Ceramic wares on display at Sahara Art and Craft Shopping Festival in Coimbatore on Thursday.

“This is nice,” I mutter as I admire a black chikan kurta. I’m at Beauty Chikan Centre, where Aamir, a young man from Lucknow, is helping me choose from a wide selection of these intricately embroidered clothes.

“Madam, this is not nice,” Aamir instructs, as I look up in surprise. Urging me to follow him to the other side of his stall, he spreads out a beautiful, and sheer white chikan fabric. From this running material, I can tailor just about anything my heart desires. But Aamir thinks otherwise. “This is also not nice,” he says with a smile. Is he trying to make a sale or attempt a minor self-sabotage?

“These fabrics are nothing when compared to what our old masters create back home,” Aamir continues with pride. He promises to order the best from them, just for me. Aamir has won himself his latest fan.

Aamir, like the rest of his brethren at Sahara Art and Craft Festival, lacks in slick salesmanship, the kind you perhaps experience at upmarket stores in posh malls. But his cheerfulness and disarming honesty, are enough to create a lasting impression.

The festival, which has been on in the city for over ten days, has artisans representing different parts of the country. It is one that is eagerly anticipated, for the variety of arts and crafts. Sahara Handicrafts and Handloom Association, a voluntary organization, aims to provide opportunities for artisans like Aamir, where middlemen are discouraged, and greater interaction between consumers and craftspeople is sought after.

A good idea too, as you discover that such platforms are needed. Take Damodar, for instance. He has created artworks using every conceivable media. From silk cloth paintings, to water coloured furniture, Damodar and his family of twelve, labour for hours. He is from Rajasthan, and has been awarded by the Indian Government. But, as Damodar explains, “I sell this hand-carved and painted chair at Rs.1900. But other more established shopkeepers sell similar designs at Rs. 3300.”

It is a similar story everywhere. Like Humaira from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Tucked away at the farthest end, the stall is occupied by impressive rot-iron furniture, created from mango wood. From intimate garden chairs, to expansive four-piece furniture for the living room, this stall spells elegant craftsmanship. The stall owner informs that the price of an aristocratic rocking chair is Rs. 4000. “Most people find this expensive,” he adds.

But, as the owner of a Rajasthani block prints stall explains, the basis for selling goods at relatively lesser rates is sound. “We sell our products in greater quantity, and this makes up for everything else,” he elaborates. Satisfied with his response, I move on to soak in the aroma of a stall with pickles!

You have pickles with jackfruit, coconut, amla, lime, dates, apples, red chillies, and even bitter gourd. There’s also the mixed vegetable, lemon chilli, Punjabi Mango and Hyderabadi pickle, and more. I get a taste of the delectable sweet mango, as I enjoy a chat with the stall owner. “We’ve learnt the recipes from our women, including our grandmothers,” he says. But, it is the men who prepare in bulk. “That’s because of the large quantities. On a given day, we make 80-90 tonnes!” His eyes twinkle as I balk at the sheer numbers.

I’m just as floored at the stall from Bombay. It’s all about innovation here, with covers for just about every household appliance! Made with cotton and rexin, discover DVD covers, mixie covers, food processor covers, LCD television covers, remote covers, covers for even washing machines and fridge handles!

At Rupam Digestives and Churans, I am delighted by the quirky names given to some of these. Like the special milky supari! There’s Ram Laddu too, along with Jet Airlines Imli, and Dilkhush Mukhwas (a mouth freshener, if you are a stickler for sedate names)

From Hyderabadi pearls, to cushions and bed covers from Varanasi, and brassware with enamel work from Moradabad, the festival carries it all. At Asrar Ali’s stall, discover handloom carpets, with designs inspired from Kabul and Persia. Costume jewels and beads, tribal wall hangings, and usual suspects like the evergreen Madhubani paintings – it’s all there.

As I leave, I glance one last time at the colourful display of earthenware, right at the entrance. It’s a lovely way to greet people into the world of Indian artisans.

The festival is on from 10.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. till July 18 at VOC Park Gate Grounds, Dr. Nanjappa Road. For details, call 99946 40694.

Tags: A carnival of colours