Bazaar of North-East

HYDERABAD: In an effort to popularise and boost the handicrafts from North-East India, a crafts fair is being organised by the North Eastern Handicrafts and handlooms development corporation, sponsored by the development Commissioner (handicrafts), ministry of textiles. The craft bazaar will be on  till September 18 from 10 am to 9 pm at the Institution of Engineers, Khairatabad. The display includes textiles, bamboo crafts, metal jewellery, carved soft wood flowers, paintings, wall hangings, bamboo furniture and so on. Here is a look at a few.Handloom textilesThere are a range of sarees in Manipuri silk and Bengal cotton, embroidered with Kantha work. These sarees are mostly from Tripura and Manipur. Price range begins at Rs 1000 and can go up to Rs 7000 for a pure silk, heavily embroidered saree. Kota silk sarees from Benaras are also available priced between Rs 1200 to Rs 3000. Cotton sarees are available at Rs 600, rising to Rs 3000. PaintingsIntricately designed Madhubani paintings depicting love and adoration are another attraction. Painted on hand-made paper with natural colours from flowers and shoots, the paintings which come from Bihar, are a speciality of the region. Available in different dimensions, the paintings are traditionally done on vertically narrow pieces of paper. Prices vary based on the work and the artist. Nevertheless, they start at about Rs 450 and range till about Rs1000.Wall hangingsThere are a variety of wall hangings to choose from depending on the size and material one would like. Huge bamboo fans that open out to about a foot and a half are available. These are hand-painted on and mostly depict scenic stills of nature. They are priced at Rs180 onwards. Other hangings include lopsidedly suspended fishes that rotate as per the air current. Fascinating to watch at just `50. Show piecesThere is quite a collection of quaint items that add that extra earthy rustic look to the house. Hand-crafted miniature gramophones, smoking pipes (which work), wood carvings, face masks, carvings on the bamboo root and a miniature pedestal fan which actually runs on either battery or a normal Nokia charger! The phone which is priced at Rs 350 while the fan which is priced Rs 400 are from a village called Muradabad in Uttar Pradesh. The root carvings from Tripura which depict Ganesha, Shiva Parvati, a dancing woman, etc, are priced at around Rs 700. Hand fansThese are small, easy to carry, very useful-on-a-hot-day hand-fans that are made of silk and framed on plastic spines. Trimmed with lace, they make for a very dainty hand accessory. The hand fans are priced at Rs 80 a piece. These are made by artisans in Manipur who have come down for the exhibition. Cane furnitureCane sofa sets, stools, corner tables, lamp shades, corner racks, lamp stands, candle sticks, magazine stands, baskets in different sizes, utility cases and many more are available. Furniture sets are priced at around Rs 7000, with individual pieces priced at Rs1000 and above. Lamp shades in conical sizes are priced at Rs 150 while baskets range from Rs150 to Rs 350. Candle stands are priced at Rs 80 while pen stands a little lesser.