazoned on them.
Mary Jamir from Nagaland was thrilled to see Ms. Kaur at her stall. “I’ve come out with hand-spun and hand-woven clothes like traditional dresses and baby suits. Though our products are in handloom, we still come under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission. We get very little margin and are supporting a number of women and men in Nagaland,” she said.
Ms. Jamir has also put up for grabs special medicinal honey that she claims can cure cough, eye infection and arthritis.
