From colourful teak jewellery boxes to vintage clocks seemingly pulled out from a time of the Maharajas, a slice of Rajasthan came to town with the inauguration of the ‘Rajasthani Grameena Mela’ here on Saturday. Organised by the Rajasthan Arts and Crafts, over 70 stalls showcase handmade products from across the country. Jodhpuri wood works and textiles shared space with Bahalpur silk products from Bihar and wall hangings from Odisha.
“Nearly 30 stalls are from Rajasthan, while the rest, a smattering of homemade, handcrafted products, are from other States,” said Dinesh Sharma, president of Rajasthan Arts and Crafts. The organisation was “compelled” to return to the coastal city this year after last year’s exhibition evoked a “good response.” The collections had increased since last year, with a large number of Jodhpur wood and metal carvings being displayed this time, said Sanjay Sharma, who is manning a stall.
“Each of the pieces has been hand chipped, and hand painted by our unit where artisans craft teak and rosewood,” he said. The handicrafts, however, come at a prize, with a tepoy – that took artisans one week to complete – coming with a price tag of Rs. 9,000. Also on display at the stall are ‘Vintage’ teak clocks that can cost up to Rs. 4,500.
With colourful patterns dotting the wall, Vijay Kumar’s stall displayed stitched cotton pieces from Jaipur. The uniqueness of the tops and skirts, he said, was that none of them use artificial dyes.
“We use only natural dyes. Rusting iron gives us bright red for the clothes, blue from amla (gooseberry), yellow from turmeric, gum tree for ash colour…these colours are permanent and can withstand any number of washing,” he said.
A Rajasthani exhibition would be incomplete without its display of precious-stone jewellery.
Having picked up the trade nearly five years ago, Raj Kumar from Jaipur displays handmade jewellery made out of turquoise, amethyst, opal, cats eye, among others. While beads of synthetic stone come for as cheap as Rs. 80, the more exquisite pieces made out of Jaipuri precious stone can go up to Rs. 800 a pendant, he said.
Stalls from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh among others dot the exhibition. The exhibition will be on at Hotel Woodlands till August 17.
