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| Craft items on display at the Nabarupa Crafts Fair on Exhibition Ground in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati |
Bhubaneswar, Sept. 27: Artisans from every nook and corner of the country have displayed their goods at the ongoing national exhibition of rural crafts, Nabarupa.
The exhibition is organised by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) and Odisha Rural and Urban Producers’ Association (Orupa) to bring the craftsmen in direct contact with the consumer.
The 150-odd sale counters put up by artisans from small towns such as Amethi, Munger, Mysore, Malout and many others leave the customers spoilt for choice. The kiosks display items for home décor made of metal as well as wood, coconut coir and jute. Most of the motifs on these crafts are inspired by mythology and nature.
Apparels on display include silk and tussar saris, chikankari-embroidered kurtis while footwear primarily offers leather shoes and sandals. There is colourful range of clutches, handbags and official folders priced between Rs 10 and Rs 500.
Odisha-based craftsmen have showcased appliqué, dokra and pattachitra paintings at the exhibition.
Although products at some counters are selling like hotcakes, most salesmen from outside the state are complaining about lukewarm business. They rued that customers wanted more discounts without appreciating the intricacy of the work. Some also complained about the poor scheduling of the exhibition since the month-end period is not letting customers splurge.
Despite offering an interesting mix of art and craft, the exhibition is witnessing a low footfall. Visitor G.M. Satpathy and his wife Debiarchana were spellbound by the variety and low price of products offered here.
“There are kiosks which are selling factory-made products, but most of them are handmade. From the Punjabi jutis to Kashmiri shawls, the exhibition has items we hardly find in the market. We don’t mind shelling out a few extra bucks for such striking handicrafts. We have bought quite a few showpiece items,” said Satpathy.
The organisers sounded hopeful. “Perhaps the rain on Sunday spoilt business, but the officials regularly hold workshops with the artisans. A lot of counselling is done to teach them the art of marketing,” said an official from Orupa.
“We also conduct cultural programmes such as Odissi, Gotipua, Sambalpuri dance forms and stage plays every evening,” he added.
He also said that next month, Orupa would organise a similar fair in Keonjhar district. The 10-day fair on Exhibition Ground will continue till September 30.