Bhubaneswar, Feb. 10: Move over filmstars, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sartorial sense is now creating fashion ripples in the city.
Residents are thronging to the ongoing national handloom expo to buy the ethnic waistcoat-like jacket worn by Modi. Priced at Rs 800, the jackets are available at Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat kiosks.
Traders from 16 states have come to the fair with a fare that includes affordable but unique designs to award winning items priced over a lakh.
"Modi jacket is quite popular among customers at various exhibitions we have taken part in. Here, too, it has become a huge hit," said a person manning a Rajasthan kiosk at the Exhibition Ground.
Another highlight at the expo is the special pavilion created in the form of the three rath yatra chariots. The pavilion hosts a live demonstration set up of a frame loom as well as live block printing of handlooms by authorised weavers of the state government's Weaver Service Centre, Saheed Nagar.
"This type of loom is used by weavers in Nuapatna, Sambalpur and many major handloom centres of the state," said Laxman Nayak, the loom operator at the pavilion. National award winning saris made by weavers from various districts of the state have also been exhibited here. From Kotpad to Berhampuri, Sambalpuri and Cuttacki saris, the displayed creations are exquisite in both fabric and design patterns. Some of these are priced between Rs 1,25,000 and Rs 1,60,000.
The exhibition hosts 100 kiosks of which Odisha artisans have been allotted 28 units, including those of handloom brands owned by the state such as Boyanika, Sambalpuri Bastralaya and Serifed. The kiosks have silk and cotton saris priced at Rs 2,500 and Rs 500 onwards, respectively. Cotton Sambalpuri furnishings such as bedsheet, pillow covers and cushion covers are available at Rs 200 onwards.
"Odisha handlooms are always a hit at the expo," said Deepak Meher, a weaver from Balangir. Last year, the expo witnessed a sale of about Rs 7 crore and this year it will exceed this figure, said Bibhu Prasad Sarangi, managing director of Boyanika. The expo is on till March 1.
