Ulta Rath may have brought the Rathyatra festival to an end on Thursday but Rath-er Mela will continues at Central Park till July 31. The fair, organised by Bidhannagar Sree Chaitanya Bhagabat Samaj, has the usual array of products on offer from furniture to clothes, jewellery to handicrafts and papad to popcorn. The Telegraph Salt Lake scans the fair in search of nice and novel buys.

ZARA COLLECTIONS
Shop Number- A-58
Looking for the latest designs in palazzos? Then this fair might throw up some quality options. Zara, which has a tie-up with Biba, also specialises in shararas, kurtis and exquisite dupattas. Their collection would impress lovers of ethnic outfits too. “We manufacture single pieces so each design stays unique,” claimed the man at the stall. Besides clothes, they also sell wooden strapped footwear which, with raised pressure points, are meant to provide underfoot massage at every step.

SUKHEN ANTIQUE JEWELLERY
Shop Number- B-12
The jewellery stall brings junk and traditional jewellery from Domjur, Howrah. The novelty here is the use of shells, thread and bamboo in each handcrafted piece. First-timers to a Salt Lake fair, they are creating a buzz with their offerings. On offer are shells with painting, with beads attached and with intricate designs in copper. “Our finger rings and shell brooches are pretty unique. We also add a dash of colour to our metallic pendants by pasting on them small paintings on jute strips,” said the shop-keeper.

SEGULL COLLECTIONS
Shop number-B-16
This place adds a dash of colour to your bedroom and a bit of playfulness too, if you choose a bedsheet that was the subject of much interest and speculation among visitors. A snake and ladder board was replicated on the sheet with  the snakes thankfully symbolised by plain curved lines. “Look Ma, they have a die and tokens too,” exclaimed six-year-old Souvik Roy from BC Block. Segull also has a range of hand-painted and stitched bedsheets, pillow covers and cushions. 

SHANTINIKETAN BOUTIQUE
Shop Number-B-15
The shop has a range of avant garde designs in terracotta. A wiry Krishna plays the flute for an equally wiry Radha. Durga, bending backwards, drills a trident into the head of a thin buffalo. Ganesha rows a boat or relaxes in an easy chair. For those scouting for Puja drapes will find their choice of jamdani, chanderi, Dhakai and khesh-dyed (a vegetable print) saris here. Fabric-painted saris are their specialisation. They add novelty to simple cotton saris by stitching eye-catching appliqué patches on them.