The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : More than business as usual

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 22, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

More than business as usual

Special Correspondent

Excellent collection of hand-made articles on display

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

PERFECT PLATFORM: Dolls on display at one of the stalls at the National Exhibition of Rural Products (Cauvery Saras) at the National College grounds in Bangalore. The fair concludes on April 2.

Bangalore: “This is super clean, madam. You won’t find a seed in it even if you look for it with magnifying glasses,” says Zeenat Nisa with confidence about the tamarind she is selling in neat packs at the Cauvery Saras exhibition of village industry products.

“It won’t get spoilt even if you keep it for a whole year,” says Ms. Nisa, member of a self-help group at Halepura near Nanjangud.

A few stalls away from her at the ongoing exhibition on National College Grounds in Basavanagudi is the stall selling saris and dress material with intricate Kantha-embroidery. Ask Mumtaz Begum if at Rs. 400 a kurta is pricey, she smiles: “Poor women of my village have done it with their hands.” After a pause, she adds: “Aur pyar se banaya hain.”

The exhibition on the National College Grounds in Basavanagudi is worth a visit for the sheer variety of products you can buy – from delicately-painted Madhubani patterns on lovely Tussar silk to panipuri, pickles and papads.

The food variety is a treat in itself because you get a wide range from typical Dakshina Kannada midi uppinakayi to jolada rotti of North Karnataka.

But even more importantly, the exhibition is a great testimony to what women can do when offered a platform to showcase their talents and abilities. A good number of stalls here are run by women’s self-help groups and the quality of products and packaging show that they are slowly but surely learning to model their skills to suit the urban buyers’ needs. From woollen kambali of North Karnataka to aloe-vera face pack, nothing looks “tacky” to the urban eye spoilt by glitzy packaging. Wet weather over the last two days has the people at the stalls mildly worried, though. They hope that weather will let up, and even if not, Bangaloreans will brave the bad weather. The exhibition is on till April 2.

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

Karnataka