Former samata party prez jaya jaitly is in the city to inaugurate the Annual Dastkari Haat Samiti exhibition. she takes the guide on a tour of the mela, helping you pick the best buys
Former samata party prez jaya jaitly is in the city to inaugurate the Annual Dastkari Haat Samiti exhibition. she takes the guide on a tour of the mela, helping you pick the best buys
Tanvi Niketan, homemaker from Juhu, noticed how in the last two years across-the-table conversations with dinner guests have revolved around one topic. Or one vase, really. A quaint papier mache piece from Bhopal that sports tribal designs stands on a shelf in her drawing room; one that's unlikely to have a replica in another home. Tanvi picked it up a couple of years ago at the Dastkari Haat Samiti's annual mela. The exhibition is back this year, starting today at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
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"Young Indians want to be fashionable, but without losing their idea of Indianness," says Jaitly. She hopes city shoppers will enjoy the range that is "traditional, but far from fuddy-duddy." Everything here is contemporary in design and utility, she promises.
The stalls stock everything from sarees to stationery, home du00e9cor and gifting items, all made by local artisans using locally sourced materials. Jaitly says the matte-finished palm leaf jewellery (Rs 150 onwards) made by a group of women from Chettinad in Tamil Nadu, is worth a stop at the stall. Trained to speak in English by the Samiti, these reticent village belles have managed to travel to various countries, displaying their craft. Dyed using natural colours, the innovative jewellery has won the UNESCO Seal of Excellence Award this year for good design, quality and marketability.
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Jaya Jaitly picks an embroidered cushion cover. |
The palm leaf baskets from Tamil Nadu come in a combination of vibrant colours |
A group of Kashmiri women artisans have turned milk dabbas and tiffin carriers (Rs 975 onwards) into hand-painted, kitschy newspaper stands and storage boxes. Women from the hilly interiors of Uttaranchal have turned their knowledge of herbs to make natural cosmetics (Rs 45 onwards). A tribal group from Karnataka sells jewellery made from a white metal that will trick you into believing it's silver (Rs 273 for single coin jewellery).
Jaitly who is known to have an eclectic collection of handloom sarees, says theu00a0 cotton and silk stoles painted with natural dyes (Rs 530 onwards) are a good buy for the upcoming festive season.
At: Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Prince of Wales Museum.
Till: October 14.
From 10.30 am to 6.30 pm every day
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