KOZHIKODE: The city is warming up to the Onam festival this year with exhibitions opening up every day, enticing people with artistic adroitness and special sales. Since Onam is a time when handloom and handicraft products are in huge demand, exhibitions catering to this need are mostly seen. If you are planning to go all ‘desi' this Onam, do not miss out on any of these fairs.
The Khadi Gramodhyog Emporium at SM Street has opened the Khadi Onam Mela, which has in stock a wide variety of khadi cotton clothing, khadi silk sarees, woollen blankets, coir products and silk shirts with a rebate of 30 per cent on all products. In addition, prizes through weekly lucky draws and a mega lucky draw also awaits customers. The Khadi Grama Soubhagya showroom on Cherooty Road and the Civil Station Gandhi Ashram Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan are hosting Onam fairs.
If you want to get a feel of Madhya Pradesh this festive season, Mrignayanee at Mananchira Central Library Building is offering sarees made of Chanderi silk, Tussar silk, Maheshwari silks, bagh, batik, dabu, vegetable dye printed sarees, churidars and dress materials, along with hand-printed bed sheets, lungis and handicrafts, all with a discount of 28 per cent.
Do visit the Regional Public Health Laboratory Compound on Pavamani Road, where the Onam handloom fair has kicked off. With stalls belonging to various handloom units in the state featuring items ranging from sarees, bed sheets, pillow covers, cushion covers, dhotis and bags with exciting special discounts, this fair will surely make you appreciate our weavers.
To woo everyone with Rajasthani artistic dexterity, the Rajasthan Grameen Mela has begun at the Comtrust ground near Town Hall, displaying a variety of handloom and handicraft products.
What stands out in the mela are the vibrantly coloured traditional clothing, embroidered quilts, leather footwear, ornaments such as Jaipur bangles, Meenakari jhumkas, wooden handicraft items, including toys, kitchen utensils and colourful jute cotton bags which will surely entice everyone.
Not just Rajasthan, products from Kashmir and West Bengal have also been exhibited.
Along with these expos, a mega saree mela is going on at the CSI building with pure cotton, Assam silk and Tussar silk sarees.
Bed sheets, shirts, churidars and kids wear have also been put up for sale.
Since most of the exhibitions include clothes for all age groups, the sales have definitely gone up and are garnering positive response from the public.
"Compared to last year's Onam sale, which fetched `52 lakh, we had sales worth `32 lakh as of now” says M K Sasidharan, manager at Mriganayanee. All fairs will be on till Onam.