Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Colourful start to crafts mela

Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

Standing Tall: Shilparamam (Urban Haat) complex in Tirupati, decked up for All India Gandhi Shilp Bazar in Tirupati on Wednesday

TIRUPATI: The All-India Crafts Mela, conducted jointly by the Union Department of Handicrafts and Shilparamam-Hyderabad, got off to a colourful start at Shilparamam (Urban Haat) complex on Tiruchanur road here on Wednesday.

Artisans and craftsmen from across the country are taking part in ‘Gandhi Shilp Bazar’, the fortnight-long exhibition-cum-sale of handicrafts, which was inaugurated by the TTD’s Joint Executive Officer N. Srikant on Wednesday.

The dazzling and colourful Dhokra castings, stone carvings, palm leaf engraving and appliqué work of Orissa and Bihar’s carpets, dhurries, Mithila paintings, tribal jewellery and lac craft are all set to attract the eyeballs.

Artisans from the North-Eastern States have arrived here with their art pieces made of cane and bamboo, sitalpatti and terracota craft, while the Bengali craftsmen are here to market their elegant kantha stitches and jute craft. Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir artisans have glass toys and earthenware, while stalls of the host Andhra Pradesh are replete with miniature paintings, embroidered shawls, kalamkari paintings and crochet lacework. Stalls from Karnataka showcase sandalwood carvings, wood inlay and Bidriware while artisans from Tamil Nadu and Kerala are here to impress the visitors with their expertise in Chola bronze and wood carvings and fibre craft respectively.

As the main objective of holding such mela is to provide a direct link between artisans and the art-loving public, this event is most likely to be a success, given its timing.

The fortnight-long mela is made to run concurrently with the nine-day Navaratri Brahmotsavams at Tirumala, where a huge congregation is expected. With the Dasara holiday mood setting in, the crowd has already started swelling.

The cultural programmes scheduled to be held in the evenings by the TTD artistes are expected to add to the grandeur of the event and provide a pastime to the visiting pilgrims and the denizens as well.

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