Raja Bazaar resident Rachna is gearing up for her sister's wedding later this month and the exhibition of silk textile in the city is perfect for her.
National Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. under the Union ministry of textile has brought to Patna Silk Fab, the sale-cum-exhibition. It started on the day of love, February 14, at the Indira Gandhi Science Complex and will continue till February 27.
Residents are making most of these 14 days, as everybody is thronging the planetarium premises to get their hands on some of the best handloom products from across the country.
Up for grabs are goodies such as kasuti work from Karnataka, Paithani from Maharashtra, Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh and jamdani from Bengal.
Rachna said: "This exhibition is the one-point stop for all handloom products from across the country. These kinds of exhibitions are quite important for us to know about the different works, fabrics and designs available in the country. I have already bought three saris for my sister's wedding, including Bhagalpuri silk with Madhubani work."
Retailers, craftsmen and wholesalers from almost 16 states have arrived in the city for the exhibition. To provide a wide platform to the craftsmen and ensure a direct market-consumer connect, the organisers have made entry to the exhibition free.
G.S. Bhandari, an official of National Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. and the fair in-charge, said: "We act as a bridge between the weavers and the market. Our sole motto is to encourage craftsmanship and weavers to come up with more innovative ideas and colours. This year, we have concentrated on resham, including kosha silk, chintamani, kasuti work, Pochampalli (from Tamil Nadu), Paithani, kanjeevarams, jamdani and ikkat."
The traditional handlooms of different states such as Gujarat's gathjora, Rajasthan's bandhej, Andhra Pradesh's gadwal and from Benaras's jamewar are also among the highlights of the fair.
For the past week, the craftsmen are busy selling their products to the people. In the past two days, Rs 50 lakh worth items have been sold at the sale-cum-exhibition.
There's something for everyone and the stall owners from Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra among others are having a grand sale.
"It is a golden opportunity for me to participate in the fair. The sales figures are more than my expectations. The people really love wearing handlooms here. I have three kinds of fabrics - baluchari, kantha and tangail - on sale," said Shekhar Raj Chaudhary from Calcutta.
Vedapratti from Karnataka had a hectic day on Tuesday. "The kanjeevaram saris starting at Rs 5,000 are in great demand. I have saris with traditional resham work of Karnataka. Traditional saris with broad golden borders are in demand too," said Vedapratti from Tamil Nadu.
Tanveer from Madhya Pradesh said: "Chanderi and Maheshwari are in great demand."
