BHUBANESWAR
Showcasing the best of handloom and handicraft products, the annual National Toshali Crafts Mela will be kicked off at Janata Maidan here on December 15.
This time, the Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Department will be organising the 13-day fair in association with the Tourism Department and the latter will contribute `one crore for the purpose. Earlier, the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) was organising the crafts mela. Sources said as the fair deals with handloom and handicraft products, it was decided to hand it over to the department concerned.
As many as 22 States will bring their products to the City of Temples. Around 300 stalls will be put up and a tassar silk pavilion would be the special attraction this year. “Since tassar is considered a sophisticated handloom product, we decided to showcase tassar handloom and household accessories in the pavilion. Besides, there will be live demonstration and sale of tassar items,” said Tourism Director Manoranjan Patnaik, who participated in a preparatory meeting held here on Thursday. It was presided by Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra.
Full report here New Indian Express
