Hastashilpo Mela is back at Aikatan in IA Block. Organised by the state micro, small and medium enterprises and textile departments, the handicraft fair will continue till September 3 from 2pm to 8.30pm. Entry is free. Here are a few items to keep an eye out for at the stalls-
(From left clockwise)
Cat bag:
Animal lover or not, you can’t turn away from this canvas bag that bears the image of a happy kitten on it. “We have used the toughest kind of canvas for these bags so users can even carry laptops in them. It has a waterproof lining inside for protection too,” says Annapurna Bhattacharyya. She has got a similar bag with pictures of hibiscus on it. “This one’s to take to pujas,” she says, referring to the flower’s connection with goddess Kali. “People can also carry Gopal in it.”
Where: Second room of the first row
Price: Rs 250 for the cat bag, Rs 150 for hibiscus one
Bugadi earrings
Your ears will be sure to catch the eye if you ditch the normal earrings for this Maharashtrian ear gear. Though Bugadi the piercings are usually in the helix region of the ear, there are versions on sale at the fair meant for those with traditional piercings in the earlobes. A stick comes down from the earring that has to be inserted into the piercing while a clip attached to the earring needs to be inserted over the top edge of the ear helix, substituting the piercing in the helix. “Bugadis have come up here since last Puja. The style is to wear just one but women coming to the fair are preferring a pair as they plan to use it like earrings,” said Papia Bachhar who has come from Alipurduar. The oxidised ones are in Durga motifs while there are colourful and smaller polyfiber ones in floral motifs too.
Where: Table inside stall at the opposite end of the fair entrance.
Price: Rs 50 apiece for the Durga motif earrings
Patachitra tea pot
In a sea of brightly-coloured patachitra merchandise, a white tea pot with black art work stands out. “We work a lot with kettles, trays and glasses but tea pots of this superior quality are difficult to come by,” said Noorjahan Chitrakar of West Midnapore. There are many patachitra stalls at the fair that sell fans, lanterns, saris and kurtas too. Where: Balcony of the first row
Price: Rs 900
Postcards of Calcutta transport
Calcutta streets in greyscale and a canary yellow taxi in the forefront. Or a blue bus. Or a green autorickshaw. “I print these out on large canvases too but those aren’t affordable at fairs. Here I’ve minimised them into postcard that can be sent as souvenirs,” says Anjana Datta.
Where: First room of the second row
Price: Rs 10
Painted shoras
This is perhaps the busiest stall in the fair with visitors constantly swarming around Sushanta Mondal’s creations. "These shoras are different from the Lakshmi shoras used in pujas as they have broad borders to paint on," says Mondal, who has come from East Midnapore. On them he has let his imagination run free with strokes of madhubani, patachitra, Kalighat painting and his personal style. He has also got narrow wall hangings adorned with the same artwork. Mondal is taking orders on the spot too.
Where: Second room of the second row Price: Rs 150-180 for shoras of between 5" and 14" diameter. Rs 250-300 for vertical wall hangings of width 1.5" to 2"
Seed pens
Buy a pen, use it, throw it and watch four plants emerge. “We work with the motive of sustainability and so besides the nib, the entire pen is made of paper. Hidden at its end are the seeds of four trees — guava, amla, tulsi and kadam,” explains Jitendra Kumar Sharma of the Forest Development Corporation. Once the saplings emerge, he recommends you spread them out so all get space to grow.
Where: Balcony of the third row Price: Rs 15
(From left clockwise)
Sculptural painting
A rather soothing corner of the fair has wall clocks and hangings of the “sculptural painting” form. “This technique has been developed by Russian artist Evgenia Ermilova. We use a palette knife on a specific kind of clay to create 3D effects,” said artisan Debdita Banerjee. “Ermilova uses mild shades in her work and I have stuck to her tradition. Vibrant colours wouldn’t suit the feel.”
Where: Second room of the first row Price: Rs 1,000 for wall clocks, Rs 400 to 600 for wall hangings.
Ply and cloth jewellery
This stall offers chunky neckpieces with unusual motifs like scooters and gramophones, all made of ply. “These are available in sets of necklace, earring, finger ring and brooch, but people are also buying them separately,” said Mukta Dey of the Maniktalabased Mukta’s World. She has also made jewellery made of corn, cornflour, seeds and a range of cloth earrings with portraits of women, Jagannath etc.
Where: First room of the first row Price: Rs 200 for the scooter and gramphone, Rs 150 for the cloth earrings
Brass choker
Arnab Paul has tried a Western take on the humble hasuli that Santhali women wear around the collarbone. “While the tribal jewellery is usually made of silver, this one is made of brass and has stylish ceramic leaves entwined to it,” says Paul, who represents Mohor Creation in Howrah.
Where: First room of the first row Price: Rs 90
Fridge magnets
He has magnets with frames from Tagore’s Sahaj Path and Sukumar Ray’s Abol Tabol, comics like Handa Bhonda and Nonte Phonte. In a word, Munshi Asif Iqbal says his stall is about nostalgia. “The literature we loved isn’t enjoyed by today’s generation as they barely know how to read Bengali. I chose this theme as I want these to be a part of every Bengali household,” says the craftsman from East Midnapore. Besides magnets, he has made key chains, pen holders and bookmarks.
Where: Second room of the second row Price: Rs 90 for the 3”x3” magnets.