Superstitious or otherwise, Feng Shui products still echo waves of popularity when it comes to ‘restoring that lost peace’- be it in your home or place of work. The art has gained momentum and the much-seen Feng Shui frog, Laughing Buddha, Wealth Ship, Pi Yao, etc are still making a good sweep. Needless to say, the handicrafts expo at Surabhi Handicrafts Emporium in the city too boasts of a crowd-puller on Feng Shui items. “This is all about your beliefs. Before purchasing these items you have to be thorough with the basic details like why to buy, where to keep and how to preserve them. Keeping it in the prescribed directions in your house will restore equilibrium,” says Suresh, a coordinator at the Feng Shui counter. Rudrakshas from Nepal is another prominent item at the counter. “Chandramukhi category from eka mukha rudrakshas is a fast-moving piece. They are one of the rarest categories of rudrakshas available. The Singing Bowl from Nepal is truly yet another attraction. This Tibetan piece forged from an alloy of seven metals, was used in Asia before 500 BC. They were being used as musical instruments,” he says. The extraordinary vibrating qualities of the bowl, tagged at `2,000, is believed to restore harmony in human bodies. The ‘Three Warriors’ is another peculiar item. The sellers claim that the product has ‘special’ powers to ward off bad omen. Suresh, who has been travelling to ‘this’ part of the world quite a while now, says he purchases his products from Haridwar, Rishikesh and Nepal. “I make it a point to travel to these places and make the purchases. The markets for such products in these places always undergo changes,” he says. Apart from the Feng Shui items, there are also the typical regional handicrafts showcased at the expo. From bamboo cane baskets to banana fibre mats and wooden flower baskets and spoons, the collection is simply abundant. “Though products as these are on the path to slow death, there are still some genuine authentic lovers who crave for these traditional clay water pots and bamboo baskets,” says another salesman at the expo. There is also a good selection of Madhura Chungadi sarees and Andhra Chettinad Kerala print sarees at the textile counter. The expo is going on at the Aradhana Tourist Home Building, Kallayi Road, and will conclude on September 15. The expo opens at 10 am.
