Artists busy at work in the Shilpotsava 2014 in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Lovers of handloom, handicrafts and other items are in for a treat.

Artists from across the state are exhibiting their products at Shilpotsava 2014. Organised by Upendra Maharathi Institute, the event has been witnessing an impressive footfall since December 14, the day it was inaugurated.

Apart from reaching out to customers, state-level awards are up for grabs for the artists under different sections like handloom, handicraft, trinkets and others.

Regarding the competition, Ashok Kumar Sinha, the deputy development officer and also the organiser, said: “Awards lead to healthy competition among participants and they give their best.”

The institute has provided accommodation to the artists. Around 200 people are taking part in the competition.

More than 50 stalls have been put up by various artists across the state.

A few of them have already been honoured. Umesh Paswan, who specialises in Madhubani painting, has been nominated for the state award. Differently abled, he communicates by writing.

He wrote down on a piece of paper: “Though I cannot speak, my art does a lot of talking for me. Madhubani painting is a gift to me from my father but we face a lot of difficulties in selling these.”

An all-India workshop, too, has been organised on the same campus where artists from different corners of the country are pickling up skills from each other.

“The same art has different forms in the different corners of India, so we try to learn what is unique in different places,” said Pramod Kumar from Samastipur, who specialises in bamboo craft.

Uma Devi, another artisan, who had set up a stall of trinkets said the items require a lot of hard work but they seldom get the right price for it.

“We find it very difficult to sell these items at the right price and end up making losses as the customers are always bargaining for the lowest price possible,” she said.

The fair would come to an end on December 23.