The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A feast for Indian crafts lovers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 28, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A feast for Indian crafts lovers

Staff Reporter

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Up for grabs: One of the stalls at Garvi Gurjari exhibition in Bangalore.

Bangalore: If you love the rich variety of Indian crafts, here is a virtual feast for you. Two exhibitions showcasing craft traditions of very distinct cultures — Gujarati and Tamil — are going on simultaneous in the city.

Puppets of every size, intricately-carved furniture, metal artefacts, hand-painted fabric…. Ask and you get it at the ongoing exhibition organised by the Gujarat State Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation. And they suit any budget — from Rs. 25 to over Rs. 1 lakh.

Visiting the exhibition is an opportunity to not only buy material, but also interact with master craftsmen who have come all the way from Gujarat.

Ravindra Nayak, manager of Garvi Gurjari, said that profits made from selling the products would reach the artists and weavers without the intervention of middlemen. “The travel expenditure is also borne by the Government of Gujarat,” he added.

This exhibition is on at the Safina Plaza and at Sri Gajalakshmi Mahal, Sampige Road, near 8th Cross, Malleswaram, till February 3.

The Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Corporation Ltd., popularly known as Poompuhar, is also holding a crafts mela showcasing the best of crafts from our neighbouring State.

“The main objective of the exhibition is to build a platform for the poor artisans who find it difficult to market their products. We assure quality to the customers and good price to the artisans,” said R. Karunakaran, manager, Poompuhar.

Beautifully-crafted brass lamps and bronze icons in all shapes and sizes are a big draw in the exhibition.

R. Devaraj, who has a stall of shell ornaments and conches, said that his wears symbolise religious harmony. “The conches are picked from the seashore by Christians, cleaned by Muslims and is used by Hindus,” he said.

The exhibition at Srinivasa Sagar Kalyana Mahal, near Ashoka Pillar, is on till Wednesday.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka