The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : At Mrignayanee, the best of crafts from Madhya Pradesh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 27, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

At Mrignayanee, the best of crafts from Madhya Pradesh

Staff Reporter

Forty-five artisans participating in exhibition-cum-sale

CHENNAI: There are Maheshwaris, Chanderis, Bagh prints in vegetable dyes, batik and kosa needle work, kantha work in tussar silks and several handicraft items in bell metal and marble at the Mrignayanee exhibition, organised by the Madhya Pradesh Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation.

The exhibition, which offers a discount of 20 per cent, will be on at Sankara Hall in Alwarpet from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. till August 7.

Emphasis on textiles

According to S.S. Uppal, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation, though there were several handicraft items at the exhibition, the emphasis was on textiles.

"We have entered into an agreement with Gurjari and Poompuhar for joint effort in displaying our weaves and crafts in each others' showrooms," he said.

D. Rajendran, Chairman and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation, said that he wrote to the Managing Directors of the Handicrafts Development Corporations of all States to send their schemes for possible collaboration with Tamil Nadu in exhibiting each others' crafts.

Mr. Uppal said that Tamil Nadu has been invited to exhibit its crafts and textiles at Gohar Mahal Urban Hatt in Bhopal. The 275-year-old palace has been taken over and renovated at a cost of Rs.2.5 crore into an Urban Haat, he said.

Forty-five artisans from Madhya Pradesh are participating in the exhibition. Nagendra Mehta, General Manager of the Madhya Pradesh Hastashilp Evam Hathkargha Vikas Nigam, said Maheshwar near Indore, developed by the royal Holkar family, today had 7,000 looms that weave cotton and silk with bagh prints.

The exhibition also contains Khajuraho paintings in silk, cotton, canvas and velvet, besides marble artefacts from Indore, and handlooms.

K. Suresh, chairman of the Chennai Port Trust, inaugurated the exhibition-cum-sale on Wednesday.

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