Karnataka - Mangalore   

A taste of creative Gujarat

Photo: R. Eswarraj

Sale on: A visitor looking at Gujarati artwork at the exhibition in Mangalore. —

MANGALORE: Seven bells hang together, and as you touch one after the other with the help of a wooden stick, they toll the musical notes sa-re-ga-ma-pa-da-ni. These copper bells are some of the many curios kept for sale at the Gujarati Handicraft Exhibition in the city. Handicrafts prepared by members of the Hasthakala Oudhyogik Sahakari Mandali (HOSM) of Kutch district of Gujarat are on display at the Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan until December 30.

Wind chimes, similar to the musical bells, are available and are also made of copper. Huge are the door bells made of copper, a bigger version of the same small ones. Smaller versions of these bells are also used as beautiful little key chains. Key chains made of beads are also available. These beads are stitched into beautiful show buttons, necklaces and wall hangings. They are meticulously stitched and are not just pleasing to the eye but also soothing to the skin.

President of HOSM Bhanvar Singh Sodha, holding a bedsheet worth Rs. 3,000 in hand, says “The cost is high because there is so much of labour involved in it”. The labour is visible not only on the patch work on the bedsheet alone, but also on cushion covers, wall hangings, Ghagra cholis, woollen embroidery jackets, saris and dress material.

Speaking of labour, Mr. Sodha stressed the importance of “the mind and creativity” while displaying a thing created out of mud. These mud works on plywood base showcase a girl waiting with a lantern in hand, a girl carrying water in a vessel, as well as a bull which appears like an inscription of the Harappan civilization. Leather items such as shoes and pursesare also available at the exhibition.

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