Toshali National Crafts Mela to begin on Dec 15

The annual Toshali National Crafts Mela will get rolling from 15th of December this year at Bhubaneswar. The 9th edition, which will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik himself , will culminate on 27th of December.The mega event is organised by the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC). The State Institute for Development of Arts and Crafts (SIDAC) under the department of Handicrafts, Textile and Handloom in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Textiles will implement the Fair.

Revealing this, State Handloom ,Textile and Handicrafts Minister, Snehangini Chhuria said that artisans,weavers, painters and sculptors  from across the country will participate in the event. There will be 300 handicrafts and handloom stalls. The Fair will see 161 artisans and weavers from other parts of the country while 139 stalls will be given by artisans of Odisha.

A theme pavilion named ‘Magic in Metal’ will be erected right in the middle of the Fair. It will depict the Dhokra craft tradition of Odisha.

“The vision of the Mela is to offer an open forum to artists, artisans as well as experts and connoisseurs for interaction. Strengthening the position of the weavers and artisans, who are economically deprived, by creating a market for their products is also one of the motives behind organizing the Mela”, said Snegangini Chhuria.

Latest singing sensation and winner of India’s Raw Star reality show competition, Rituraj Mohanty, will perform live at the Mela. This would be his first performance in his home State after winning the reality show competition. In fact, the Handloom , Textiles and Handicrafts department, in collaboration with the department of Culture, will hold cultural evenings in which top artists from across the State as well as the country will perform at the Fair.

12 lakh people are expected to visit the Fair this year.