Kerala - Kochi   

A thorough North Indian fare

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: One cannot miss the ambience. Right at the doorstep, Gujarat Puppet Show welcomes visitors to the exhibition of handicrafts and hand-printed textiles at the Women's Association Hall here.

The distinctive North Indian feel is present all over the venue. Colourful dresses, gift items, candle stands, leather bags, jewellery and idols are waiting for curio lovers. The show was inaugurated by C.K. Manisankar, Deputy Mayor, on Thursday.

"This is the seventh consecutive year that we are holding the fair. The response had been good during the previous years, which is reflected in the participation of artisans from Gujarat and neighbouring States," K. Arunachalam, manager of Gujarat Emporium, which is sponsored by the Government of Gujarat.

The dress section features Kutch block, bathic, vegetable print and brushwork on cotton and silk saris. Exclusive striped and spined bed sheets from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh are another attraction this year.

So are white metal artefacts from Agra and terracotta products from Kolkata and Gorakhpur. The fair has already started attracting crowds.

"We are coming to Kochi after a gap of four years. We are hoping to do some good business here," said Hari Om from Uttar Pradesh, before he moved on to explain about his products to a customer.

The fair has seven out of 40-odd shops dedicated to products from Gujarat.

The second major chunk of participants comes from Uttar Pradesh.

"Some of the participants are national award winners and they are bringing products at low rates," said Mr. Arunachalam. The product prices range from Rs.10 to Rs.10,000.

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