Bhubaneswar, Jan. 29: The hard work and artistry that goes into creating ethnic artefacts are on display at the Tribal Museum.

In November last year, the state government set up kiosks at the museum to showcase the process involved in the creation of tribal artefacts.

Through this unique initiative, the government wants to promote ethnic culture among tourists, especially foreigners. The move also means business as traditional artisans get an opportunity to sell their products directly to the customers.

Around 12 craftsmen from various ethnic communities of the state are demonstrating the process of creating the popular bamboo and paddy crafts and depicting the intricacies of lanjia saora and gond paintings.

The kiosks will be in place till the first week of February after which the artisans leave for New Delhi to take part in the National Tribal Festival that begins on February 13.

'Foreign tourists often enquire about the ethnic products and from where they can procure them. They are also curious to know about the process involved in making these artefacts. We, therefore, thought of making the museum a one-stop destination for visitors,' said curator of the museum Purusottam Patnaik.

Patnaik said that some of the products would be up for sale at the museum's newly opened souvenir shop.

'These three months (November to January) are the peak time for tourists to visit the state. So, there could have been no better time than to set up the stalls. The number of tourists visiting the museum has been satisfactory and the response was quite good,' Patnaik said.

In November, around 234 foreigners and 7,868 Indian tourists visited museum. The corresponding figure in December was 233 and 3,507, respectively. In January, 210 people from abroad and 1,877 from India have visited the museum.

A group of four men from the gond tribe, two from the lodha tribe, three from the bhattoda community and three from the lanjia saora are flawlessly weaving magic.

The way flower vases and pen stands are made using bamboo and how figures of gods and goddesses, animals and birds are crafted using paddy are being demonstrated. On the other hand, paintings in vibrant colours depict ethnic lifestyle and traditions.

For the artisans, the experience is exciting and profitable as well. 'The guests, especially foreign visitors, are quite inquisitive, and I love to answer their queries. They ask about the raw materials that we use and the way we carve the models and a lot of other questions,' said Ramchandra Munda, known for his mastery in paddy crafts.

He is also happy to have sold 300 artefacts ever since the stall was set up.

'During Christmas, we made around 25 crosses and the foreigners lapped them up. They praised our crafts a lot and the items made of grain amazed them a lot,' said Munda.