Bhubaneswar: Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department, Govt. of Odisha is going to organize 12th Toshali National Craft Mela-2017 at Janata Maidan, Bhubaneswar from 15th-27th December, 2017. Artisans, Weavers, Painters and Sculptors from all over the country will participate in this Crafts Mela & exhibit their traditional and contemporary handicraft and handloom products. As an important cultural nerve centre of the country Bhubaneswar hosts the Toshali National Crafts Mela at Janata Maidan every year. The crafts mela has already carved a unique niche of its own in the country’s Annual Carnival Calendar said Handloom, Textiles & Handicrafts Minister Smt. Snehangini Chhuria while briefing the media at a Press Conference.
Speaking to Media at I & P.R. Conference Hall this afternoon Minister said the vision
of the mela is
• To offer an open forum to artisits, artisans and connoisseurs for interaction.
• To strengthen the position of the weavers and artisans who are economically
deprived by creating market for their products.
• To preserve and nurture the traditional art forms, handicrafts and
handlooms of India and
• To create awareness and educate the people on the skills and creative
intricacies involved in making the products.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Govt. Handloom, Textiles & Handicrafts Smt. Subha
Sharma said, this year the mela will accommodate 350 handicraft and handloom stalls. 100 artisans and 50 weavers from different states of the country will be sponsored by
DC(Handicrafts) & DC(Handlooms), GOI respectively. Similarly 140 artisans and 60
weavers of the state will be sponsored by DH & CI, Odisha and Directorate of Textiles and
Handlooms, Odisha respectively. A food court having 30 food stalls set by exclusive hotels
and restaurants will offer delicious multi cuisine foodstuffs to the visitors along with
traditional Odia cuisine.
The mela will host cultural programmes each evening between 6PM to 9.30PM,
inviting eminent artists and troups from different parts of the country as well as the state
in collaboration with Odisha Sangita Natak Akademi, Culture Department. Public will get
opportunity to enjoy the music performance by noted Bollywood singer Javed Ali on the
evening of 24th December. A Fashion show on handloom wear will be organized by
Boyanika with support from NIFT.
To add to the ambience, a theme pavilion is conceptualized with the theme
“Prakruti (Nature)”. The theme pavilion is erected centrally which will reflect use of
natural fibres in the making of Handloom and Handicraft products and also depict various
form of nature transformed in Odishan Handlooms & Handicrafts.
ATM Counters, First Aid Service, Wheel Chair for Senior Citizens, Play zone for
children will be available in the mela premises. Government Educational
Institutions/Organizations related to Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts sector namely
NIFT, Bhubaneswar, Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Baragarh. Indian Institute of Textiles, Choudwar, CET, Bhubaneswar, SIDAC and other institutions will open their stalls for awareness and to address queries among the students about the scope of Fashion / Textile education & career opportunity offered in the said sectors. Govt. of India
organizations such as National Handloom Development Corporation, Textile Committee,
Weavers Service Centre, GoI, DC. (Handicrafts), Odisha Chapter, Tourism Department, Govt. of Odisha will also participate in the fair to create awareness among the visitors on
activities of these organizations. Live Demonstration on various craft activity will be
conducted by the students of the Handicrafts Training Centre, SIDAC.
It is expected that around 20 lakh people will visit the mela this year and products
worth Rs 20 crore will be sold approximately Last year the mela witnessed a foot fall of 16
lakh people and Rs 15.60 crore businesses was achieved. The mela will be officially
inaugurated on 15th December, 2017 at 6.00 PM at Janta Maidan, Bhubaneswar.
Life Time Achievement Award and State Handicraft Award for the year 2016 will be
given to eminent handicraft artisans. Provision of Rs.2.91 Crore has been made by HT & H
Department for the organisation of this mega event.
The mela is being organized by Handloom, Textiles & handicrafts Department in
association with Development Commissioner (handicrafts), Development Commissioner
(Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India. State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC), Gandamunda, Bhubaneswar an autonomous institution under Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department, Govt. of Odisha is implementing this mega National level Crafts mela. Director, Textile Shri Sushant Kumar Barik, Director Handicraft Eng. Sitikanta Sarangi, Member Secretary Sidac Shri Babaji Charna Das, MD. Boyanika Shri Bishnu Prasad Mishra, MD. Serifed Shri Satya Ranjan Sahoo, Deputy Secretary H.T & H. Smt. Anjana Panda and other senior Officers of the Department were present in the Press
Conference.
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