Rich in craftsmanship, fascinating in form and elegant in appearance, the crafts of the North-East were once again the centre of attraction for the art loving people of Delhi. Hundreds of people from all walks of life thronged at Capital’s Delhi Haat during the 8th North-East Crafts Festival to witness the visual repertoire of designs and colours.

Over hundred of artisans from the North-East participated in this year’s crafts festival. The festival was organised by the Crafts Society of Manipur and it was sponsored and supported by the Ministry of Textiles and North Eastern Council respectively. Apart from the crafts of the region, North-Eastern cuisine and cultural programmes were the other major treat to feast on.

Speaking to North-East News Agency, Kamesh Salam, the man behind the show expressed satisfaction over the response of   the Delhiites to this year’s festival. But he  was critical of the attitude  of the artisan community of the North-East for not being able to fully capitalise on the craze for North-Eastern handicrafts in other parts of the country. Kamesh       was worried over the fact that all  the efforts of the Manipur Crafts Society might come to a naught      if the North-Eastern artisans do    not prepare things keeping greater Indian market in mind.

In the festival, dried flowers  sold like hot cakes for its resemblance with Christmas tree. Woodwork exhibits were also in great demand. Tribal textiles        and handloom products also drew the attention and fancy of the  crowd. The visitors fascination   with the North-Eastern products  was so strong that most of the exhibitors sold nearly 70 per cent of their products within the first week of the festival.

At the end of the festival, though the artisans were happy with the response and amount of business, they could offer few suggestions on how to make the festival more successful.

The participants were not happy over the fact that the authorities also allowed artisans from other states to exhibit their products with their products. They felt that during the festival, the stalls at the Delhi Haat should be allocated only to the North-Eastern artisans. One of the participants pointed out that the artisans of the region were not as organised or as aggressive in their approach as their counterparts from other states were and in the process lost good amount of business. The participants wanted this unequal contest should be stopped from the coming year.

Majority of artisans have also pointed out the difficulties they face while bringing their works from their native places to Delhi. The artisans and their works had to pass through so many security checks that many items got damaged beyond repair, they allege. They suggested for security check at one major point only to save their works from being damaged.

But with all said and done, the North-Eastern artisans left Delhi as a happy lot admitting that the exposure would definitely help them  improve the standard of works and to cater the needs of the mainland.
    
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