HYDERABAD: If you are bored of the usual merchandise being sold at the countless exhibitions that take place routinely in the city, do swing by the Orissa Handloom and Handicrafts Expo organized by Orissa Arts and Crafts.
The exhibition seeks to brings together rural artisans from the Eastern part of India. Featuring a wide range collection of handlooms and handicrafts, Orissa tie and dye dress material, West Bengal cotton sarees, Banaras sarees, wood carving, the exhibition is a shoppers delight.
We do the legwork for you and tell you some stalls worth visiting at the expo.
Minute Affair
The Ladhak handloom stall has a great collection of sarees, shawls and scarves that come with minute detailing of Kashmiri embroidery. Waseem Feroz who heads the stall says, “Not many people buy shawls for the winter as it is no where to be seen but people like the collection. Hyderabad is a colourful city and we offer the best prices with maximum export quality for shoppers.” The shawls range from Rs 1000- 3000 while silk scarfs and stoles cost about Rs 450. You can also check out their daily and party wear sarees.
From the North-East
The hues of Nagaland are seen in the flowers for interior decoration made by Chophi. Using sweet corn cover, coconut, bamboo, peepal leaves, a great deal of effort goes into the making of these flowers and sticks. Hand-made wooden vases are also available for keeping these flowers. You can be assured that no flower is the same as each flower is dipped in coloured dye for a particular look. The price ranges from Rs 20 -Rs 120 for each stick.
Eco-friendly style
Chuck the pleather bags for some handmade jute bags from Bahadur Shaik stall from Kolkata. The handmade jute bags range from Rs 250 -Rs 350 while the handmade kolhapuri chappal are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 380.
Colour Blast
The colourful culture of Rajasthan is reflected in the glass, stone bangles in the Rajasthani, Gujarati, Khadi and Bandini style made by Hidayat Khan. The bangles have a matte finish with the designs being carved with nails. What strikes you at this stall is not just the bright colours, but the sheer variety of bangles available in two-in-one colors and durable materials. The price ranges from Rs 1200 -Rs 3000.
Sculpt it
Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Manoj Kumar Sohni excels in the making handmade idols. His stall features excuisite handmade sculptures made of mud and pure honey which are later heated with brass. The detailed features are then carved using hand. With a range from Rs 300 - Rs 25000, there is a hand-made Buddha worth Rs 90,000 which is worth a ‘dekho’.