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Showcasing art and craft from across the country

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

An artist displaying a product at the Poompuhar craft mela in Puducherry.

PUDUCHERRY: It’s that time of the year when artisans across the country come to Puducherry in the hope of selling their products. One after another, government-sponsored organisations promoting such products are lining up to sell handicrafts and handloom items.

Just a few days after the northeastern crafts mela drew to a close, the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited, shortly known as Poompuhar, and Gujarat Emporium have put up their stalls to showcase various handicraft and handloom products.

Poompuhar’s craft bazaar showcases bronze idols of Nataraja, Ganesha, Tanjore art plates, special pots made of copper, brass lamps, wooden crafts, Tanjore paintings, papier mache, appliqué works, dancing dolls and stone carvings. Varieties of saris made by artisans from across the country are also on display. Some of the star attractions include a bronze idol of Nataraja worth Rs.6 lakh, rosewood dining tables worth Rs.1 lakh and swings costing Rs.2 lakh. According to organisers, items worth Rs.1 crore are on sale. A special discount of 10 per cent is offered on all items. The exhibition, at Vel Sokkanathan Thirumana Nilayam, would be on till August 11.

Gujarat crafts at S.S. Thirumana Nilayam has an array of products such as leather bags, purses, gloves, puppets made of clothe and wood, rare collection of idols of gods and goddesses and bed sheets from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

The dress items on display included Gujarathi traditional block prints, bathic, katch, bandhini printed and cotton and silk saris having imprints of brush work. The expo offers a 20 per cent discount on handloom and 10 per cent on handicraft items. It would be on till August 15.

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