The annual Sargaalaya International Arts and Crafts Festival is the ultimate destination for all kinds of crafts in south India. Besides the usual clothing and jewellery stalls, and those of State and national award winners, stalls selling a variety of lampshades cannot be missed at the ninth edition of the festival, that is under way at the Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village at Iringal here.
At night, the festival comes alive with many coloured lights seeping in through the beautiful textures of lampshades. Charma chitra lampshades from Andhra Pradesh and glass lamps from Rajasthan are hot favourites at the festival.
Mahesh and Ashwini from Ananthpur in Andhra Pradesh have been regulars at Sargaalaya for at least four editions of the festival. Charma chitra is literally paintings on skin or, rather, leather in this case. Kalamkari-style paintings on white leather is the speciality of the stall. The paintings sometimes take the shape of wall hangings, but the lampshades are more popular, says Mahesh. The lampshades are priced between ₹500 and ₹2,500.
Ramlal and Kishan from Rajasthan too have been regulars at Sargaalaya. Their stall is adorned with spherical lampshades made of glass, on which coloured glass pieces are stuck together.
Kathir and Velu from Puducherry is here for the first time with their thread and crocheted lampshades, which are lightweight and cost-effective. While the thread lampshades are made using just thread and glue, the washable crochet shades are made completely from thread. The price range is between ₹250 and ₹800.
Bidula from Elathur adds to the local flavour in the genre and her terracotta lampshades have been part of the festival for six seasons. With a price range between ₹50 to ₹950, her products are popular too. There are also bamboo lampshades that adorn at least five stalls from the Northeast that sell various bamboo products.
