Wonders made of brass, wood on display

Arty affair

Walk into the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat any one of the 10 coming days and you will see a six-foot-tall giraffe made of teak and brass or a swing with intricate design that weighs 300 kilogram.

The occasion: the National Craft Fair 2013 that began on Friday. Nearly 150 artisans and craftsmen from all over the country have displayed an array of exotic works.

“It took more than six months for three artisans to make the giraffe. Priced at Rs 75,000, we may find it hard to find customers for it. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth bringing it, as I know that customers will stop and take notice,” said Kamalesh, a traditional wood craftsman from Jodhpur.  What looks like a gramophone from the bygone years is the most conspicuous article in Reyaz’s shop. Although not the most typical product of brass, the craftsman from Moradabad in UP says, it fits the bill in the ‘woo factor’.

“This gramophone is nearly 72 years old, and was brought by my brother in an unusable condition. I worked on its body and will sell it for Rs 4,000.”

“The locality in Moradabad, from where I come, is called the ‘brass locality’, and we are famous all over the world for our brass works,” Reyaz claimed.

‘Benaras on demand’

Colleen was busy enquiring about the prices of sarees in the stall from Benaras. She noted down the prices of the various kora silk sarees, cotton and chiffon sarees that adorned the shop. However, the prized possession here was missing.

“We do not display the famous Benarasi sarees. Only when someone is sure of buying it, we bring them.” said Firdose, one of the artisans at the stall.  

Standing behind a huge black swing made of neem wood, Ganesh rues that lesser and lesser people are taking to the art of wood carving.

“This swing took one whole year to make, and it involved the efforts of 12 people. This job is too tedious. People want fast money by getting into IT and computers,” said Ganesh from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh.