The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Find all that is eco-friendly at this fair

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 10, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Find all that is eco-friendly at this fair

Staff Reporter

Artisans from the northeast display their handicrafts

WEAVING MAGIC: Artisans from the northeastern States demonstrate their skills to visitors at the crafts fair in Corporation Community Centre in Alwarpet on Friday. — PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

CHENNAI: Artisans from the northeast have displayed their handicrafts at the Corporation Community Centre in C.P. Ramaswamy Road in Alwarpet.

Over 23 lakh people are engaged in weaving among the traditional craftspersons of the northeast.

The monthly production of handlooms in the region accounts for 7.5 per cent of the total monthly production of the country. Manipur records 67 per cent of the exports from the region.

It also accounts for the largest number of craftsmen employed (3.92 lakh), said D.C. Borkotoky, deputy general manager, North Eastern Handicraft and Handloom Development Corporation.

Artistic textiles

Among the crafts most practised are artistic designs on textiles, embroidery and zari, cane and bamboo, wood and metal crafts. Only four percent of the artisans make ornaments/jewellery.

In some parts of Tripura, the Bangladeshi Dhakai and Kantha hand embroidery are done by artisans trained in the craft by Bangladeshi experts. "It is expensive in Bangladesh as labour is expensive there. We can do the same work here at a cheaper rate," says Deepak Mazumdar, an artisan from Tripura.

Toys and dolls of straw and clay, quilted cotton material (laishingfee), kauna grass cushions and mattresses from Manipur; Endi silk weaving and pine apple fibre articles of Meghalaya; bamboo caps from Mizoram; tribal weaves, wooden handicrafts, baskets and Naga spears from Nagaland; and cane and bamboo creations from Tripura are on display.

Decorative items

Among the decorative items are wild rose bunches, artificial flowers, carpets from Arunachal Pradesh and cane sofa sets from Assam.

P. Sundaramurthi, regional director, Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, said around 12 lakh people practised the craft of designing bamboo and cane products in the northeast.

Artisans will also demonstrate their skills at the exhibition, open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Friday until February 25.

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