Tired of wearing the usual gold and silver jewellery? Pay a visit to the ‘Craft and Handloom Bazar’ that is displaying an exclusive collection of eco-friendly tribal necklaces and earrings from Orissa. The bijou with intricate design patterns made of clay, stone powder, tree gum and natural flower colour are the show stealers at the expo currently on at Women’s Association Hall till October 7.
The tribal jewels with animal motifs and other distinctive designs are made by the artisans of the Ganjam district in Orissa. “We make them during the night time, because during the day, the gum gets stiffened. The clay has to be boiled for atleast seven days. The rate varies from `50 to `3000,” says S Kumar, an artisan.
Anti-gold tinted Dhokra brass chains, with an antique look are another attraction. The rate of the pieces designed with Mehandi cone starts from `250. There are chains made with lapis and amitis stone from Rajasthan available in all possible colours and patterns.
Moving over to the textile section, the soft and silky hand-spun Pashmina shawls from Kashmir are eye-catching. Along with elegant looking off-white ones, shawls with floral pattern and cotton salwar kameezes with hand made embroideries are also there. There are handblock bedsheets from Jaipur, the prize of which ranges in between `240 and `1400. From Gujarat, there are chungidi and bandhni saris.
Silk clothes like tussar, mutka, mulberry and jute are the specialty of the stall of Bhajalpur village in Bihar. There are handprinted madhubani salwars, the prize of which starts from `1200.
There is a large collection of Rajasthani glass bangles, camel bone and crystal chains at the expo.
Palm leaf wall engravings and paintings from Orissa, known as ‘patachitra paintings’ are available in different forms. These traditional paintings about ‘Krishna Leela’ and other epic stories are made on palm leaves using turmeric powder, stone powder and roots of different plants.
“Palm leaf engraving is a laborious task that may some times take nearly one year to complete,” says Dev, an artisan. There is also a rare collection of Dhokra statues made by the tribal people of the state.
Organiser Sherin Salim says that the aim of the expo is to promote local and tribal artisans of various States, without putting them through any middle-men.
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