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Pudumai organises handicraft expo

— Photo: By Special Arrangement

different and colourful: Visitors take a look at products at Gandhi Shilp Bazaar in Puducherry.

PUDUCHERRY: Colourful products made of wood, seashells, brass, glass, jute, ‘vettiver’, bamboo, palm leaf, canvas and beads hang from the cloth-covered walls of the huge exhibition on at Gandhi Thidal in Puducherry. As darkness covered the sky outside the bright lights at the Gandhi Shilp Bazaar came on making the items sparkle. Wave after wave of interested shoppers walked through looking at handcrafted items from the four corners of India.

Salwar kurta material sellers from Rajasthan, Punjab (Phulkari) and Andhra Pradesh seemed to be the most sought after at the exhibition, which began on August 11 and will be on till August 20. One can get materials for as low as Rs. 200, dupatta including.

From Moradabad comes Javed Aktar bringing brass dolls of elephants and cranes with minakari colouring. He also brings lamps, agarbathi stands and ash trays with colour embossing. A French-Tamil couple, who had come down to the town for their holidays bought a couple of puja items from him. A lot of French-Tamils have been visiting the exhibition, which has been sponsored by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, and organised by the Pondicherry Pudumai Handicrafts Artisans Co-operative Society Ltd.

“Many customers come to me for my hookahs (smoking pipes). They (the hookahs) come in all sizes, from those meant for the showcase at Rs. 50 to huge 3-foot-high ones priced at Rs. 1,500. The big hookahs take at least 2 weeks to make,” he says, showing a packet of the special powder used in the hookahs. The ‘pommai’ stall of the Pondicherry Toy Makers’ Industrial Cooperative Society Ltd. reminds one that the Navathri Kolu is two months away. The stall showcases terracotta and paper mache dancing dolls, and small ‘drishti bommai’, which cost Rs. 12 each.

Wooden dolls from Kerala, including that with an idol atop a decorated elephant, ‘vettiver’ products from Karnataka, including fans, caps and flower baskets, and Yakshagana mask pen and letter holders are all part of the exhibition.

From nearby Vaniambadi, 54-year-old wood craftsman P. Venugopal who makes combs from devadharu wood, also called dark sandal, has set up stall here. He says that the combs have a long life. They are left unpolished as the wood is purported to have medicinal purposes. He has a comb which when filled with oil oozes the oil through small holes made in the wood when the comb is run through the hair. “I can also make one for applying hair dye. This wood prevents hair fall and also dandruff,” he claims.

“We have a total of 150 stalls with 223 craftsmen from all over India. Last year the proceeds added up to more than Rs. 1 crore. This year we crossed that mark just after 6 days of the start of the exhibition. We are expecting more sales this year,” said terracotta master craftsman V.K. Munusamy, President of Pudumai. Every evening a cultural programme is held at the venue.

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