Crafts Bazaar: Shoppers’ stop for handcrafted ware

10-day Crafts Bazaar gets under way at Shilparamam Jatara

Visitors having a look at the exhibits on display at one of the stalls at the Crafts Bazaar at Shilparamam Jatara in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Photo: A. Manikanta Kumar

A wide spectrum of eye-pleasing handicrafts from across India offers a treat to shopaholics at the 10-day ‘Crafts Bazaar’ at Shilparamam Jatara.

From home to wardrobe, the exhibition, hosted by Shilparamam Arts, Crafts, and Cultural Society, Hyderabad, in association with the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, accommodates almost every item that caters to the needs of a keen shopper.

Crafts persons from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and several other States feel that it is an opportunity to understand market requirements and add value to their creative skills.

In all, 150 artisans have put up more than 120 stalls, displaying, among others, products such as wall decors, figurines, artefacts, accessories, saris, and dress materials.

P. Venkateswara Rao, a Kalamkari artisan from Machilipatnam, says the city market has great potential for handloom cloth. He says that the entire stock of dress materials and saris will be exhausted by the end of the exhibition.

An opportunity

One of the city-based artisans K. Madhu Sudhana Rao adds that exhibitions such as these provide an opening to improve their marketing skills.

The handcrafted ware sourced from diverse regions include bed linen with kantha work, colourful strings of shell jewellery, handbags with a combination of jute, cane, and wood, men’s kurtas with Kashmiri stitch, dress materials with contrast embroidery, and Parsi works.

Bheemli MLA M. Srinivasa Rao, who inaugurated the exhibition, said:

“It is our responsibility to promote the efforts taken by the artisans who have come from different parts of the country. The platform not only enhances their livelihood but also boosts their confidence levels to produce more such items.”

To add colour to the event, foot tapping ‘Tappeta Gullu’ was performed by a group of folk dancers.

Administrative officer of Shilparamam Jatara P. Bhakthar said that the exhibition would be open at Shilparamam, Madhurawada, till January 11 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.