Bihar Saras Mela ,Patna : The handicraft fair

September 22, 2018

Bihar Saras Mela ,Patna : The handicraft fair

Bihar Saras Mela is a handicraft small-scale goods exhibition cum sale organised by the Union ministry of rural development in association with JEEViKA. JEEViKA is a World Bank-supported rural livelihoods project in the state. The small-scale village label industries under a banner of JEEViKA get the chance to showcase their products.

What fantasizes me to write this blog is the hard working and dedication by the villagers to get some pin money. More than 150 of stalls from the different corners of Bihar and other parts of the country were set up at Gyan Bhawan, Patna, Bihar. From Bhagalpuri silk to Bihar Khadi and handicrafts items made of jute, bamboo sticks, metal, stones, terracotta and brass, the fair offers several choices to city shopaholics.

The Mela has something to offer for everyone. The items on sale included designer and embroidered suits, khadi clothes, artificial flowers, Madhubani painting, block printed garments, edible products, jewellery, folders, bags, hand-knitted carpets and home decors.

The artisans have also exhibited a large collection of antiques, arts and dresses. Artisans from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Odisha are also participating at the fair.

Madhubani Painting has always fascinated me since I first saw it feature in natgeotraveller.in. This could not stop me to explore at the stall of Madhubani Painting at Saras Mela of Bihar. The Madhubani Paintings have been featured in different museums worldwide. Talking to Pooja from Darbhanga about the Paintings presented on one of the stalls at Bihar Saras Mela reveal the curiosity in it.I had just a basic question to ask ” Why you people just do this awesome painting? ” The question was very difficult to get answered as she was a novice artist.

Another stall which drawn my attraction is ”Bhagalpur Silk and Bihar Khadi”. I was already very much familiar with it. Recently two state khadi institutions get some procurement order with Branded fabric and fashion biggie Raymond. Also, the industries department is in talks with companies like Fabindia and Arvind Limited to supply khadi cloth to them too. This really is a boost to the Bihar Khadi Industry of the state.

The stall of handicrafts items like bamboo stuff, artificial flowers and decors mark attention as they look attractive and beautiful. The more important is the about the pricing of these items. The cost of any item does not include any kind of tax. All the benefits from the sold items go directly to the maker. It is worthy to buy these goods from these stalls.

JEEViKA

The Government of Bihar (GoB), through the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), an autonomous body under the Department of Rural Development, is spearheading the World Bank aided Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), locally known as JEEViKA with the objective of social & economic empowerment of the rural poor.

About SARAS

SARAS is an initiative by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India to provide a platform to the rural Producers /Artisans to market their products through Exhibitions. It was introduced during 1999-2000 when MoRD participated in India International Trade Fair (IITF), 1999. Since 1999, SARAS exhibitions have been a regular annual event and have been able to elicit the wide participation of Self Help Groups from all over the country. The participants bring an impressive range of rural products, which include Handicrafts, Artwork, Textiles, Furniture & Furnishing items, Local food items, Items of daily use etc. The visitors show a lot of interest in these products and there is a huge direct sale of rural products every year.