North East Crafts Fair inaugurated

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The North East Crafts Fair 2011 was inaugurated by Mayor K Chandrika at the Arjuna Foyer, Chandrasekharan Nair stadium, here on Wednesday. The exhibition is organised by the North-Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Limited sponsored by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) Union Ministry of Textiles.  The exhibition, display and sale of exquisite crafts from North-Eastern states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim are on at the stadium. Ethnic handicrafts and handlooms from these states are the highlight of the exhibition.  “Through the exhibition we intend to find market for the handicrafts and create awareness among people,” said C George Varghese, deputy director in the Union Ministry of Textiles, at a press meet here. A wide variety of handicrafts are awaiting the visitors at the exhibition. Cane furniture, cane and bamboo basketry, cane sofa sets, cane woven and knitted items, wood and bamboo carvings, hand- knitted woollen carpets, materials on jute, Assam, Manipur silk and cotton sarees, chunnies and bed spreads are on display. The festival also provides a stage for the live demonstration of craft making by skilled and award winning craftsmen of India. The exhibition will conclude on November 30 and is open to public from 10 am to 9 pm .