Ethnic yet contemporary

In an endeavour to celebrate and promote the Indian handicrafts and handlooms, Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Ltd (CCIC) has organised ‘Navkriti’ exhibition which showcases new innovative designs in a confluence of ethnic and contemporary style under the Design Development Project co-organized by CCIC from 25th July to 4th August.

This is a rare designer collection in wide palettes of colours and designs showcasing hand block printing from Jaipur, metal craft from Kumbakonam, pottery from Rajasthan, studio pottery from Khurja, wooden handicrafts from Saharanpur, bamboo and cane craft from Assam, kantha embroidery from West Bengal, kalamkari craft from Kalahasti, hand block printing from Bagh, and Kerela murals on different mediums.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the kalamkari craft from Kalahasti. Kalamkari is the most earliest and the most complex technique of block-printing on clothes using vegetable dyes. The origin of the word kalamkari is from kalam or pen and kari, which means work. The kalamkari done here is a misture of painting and hand-printing.

Other outstanding artifact is the marble work from Jaipur. The artifact has handcrafted piece of marble which has a pure gold leaf work on it. The subject of designs vary from flower motives to miniature paintings and old traditional jewellery designs.
In the exhibition, one can also find exclusive Indian handicrafts – furniture, artefacts, toys, carpets and handcrafted textiles like sarees, dress fabrics, shawls, ready to wear and home furnishings created by national awardees, Shilp gurus, cluster groups and master craftpersons.

The exhibition showcases designer collections painstakingly executed by skilled artisans to promote Indian handicrafts and handlooms.

CCICL retails authentic Indian handlooms and handicrafts and the products are being sourced from weavers, master weavers, artisans, craftpersons and master craftsmen and National Awardees, Shilp Gurus and clusters.

The emporium showcases the finest crafts from all over India under one roof ranging from sarees, ready to wear, furnishings, home linen accessories, exquisite sculptures, paintings, artefacts, metal ware, woodcraft, pottery, stoneware and marble craft, bankura silver, carpets, furniture, jewellery, craft items, herbal products and much more. Each product is unique reflecting the tradition, folklores, religious beliefs, cultural ethos and rich heritage of India.