Post News Network
Bhubaneswar Jan 2: Be it the delicate cane and bamboo crafts of Assam, wrought iron items of UP, tassar products of Chhattisgarh or the paper products of Pondicherry, Sisir Saras Exhibition showcases all these rural handicrafts from all over the country in a 12- day fair beginning Friday.
Around 600 craftsmen are exhibiting their products in nearly 294 stalls at the fair that began at Exhibition Ground in the city.
The fair was inaugurated by the state Panchayati Raj minister Arun Sahoo.
With the aim of providing a platform to the rural artisans to market their products, the Orissa Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS), has been organizing the fair for the last few years.
“The major attraction of the fair are handlooms from Andhra Pradesh, chanderi silk from MP, madhubani painting from Bihar, decorative items from Gujarat, leather shawls from Punjab,” said an organiser of the fair.
He said Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India every year sponsors the Sisir Saras mela in order to provide a platform for sale and display of the products made by rural artisans, under different poverty alleviation programmes of the Central Government and the state government.
Prakash Kumar, a madhubani artist from Bihar, said that he and his family generally have to depend on the seasonal farming and usually it becomes difficult for them to make both ends meet.
“These fairs and exhibitions are excellent platform for us to sell our products and earn some money,” Prakash said.
Agreeing with Prakash, Ananda Mohato, a patashilpa artist from West Bengal, said that these opportunities were elixir of life for the otherwise dying rural art forms of the country.
“I am here with my wife Malati, who is selling homemade pickles here,” said Mahato.
One of the organisers said that these various homemade pickles are items of attraction for many. He said that the vegetable pickles made from cauliflower and drumsticks were also found here.
Besides the pickles, Punjab’s phulkari-designed salwar suits, nagras, Gujarat’s multicolored bandhani, sparkling pearls of Hyderabad and artificial flowers from the northeastern states of India have already started attracting a large number of visitors, many of them young men and women, from the very first day.
Among these products, the organisers are hoping, leather puppets and bags from Andhra Pradesh, dokra jewelry from Madhya Pradesh, wooden furniture from Uttar Pradesh would definitely find a large number of takers.