Sharmila Tagore at the event. (Rashebehari Das)

Connoisseurs braved rain and waterlogged streets to browse through the Bengal Home Industries Association’s display of crafts and textiles at Taj Bengal on Saturday.

The hotel’s ground floor resembled a mela as part of the association’s centenary celebrations — artistes in stalls sprawled over the banquet halls showcasing Dokra (cast metal) idols, scroll paintings, baskets, horn craft, embroidered quilts, jamdani weaves, pottery and wooden masks. To enhance the fair atmosphere, puppeteers performed with their wooden dolls.

“I think today’s celebration is a wonderful encouragement to artisans and in bringing forgotten artisans back to the fold. I saw some lovely puppeteers, beautiful saris, silver filigree work and beautiful masks from Bengal and Assam,” said chief guest Sharmila Tagore.

“The children of these wonderful craftsmen are not taking the art forward and that is a worry. These handicrafts are very contemporary and wearable and I see no reason why these artisans can’t move towards a better future. They need a lot of support so that they can carry on with the tradition. I hope today’s attempt inspires others.”

Sharmila’s link with the association is “ancestral” because her great grandfather Gaganendranath Tagore was the first secretary of Bengal Home Industries. “I’m quite thrilled. To see my ancestor’s beautiful designs being revived by the Bengal Home Industries through saris, scarves and wearable items. It was a pleasurable surprise. I cherish the lineage.”

The association was set up in 1917 under Lady Carmichael, wife of then governor of Bengal. It now has a showroom on Camac Street for craftsman and small organisations to display products made of a variety of materials such as cotton, silk, jute, terracotta, wood, brass, copper, papier mâché, Dokra (cast metal), Shola and sandalwood. The handcrafted products are sourced from across Bengal as well as other states.

To celebrate and support Indian crafts, some of Calcutta’s well-known faces — Ruby Pal Chowdhury of the Crafts Council, historian Bharati Ray, filmmaker Goutam Ghose and actor Arjun Chakraborty — walked the stage.

This was followed by Sharmila Biswas’s OVM Repertory and Priti Patel’s dance performances.