Work in progress at the Jharkhand pavilion (top) at Delhi’s Pragati Maidan on Wednesday. Officials promise it will be ready by Saturday, looking exactly as art director Shakti Sharma envisaged (inset). Pictures by Ramakant Kushwaha and Pheroze L. Vincent

New Delhi, Nov. 10: A partner state at this year’s India International Trade Fair, Jharkhand is playing catch-up with other states to set up its gigantic pavilion, but will have to pull off something bold and beautiful to attract crowds to the corner spot behind a pyramid of exhibition halls it has been assigned at the famed Pragati Maidan.

The Jharkhand pavilion, spread over 2,240 sq metres — about one-third the size of a football field — will have more than 30 stalls showcasing village industries as well as mining, steel and power magnates.

Although work is on full steam for a November 14 inauguration, it has to catch up with others like Orissa, Bengal and Karnataka, which already have elaborate and captivating facades in place.

At the centre of the pavilion will be a statue of Birsa Munda and an art installation by Shakti Sharma’s group from Calcutta. “The pavilion will have a Jharkhand flavour and the walls will have pyatkar paintings,” said the art director who worked on Bihar’s pavilion last year.

Sharma promised to have everything up in a couple of days. Industry department officials from Jharkhand, who were joined by their director Vandana Dadel here last night, have set the deadline for Saturday.

This year’s theme is Indian Handicrafts and Jharkhand will showcase live demonstrations of lac bangle making. About half the pavilion has been taken up by a corridor for an exhibition and sale of tribal jewellery, herbal products, dokra work and pyatkar paintings.

Jharcraft and the state’s khadi board will occupy the central aisle in the main hall. The khadi stall will feature tailors stitching garments, according to B.M.L. Das, a deputy director of the state’s industries department overseeing the work.

“This is an attempt to project the state as a readymade garment destination. There will also be tribal huts, bamboo furniture and wood work on exhibition,” he added.

Jharkhand’s energy, tourism and mines departments, along with industrial area development authorities of Bokaro, Adityapur and Ranchi, will also have stalls. “The energy stall will only showcase solar and wind power,” said pavilion director D.K. Sharma.

In the facing row Central Coalfields, Steel Authority of India, Uranium Corporation of India have stalls to give visitors an insight into their industrial prowess. Participating private firms include Tata Steel, Jindal Steel, ArcelorMittal, Electrosteel, Metalsa and Adhunik Power.

Jharkhand is the partner state along with West Bengal. Orissa and Bihar are focus states. Though the partner state tag has come at almost Rs 40 lakh, the isolated location of the pavilion will make it difficult for guests to find it, unless of course Sharma’s installation and the exhibits are compelling enough.

Also, many other states have got concrete structures over which erecting a façade is easier.

As a partner state, Jharkhand is assured coverage in advertisements and presentations of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) that organises the fair. It also gets a two-page colour ad in the souvenir of the fair.

“The chief minister also gets a special seat during the inauguration. On November 19 there will be a cultural show at the Hamsadhwani Auditorium and a special food mela at the Bharatiyam Food Court which will serve Jharkhand delicacies like dhuska (a salty version of malpua),” Sharma explained.