Artisans from across the country are showcasing their wares at the ‘Pudu Vaanam’ crafts bazaar that began as part of the Pondicherry Heritage Festival on Friday.
Hosted by the Crafts Council of Puducherry, the three-day event is featuring an array of products ranging from crewel home decor from Srinagar and Pen Kalamkari (Srikalahasti) to Ikkat (Hyderabad) murals (Wayanad/Kerala), bamboo craft (Bengaluru), quill art (Dindigul) and batik saris (Kolkata).
About 40 artisans, including several first-time exhibitors in the city, are participating.
Tourism Minister K. Lakshminarayanan inaugurated the event in the presence of Vinoth Kumar, Assistant Director, Handicrafts, Handicrafts Service Centre, Government of India.
Visitors taking a look at the exhibits in the ‘Pudu Vaanam’ Crafts Bazaar organised as part of Pondicherry Heritage Festival in Puducherry on Friday. | Photo Credit: S.S. KUMAR
The exhibition will be on at Craft Bazaar, Gandhi Thidal, from 9.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.
In some cases like the Forest Way Trust in Tiruvannamalai, the backstory to the exhibits have women joining hands to empower themselves by creating fabric from natural dyes or upcycling to recreate from waste.
Embroidered crewel decor made entirely from wool from Srinagar at the stall of Jahangir Ahmed Bhatt is a rarity for festival shoppers in the city. C. Gunavathy, an artisan from Dindigul, has showcased intricate quill work (paper filigree) that fetched the ‘Poompuhar State Award’ in 2019. Some products that have become strongly associated with their regions such as the banana bark craft from Kalakad (Tirunelveli) and palmleaf crafts from Sirkazhi are also on display.
Narsingh Das Mahesh Chand who crafts Meenakari jewellery is participating in a city exhibition for the first time. “I work on concept jewellery with brass as core element that is lighter on the purse of consumers who cannot afford the yellow metal. Gold jewellery is crafted only on demand”, he said.
Auroville, and a clutch of local artisans, also have a strong presence at the event with a range of eco-friendly products.
“We have designed the event to give equal representation to local artisans and to those from other States. The event is both a celebration and an extension of support to rural women who are behind many of these works of art,” said Sithara Gerdes, secretary, Crafts Council of India, Puducherry.
