Around 21 lakh people are expected to visit the fair this year and products worth around Rs 22 crore will be sold
Bhubaneswar: Artisans, weavers and sculptors from across the country are scheduled to participate the National Toshali Craft mela which will kick-start December 28 and continue till January 13 next.
The fair is being organised every year by the Odisha Handlooms, Textiles and Handicraft (HTH) department in association with the Union Development Commissioner (Handlooms) with an objective to offer a forum for the artisans, weavers and sculptors.
The craft mela will create a market for their products, preserve and nurture traditional forms and create awareness and educate people about the skills and intricacies involved in making the products.
Artisans, weavers and sculptors from across the country are scheduled to participate in the mega event to exhibit their traditional and contemporary handloom and handicraft products.
HTH Secretary Subha Sharma said around 21 lakh people are expected to visit the fair this year and products worth around Rs 22 crore will be sold.
Last year, 20 lakh people visited the fair and Rs 20-crore business was achieved.
Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Minister Snehangini Chhuria is scheduled to inaugurate the fair.
Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda and local MLAs and MPs are scheduled to attend the event.
Sharma told news persons here that as many as 130 weavers from various states of the country including Odisha, 150 artisans are expected to attend the event.
About 330 handloom and handicraft stalls will be exhibited in the fair. In addition to it, 20 organisations and institutions involved in development of handloom and handicraft would also put up their stalls.
Among others, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bhubaneswar, Indian Institute of Hnadloom Technology, Bargarha, Indian Institute of Textile Technology Chowdwar, SIDAC and other institutions will put up stalls to create awareness about the scope of Fashion and career opportunities offered in the sector.
A food court having 30 food stalls put up by various hotels and restaurants will offer delicious multi cuisine food including traditional Odia cuisine to the visitors during the mela.
A theme pavilion – Tantukruti – is erected centrally to exhibit use of natural fibre in the making of handloom and handicraft products.
Cultural programmes would be hosted every evening by eminent artistes and troupes invited from various parts of the country and the state for the entertainment of the visitors.
Sharma said lifetime achievement award and state handicraft award for 2017 would be presented to eminent handicraft artisans during the mela.
