Silk dress materials and saris on display at the exhibition titled Prakrit in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 8: A collection of silk handlooms with attractive prints and fashionable designs is on display at an exhibition at a Bhubaneswar-based hotel. Shoppers are thronging the venue to pick the best garments created out of the classic fabric.

From the splendid mulberry silk to Eri silk and matte tussar silk, the exhibition titled Prakrit, which is named after the collection of the Madhya Pradesh Silk Federation, offers many choices to the visitors.

Organised by the Directorate of Sericulture, Madhya Pradesh state government, the exhibition has brought unique patterns created in nature sourced organic colours and hand prints of Bagh as well as rich designs of the famous Maheswari and Chanderi patterns that are renowned all over the world.

At Prakrit, buyers looking for a little shine and glamour, but in the classic way, are seen going for the various accessorising items and apparels made of pure silk.

Some of the most sought-after items are silk saris, fabrics and dupattas. Young girls are trying out stoles and stylish shawls, while women are going for gorgeous furnishings to decorate their homes in style.

“Having something so attractive and yet sophisticated made of pure silk is a total delight for a fashion follower. These items never go out of fashion. So, I have collected four different stoles,” said a young software engineer Pragyan Das.

For homemaker Subhashree Parida, the furnishings available here are a must in the living room.

“The patterns and prints are so traditional and still they have been presented with a twist. So, they look trendy. I feel this exhibition is an opportunity to revamp one’s house décor. I simply loved the cushion covers,” she said.

Apart from designs and patterns of traditional weavers from Madhya Pradesh, the silk items available at the exhibition are made in Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and thus offer Jamawar of Banares, ikkat and Bomkai of Sambalpur, Maravi art of Chhattisgarh and exclusive Jamdani, Tangail, Baha, Jalchuri, Parsi work and traditional craft of Bengal.

“These artisans from other states have embraced the silk raw material from Madhya Pradesh and then designed the products on them. National Award winning artisans have exclusively done the hand block print on silk cloth. The colours used are obtained from natural sources such as herbs, vegetables, bark of wood and fruits,” said Rakesh Kumar Srivastava, general manager, Madhya Pradesh Silk Federation.

He also added that the purpose of the exhibition was to provide market links to the financially weak silk weavers working with the federation according to the Madhya Pradesh state government policy.

The exhibition began on January 5 and will be on till Wednesday.