Visitors at the National Handloom Expo in Patna. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Feb. 20: If you were obsessed with traditional Kashmiri woollen pherans after seeing it in movies like Kashmir Ki Kali or Mission Kashmir, here’s your chance to own one without the hassle of travelling to the Valley.

A 10-day-long National Handloom Expo was inaugurated at Sinha Library on February 16. Salwar suit pieces with Rajasthani mirror work, silk saris, silk salwar suit pieces from Murshidabad (Bengal) and Bhagalpur, Bangalore silk saris, khadi kurta from Aligarh or south cotton from Tamil Nadu, you name it, this expo has it all.

This expo is being organised after a gap of 26 years.

Shikha Malhotra, a homemaker, said: “What I liked at this expo is that I did not have to compromise with my choice, there are lots of options to choose from. I really loved the Kashmiri stall as I never thought I would be getting the traditional woollen pherans here.”

Owner of stall number 37, Azad Manzoor, a Kashmiri weaver, who is in Patna for the first time, said he wants to come back as he really liked the city. “Buyers here are interested in Kashmiri traditional wear. I hope to come back here,” said Manzoor.

“The speciality in our Kashmiri traditional wear is their unique design. One such design is called yamzral, a floral design, printed on long Kashmiri woollen suits. Apart from that, panchu (a short woollen wear) is also liked by the buyers,” said Manzoor. He said panchu is available at Rs 300-Rs 670 a piece, pashmeena shawls range from Rs 960 to Rs 80,000, other woollen shawls vary from Rs 250 to Rs 5,000 and woollen coats come at Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,500.

Another attraction was the Lucknowi stall where chikan dresses were on display. “These Lucknowi zari bags are attracting a lot of buyers as they are available in a range of hues and colours. Girls can match these bags with different attires,” said Imran Khan at stall number 11 at the expo. The stall also had saris on display.

“The expo has a good collection but the prices are a tad high. I bought many tops and kurtis for my daughter. I also bought my favourite Murshidabad silk and south cotton sarees,” said Manjeet Kaur who was at the expo with her 19-year-old daughter, Pammi.

The fair also has Rajasthani mirror-work toran door hangings, Rajasthani bedsheets (camel prints), south cotton sarees with batik and kalamkari print, kantha stitch sarees, suits, bedsheets and cushion covers from Haryana. Weavers from across the country, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other states, are taking part in this handloom expo.