Cuttack, Nov. 26: Bali yatra has always been encouraging for Sushant Majhi, a young artist from Keonjhar district, to showcase his talent through paintings.

The festival has provided wings to the 24-year-old artist as there has been a huge demand for creative paintings based on various themes and modern art.

The young artist has been doing a brisk business worth nearly Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh during the seven-day yatra for the past four years.

Apart from Majhi, nearly 365 other traders have set up kiosks at the Pallishree Mela organised by the panchayati raj ministry's Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society.

Senior officials of the society said that already there had been a heavy turnout of visitors at the mela and they hoped that the overall business would register a new high this year.

"We expect the total sales to cross Rs 10 crore this time against the total business of nearly Rs 9 crore last year. A lot of traders, self-help groups and artisans from various parts of the country are displaying new products," said Bipin Rout, executive officer of the society.

The mela has turned out to be one of the major attractions of Bali yatra as it is offering a wide range of ethnic products from over 20 districts of the state and nearly 15 states in the country.

Various agencies such as the Khadi and Village Industries Corporation, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and others are also taking part in the fair.

"Bali yatra has turned out to be one of the major platforms where artists can showcase their talent before lakhs of visitors thronging the fair of the state. It is due to the vast business opportunity that we have been coming here on regular basis," said Majhi.

Majhi said that most of his paintings were done on foil, palm leaf, canvas and other items which were being appreciated by the visitors.

"Everybody wants something unique to decorate their homes, and there is no alternative to paintings which speaks volumes about the individual's taste. As the paintings are priced between Rs 400 to Rs 7,000, people can select them according to their budget," said Reena Das, a visitor.

Das said the visitors could also purchase a wide range of products, including the ethnic ones from wooden items, cloths and leather items from Kashmir, cane and bamboo products from Tripura and Meghalaya and silk items from Bengal.

"It is usually at Bali yatra that we get a scope to purchase a wide range of products from various parts of the country. Hence, there is a huge response of traditional items, including products of various self-help groups, at the fair," said Kartik Sahu, another visitor.