Want to surprise your loved ones with a special gift this festive season? Dropping into the Crafts Bazzar 2012 at Valluvar Kottam to choose an exquisite craft item made by the artisans from the North East region, might just be the perfect idea.
Organised by the North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation Limited, the exhibition has a variety of craft and handloom products from the eight-sister states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.
According to the organisers, several creative and innovative craft works including baskets, trays, wall hangings, magazine racks and bamboo sofa sets are on display. While the handicraft items are sold at a discount of 10 per cent, handloom materials come with a discount of 20 per cent. “We have set a sale target of `40 lakh for the exhibition in Chennai this year, which is seven lakh more when compared with last year,” an official said.
According to a press release, the objectives of the exhibition is to promote the sale of handicrafts and handlooms, increase awareness in favour of the crafts industry, expose craftspersons and weavers to the outside market and to eradicate middleman in the sector.
Stating that the handicrafts and handlooms sector in the North East provided direct and indirect employment to those belonging to the SC/ST category and other weaker sections, the release further said that the efforts of the Corporation and support extended by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern region, Government of India, have helped in revitalising the handicrafts and handlooms sectors in North East India. The exhibition is on till October 31.