This seems to be one of the very few occasions for the womenfolk of Tirupati to get drenched in the deluge of garments from North India.
The fortnight-long Cotton and Silk Mela organised by Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation under its flagship brand ‘Lepakshi’ got off to a colourful start at Sindhura Hall here on Friday, with ace singer G. Sunitha lighting a lamp to mark its inaugural.
The special feature of the festival is the convergence of so many artisans and craftsmen from North India, with a variety of silk and cotton saris, linen range and khadi material.
For the first time, ‘Chenderi’ silk sari of Madhya Pradesh made its presence at the Lepakshi expo. The silk is brought from Karnataka and the fine thread from Coimbatore, but the weaving style and the block printing at Chenderi makes the difference.
Similarly, the Bhagalpuri silk sari from Bhagalpur, considered the silk capital of Bihar, is attracting many eyeballs. “The Bhagalpuri material keeps you warm in cold seasons and cool in hot summer. That’s our speciality,” says Meem Jawaid, the seller from Bhagalpur.
“This time, there are Sanganeri bed sheets, Jaipur tops, Lucknow chikan work, Kashmir silk etc., and of course our own Mangalagiri, Kalamkari, Hyderabad and Madurai saris,” adds the Lepakshi Senior Manager K. Sreehari. The expo will end on July 19.
The Bhagalpuri material keeps you warm in cold seasons and cool in hot summer. That’s our speciality
Meem Jawaid
Seller from Bhagalpur
