National Handicrafts Exhibition Opens At Ekamra Haat In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: A national-level handicrafts exhibition with participation of artisans from Odisha and outside states was opened in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

Minister of Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Rita Sahu inaugurated the exhibition at Ekamra Haat in Bhubaneswar in the evening. The exhibition is organised by the Odisha State Cooperative Handicrafts Corporation Ltd, a state government organisation with the brand name of “Utkalika’ under the administrative control of Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts department.

Artisans from West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir besides 10 districts of Odisha including Khurda, Puri, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak, Kendrapada and Balasore are participating in the exhibition to display and sell their exclusive products.

Handicraft items such as Pattachitra, Tassar painting, silver filigree, appliqué, Dhokra casting, golden grass, paddy craft, horn craft, Sabai grass, soft toy, seashell, embroidery, palm leaf engraving, tribal jewellery, bamboo, jute craft, brass and bell metal and shawl are major attractions of the exhibition.

The exhibition aims at providing platform for the artisans to display the richness and varieties of their products and market those. More than 50 artisans have set up their stalls at the sprawling ground of the Ekamra Haat.

Arbinda Kumar Padhee, principal secretary, HT&H Department; Bikramaditya Barik, Director of Handicrafts; Debasmita Sahoo, president OSCHC Ltd (Utkalika); Prasanta Kumar Mohapatra, vice-president, Utkalika; Saroj Kumar Patel, Managing Director, OSCHC Ltd. (Utkalika); AK Hota, senior assistant director (Handicrafts), DC (HC), Bhubaneswar and Kalyani Pattnaik, manager, Utkalika were present at the inaugural ceremony.

The event is sponsored by Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles and Director of Handicrafts, Odisha, under Marketing Support Scheme.