Showcasing Kerala at its best

The fair gives customers a peek into Kerala’s vast culture, traditions and crafts. The items on display include a wide range of handmade crafts in natural materials, such as bamboo, palm leaf, and pine, and can transport one into a different world.  There are also lamps of varying designs here. One can choose from oil lamps, that are just an inch-long to those that are more than five-feet high. |

There are also traditional bell metal vessels that can be used to decorate one’s home with floating candles or flowers. Preetham, one of the managers of the fair, said that the exhibition is held every year to showcase the various crafts of Kerala.

“The Aranmula metal mirrors made out of a combination of metals are fast moving and are quite popular. These are based on traditional designs used in royal palaces,” he adds.

There are varied sizes of ‘Nettoor boxes’ carved out of rose wood and trimmed with metal. For those looking for gift items can go in for the ‘Malabar Uru’ (traditional boats), kathakali masks and dolls. They also have a wide collection of Kerala saris and set ‘mundus’. “I really liked the paintings of kathakali dancers and the dolls that are on display. It’s nice to see a small piece of Kerala out here in the City,” said Ammu, a visitor. Sneha, another visitor, said that she had come to find some unique things to decorate her house.

“I enjoy coming to such exhibitions as they have things that you don’t normally find in stores,” she added. The exhibition also has stalls with brass collections from Bidar and Tamil Nadu, semi-precious stone jewellery from Rajasthan and bed spreads from Haryana.
 The ‘Kerala Crafts Fair 2011’ is on till November 20, from 10 am to 8.30 pm.