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Bhubaneswar: The 12th Toshali National Craft Mela 2017 ended Wednesday. The concluding day witnessed heavy footfall, especially at food and handicraft stalls. The final day of the fair was marked by a devotional music programme presented by students of Divyanga School for blind. People braved the evening chill to listen to Jagannath bhajans presented by the visually impaired children.
Handicraft stalls saw many shoppers who had either rushed to the fair to look for possible bargains as well as those who wanted to not let the opportunity for last-minute shopping to slip by. Sushree and Supriya from Palaspalli had come to grab a few handicraft items from the air. “This was my first visit to the fair and I was overwhelmed by the rush. All stalls from Utkalika to tribal artifacts stalls were jampacked,” Sushree, who was at the fair to pick some artifacts and
wall paintings for her home, said. Her friend Supriya had tagged along to “buy a few vases, paintings and artificial flowers”. Another buyer, Liza Nayak, had come all the way from Cuttack to buy paintings. “I purchased a painting of Radha and
Krishna for my home.
Overall, the fair was crowded but the products on sale were good quality-wise and were light on pockets, too,” she said. The fair offered rich pickings for taggers-along such as Sainash Pati from Nayapalli. The Class1 tot had come to the fair with her Mum and was happy that she got some toys of her liking, too. For designer Gautami Chatterjee, the visit to the fair was meant to get terracotta pieces. “I am a designer, so I am picking up a few pieces that I will repaint myself for interior décor,” she said. Business has been good for food stall operators too.
RS Mishra, the Manager of Silver Spoon restaurant, said he had put up a stall at the fair just as every year and earned a 30 per cent profit. “I will come here next year, too, to do more business.” Food lovers were also aplenty at the fair just as PK Barik, a resident of Patia. “I came here with family to taste some of the delicacies on offer. Chakuli, Mutton and Bara were wonderful and the cooking was healthy. That is what attracts people to the food court,” he said. Over all, the fair was received well by the residents of Bhubaneswar and neighbouring areas with its mixture of entertainment, lifestyle and gastronomic delights. With curtains down on the fair, the next year’s edition is being eagerly awaited.
