Chennai’s Dastkar Bazaar brings together hand-painted apparel, lacquer toys, and more

Over 110 artisans from 18 Indian states have come together at Dastkar Bazaar to showcase their creations for the upcoming festival season

If you are looking at stocking up on gifts and home essentials for the upcoming Pongal season, the ongoing Dastkar Bazaar in Chennai has a range of products on offer. At the event are several artisan-led brands showcasing everything from sabai grass weaving and papier mache, to lacquer toys and handcrafted apparel.

This time around, the fair has been organised at a new venue — YMCA Boys Town at OMR, and artisans look forward to interacting with consumers from the city. Albeit, the lack of an organised parking system and the uneven pathways need to be looked into.

Alongside crafts, a series of artisan-led demonstrations, including glass bangle making, carpet weaving, and Sholapith work, and cultural performances are also being held at the venue.

Here are a few highlights of participating brands at the event:

Designer Anushree Malhotra has revived the rare and intricate art of Parsi embroidery in her collection. This exclusive art form, which often features Nature-inspired motifs such as flowers, birds, and animals, is created by 80 women who are specially trained in this craft.

“These women work from their homes, utilising raw materials sourced by the organisation, and earn a livelihood through their craft,” says Arpita Khatua, representative of the brand. She goes on to say that although Parsi embroidery is not native to West Bengal, the brand aims at reviving this fading art form. They have succeeded in incorporating this embriodery into a wide range of products. The collections feature off-white or white fabrics adorned with colourful embroidery, adding a unique touch to their kurtas, shirts, stoles, accessories, hair accessories, and home decor items.

At the stall where Porgai showcased their creations, all eyes were on their readymade blouse collections and kidswear. The Porgai Artisans Association is a society of Lambadi women artisans who hand-process unique traditional embroidery designs. Based in the Sittilingi Valley in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district.