Visitors throng the fair to take a look at the handicraft items. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Jan. 19: If you think that only the branded outlets are the destination for the upmarket gentry of the state capital, think again.

Herbs, plant extracts terracotta and bamboo crafts have caught the fancy of the Ranchiites in a major way. At least the ongoing Khadi Fair at Zila School has given such indications.

The forgotten traditional beauty secrets of the nature have staged a comeback in a major way with many women gradually adopting the ayurveda.

The Khadi Village Industries Commission, involving women in villages across the country, is trying to revive these beauty recipes in a big way.

The latest example being the ?vegetable soap? manufactured by the Uttaranchal-based Surbhi Gramodyog Vikar Sansthan. According to Dheeraj, the stall owner, chief minister Arjun Munda was so impressed by the vegetable soaps manufactured by the Sansthan that he invited them to the Khadi Fair.

?This is for the first time that we have launched such a herbal product in the world which has no glycerine base.While strawberry, lemon and lavender combination soap is for oily skin, the one with a rose, sandalwood, apricot and mango combination is for dry skin. Peach, neem-tulsi, honey and green apple combination is for normal skin,? he said. The soaps range between Rs 40 and Rs 50.

Similarly, fancy bamboo products like trays, pen stands teacups and jugs from Assam were something new for the people of Ranchi.Small cups and big mugs made out of bamboo cost somewhere around Rs 20 while the pen stands range from Rs 30 to Rs 40. ?The bamboo is burnt and then polished before different show pieces are made out of it to make it water-resistant,? said Abdul Aziz of Ingrit Crafts who has come down from Assam.

Terracotta products like teacups, wind chimes, bells and flower vases had many admirers and buyers. Each cup costs between Rs 30 and Rs 90 according to its size.

The stall owners found some of the admirers today in the form of director-general of police V.D. Ram?s wife Pushpa Dayal and inspector-general Nirmala Kaur Chaudhary.

Uttam Kumar Paul, who has come from Barasat in Bengal and represents the R.M. Terracotta Pottery House, was happy that the crowd here had a fancy for the terracotta items that he and others from Bengal have brought along with them.