The 22 nd edition of the Bengaluru Dastkar Bazaar will be held in the city next week. “Last time, there were 140 stalls. This time we will have 150,” says Shelly Jain, Head, Programmes and Personnel, Dastkar. Around 30 of these stalls are new, she adds, with participants who have never come to Bengaluru before, one of which is the traditional craft of leheriya, the tie-and-dye technique practised in Rajasthan. “Very few people are doing this today. The craft is close to extinction.”
Some of the other first-time crafts on display include chizami, patola, paithni and taat embroidery, with lacquer work, bhujodi and bandhni. There will also be old favourites like phad, dabu, Madhubani paintings, silver filigree jewellery, shibori, leather puppets, zardozi and so much more. In addition to the craft on display, the bazaar will also have a multi-cuisine food court and offer a range of cultural experiences, including craft workshops and demonstrations and performances.
“We emphasise on conducting interactive workshops with customers so they can educate themselves,” points out Jain, adding that it is important for people to understand and value the various craft cultures of India. “During the bazaars, we also put up stories of the artisans, about the craft and the process of making it,” she says. “Unless someone understands the process, they will never understand why it is so expensive.”
