16th National Handloom Expo Attracts Scores Of Visitors

16th National Handloom Expo Attracts Scores Of Visitors

Bhubaneswar, January 17: The ongoing 16^th National Handloom Expo at Exhibition Ground has been attracting scores of visitors since its inauguration on 15 January.

The annual exhibition, which is being organised by Boyanika, has around 100 craftsmen from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka among others exhibiting their handloom products at the various stalls allotted to them. While the high footfall at the expo spells good business for the traders, the handloom products of Jammu and Kashmir, Banaras, Rajasthan, Pondicherry, Lucknow are the ones attracting most visitors and buyers at the expo.

A seller from Rajasthan, Mohammad Saif who has been attending the exhibition for the last of couple of years is hopeful of doing good business like previous year. “Since the exhibition has just started and will continue for one month, I hope to do good business after these initial days of making profit. I am selling ‘bandani’ (tie and dye) sarees, dress materials and scarves as they are always in demand,” said Saif.

Like every year, there are many stalls selling Kashmiri handloom products like Pashmina shawl, scarf, kurtis and saree. Latif Lala, who owns a stall at the expo said, “This year too, we have arrived in groups and have around eights stalls in the exhibition selling Kashmiri handloom. We have brought some of the best Pashmina shawls with beautiful designs and intricate work with prices starting fromRs 17000.”

Ramji from Lucknow who is selling the kurtis with famous Chikankari work, is expecting to do business like last year. “Last year we made earned around Rs. 14 lakh and expect to make more profit than last year. Our Chikankari sarees and dress materials range from Rs. 350 to Rs. 1600,” he said.

Even 72-year-old Ushmaan Ansari from Uttarakhand selling bed sheets, cushion and pillow covers is also anticipating a good business this year as the initial days of the expo have started on a good note for him.

Besides Odisha’s handloom products like Ikat, Kotpad, Bandha and Sambalpuri, Bengal’s hand-painted cottons with applique work, Jamdani, Kantha stitch, Lucknow’s Chikankari works, Rajasthan’s bed-sheets, bed-covers and cushion covers and Kotta saris, Upada silks and Pochampalli saris from Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, shawls, saris and carpets from Jammu and Kashmir are also in demand at the exhibition.

With a wide variety of products available at the expo, the visitors are delighted about the options they can find at one place. A visitor Palabi Samantray says, “The best thing about this exhibition is that we get lots of options in handloom products from all over the country, all available in the same place.”

Apart from the stalls, the main attraction at the venue is the theme pavilion that replicates the Kolkata’s famous monument, Victoria Memorial.