Cuttack, Bamboo and cane utilities have since long fascinated the common man and occupy an important place even in this modern world of unbreakable and glass ware. From finely woven mats to hand-woven baskets, containers and jewellery boxes, all made from seasoned cane are the most sought after at the bamboo corner in Baliyatra.
Thirty-odd craftsmen from different regions of the State who have set up their stalls at the fair here deal in household bamboo items of daily use like ‘kula’, ‘pachia’, ‘biri chala’, ‘tokei’, ‘sera’ and ‘dala’ besides the utility items.
These items, unfortunately, sell in their respective areas at rates that hardly justify the craftsman’s skill. It is for this reason these people wait for trade fairs like Baliyatra to market their indigenous bamboo and cane creations.
‘‘We usually sell our products in haat (markets) and do retail business with individual customers or depend on middlemen to sell our products in bulk. But retailing in local markets is not a profitable exercise,’’ said craftsman Ajaya Behera (27), adding, ‘‘We hardly get anything as the lion’s share of the profits is taken away by middlemen.’’ At trade fairs like Baliyatra, these artisans get a platform to eliminate the involvement of middlemen and directly sell their products in urban markets at better rates. Craftsman Ajaya has been coming to Cuttack to sell his products during Baliyatra from Jagatsinghpur for eight years now. Similarly, Santilata Raula (52) of Athagarh has been selling her bamboo and cane products at Baliyatra for the last 25 years. ‘‘On a daily basis, sales vary between Rs 800 to Rs 1500. We are expecting the sales to go up during the last days of Baliyatra,’’ Santilata says.
Like every year, all these products have found their place at kiosks set up on Gadagadia Mandir road in Baliyatra ground. All these products have found a great number of admirers, especially among women. Sukanti Sahoo, a housewife has been visiting Baliyatra every year to buy such items from these craftsmen. ‘‘Similar items that we get in city markets are not durable. We buy them from these people, as the quality of the raw materials used is a lot better and they are all moderately priced,’’ she says.