Silk India exhibition & sale begins

Bhubaneswar: Artisans of Orissa Art and Craft Samiti (OACS) from different parts of the country are exhibiting their creations in traditional pure silk and cotton products, to cater to the demands of the festival season with the theme ‘Silk India – Wedding Collection’. The exhibition was inaugurated by actress Archita Sahu here Friday. Speaking at the event, Archita praised the craftsmanship, saying, “These weaves represent India’s rich cultural heritage. I encourage everyone to visit and explore the incredible variety of silk and cotton products available under one roof.” The exhibition-cum-sale will continue till October 27. The stalls will remain open from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm at the Hotel New Marrion here. Artisans from 14 handloom weaving states including Assam, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, and West Bengal, along with designers from many parts of the country are displaying their works. More than 50,000 varieties of works including Uppadas, Banarasi silks, Gadwals, Dharmavaram, Jamdanis, Jamawars and Sambalpuri are up for display. Organiser of Silk India – Wedding Collection exhibition, Manas Acharya said the social objective of the handloom exhibition was to promote weavers, encourage them and provide a market to the handloom industry. “Our main objective is to make customers access pure silk and cotton products directly from weavers without the intervention of the merchant,” Acharya said.