Northeast handicraft, handloom fair opens in capital
Monsters and Critics.com, UK
New Delhi, Jan 28 (IANS) Exquisite handloom and handicraft products from the northeast are on sale at the NEXPO 2007 here, a fair showcasing the excellence of artisans of the region.
Cane wine bottle holders from Tripura, traditional silk garments from Assam, bamboo handicrafts from Nagaland, handloom jackets from Arunachal Pradesh are among the hundreds of items displayed in the fair, which opened Saturday at the at the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) grounds.
Organised by the ministry for development of the northeastern region, the eight-day fair acts as a platform for various governmental and non-governmental agencies dealing with handloom and handicrafts artisans of the northeastern states.
It helps the artisans from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura to market their products and get exposure by way of customer needs and exporters’ interest.
Hiranaya Das, who runs the Hastakala Karkhana in Hajo Ramdiya, Assam, is happy to participate in the fair.
‘The government agency dealing with us has already bought all our products that are on display. We are here so that our craftsmen and weavers can exhibit their talent to customers,’ Das, who has seven weavers and three craftsmen working under him, told IANS.
‘It is a great platform to market our products,’ said Dhiraj Thakuria, technical and marketing manager of the North Eastern Handloom and Handicrafts Corporation (NEHHDC), an Indian government undertaking that reaches out to the production base of these items.
‘In the first year, we had sales of Rs.100,000-200,000. Next year it increased to Rs.300,000-400,000 and after that even more,’ he said.
This year, NEHHDC is running a theme pavilion at the fair where one can see weavers and craftsmen busy at work. One can also buy freshly made items on the spot or have items made according to one’s specifications.
Bani, a housewife from Delhi, was seen taking keen interest at a cane sofa set at the Tripura stall in the theme pavilion.
‘These items are amazing and I feel like buying all the items that are on display here,’ she said.
Are the prices a deterrent?
‘Of course not. You can see the hard work put in by the craftsmen here. But yes, I am sure I will get these at cheaper rates if I go to the northeast,’ Bani said.
So, what kind of market are the artisans getting by way of this fair?
‘Most of the exporters and importers of handloom and handicraft items are here in Delhi. So they come and buy our products in bulk,’ said Thakuria.
Asked where the biggest market for these items abroad is available, he said: ‘Europe. They buy things like gift items, souvenirs and cane furniture.’
There are 200 stalls and around 500 artisans are participating in the fair held for the fourth time in the national capital. The fair concludes on Feb 3.