The Kolkata Boutique Fair at Sabuj Kalyan Sangh in Telco, Jamshedpur. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Sept. 12: Durga Puja could well be some time away, but for the die-hard shopaholics the festivities have already begun.

As the countdown for this year’s Durga Puja begins, Jamshedpur is becoming a destination for boutique owners and designers from Calcutta and other parts of Bengal. The trend is not new, but the number of participants has increased.

In the past one month, the city has witnessed at least five mega fairs conducted by designers visiting the city. “With a high percentage of Bengali crowd living here, Jamshedpur is always in our schedule,” said Kisha Nandi, owner of Shailpic, a Calcutta-based boutique, who is leading a 17-member entourage of designers to Jamshedpur.

Held at the Sabuj Kalyan Sangh in Telco, the fair named Kolkata Boutique Fair has some exotic hand-painted and handcrafted items from Bengal.

From zardosi and aari-work on pure cotton tant sarees, to hand painted dupattas and sarees to a mixture of kalamkari and batik, the fair has some of the newest trends, though the eternal kantha remains the most popular.

“Before this, we have had several exhibitions in Jamshedpur and the response has been very good. But somehow we are not too happy this time as people have hardly come,” rued Ratna Chatterjee, who runs the Ruchi boutique in south Calcutta.

“More boutiques coming, but there should be more variety than just monotonous block prints or kantha-stitched sarees,” said Dipti, a Bistupur-based homemaker.

Low footfall may be because of the alleged lack of variety or rains or the sheer number of the fairs. Still, the boutique owners are undeterred.

In fact, during monsoons, the Manoharini boutique visited Jamshedpur, with almost seven boutiques in tow. Although the rains went on for three days, the boutiques got a big profit.

A similar fair at Nirmal Bhavan in Sonari showcasing the work of about six designers also got an impressive footfall, and was followed by another Calcutta-based boutique — Sharmila’s Creation — putting up a show at the Vijaya Heritage, Kadma.

On September 14, Srijoni, a Calcutta-based boutique would put up a show at the Telco Club, Perceptions, a Calcutta-based event management company, would again be here with almost 12 designers at Golmuri Club, and Tithi’s, another popular boutique would be here on Diwali eve. So for true shoppers, the party has just begun.