Dastkar's Basant Bazaar showcases spring collection of handicrafts

Handicrafts including beautiful shades of Shibori print, lambani embroideries, weaves of Chanderi, and breathtaking Madhubani paintings make up for the spring collection at the ongoing Basant Bazaar here.

With over 120 stalls, the handicrafts festival is being organised by Delhi-based non-profit organisation Dastkar at the Nature Bazaar venue.

With an eclectic mix of crafts, culture and cuisine, the festival celebrates the coming of spring through crafts ranging across beautiful shades of naturally dyed fabric in block prints, embroideries from Suf to Chikankari and Kutchi, breathtaking folk art like Pichvai, Pattachitra, and weaves of Chanderi, Ikat, Tangaliya among others.

The Basant Bazaar will also feature Shramik Bharti, a group working with artisans across eight villages in Punjab, the organisers said.

"The craft of Punjab has been so integral that this was never seen as a decorative but a way of living. Weaving, knitting, knotting, embroidery, or music- women of Punjab have always stepped to express themselves in various art forms.

"With this project, we intend to introduce the visitors to the wearable craft as a new dimension to what is already known and admired. The knots and hand knits they used as decoratives at the end of the Dhurries are here imagined in contemporary jewellery forms. With the hope being, this would bring back the essence of the grandeur in products and articles we can use and relate," a spokesperson from the group said.

The 12-day festival will see participation of groups like 'Kriya Labs', which creates eco-friendly products from crop stubble; 'Earth Songs', a contemporary clothing brand which works with handloom artisans; 'Turpaii', a minimalist clothing brand from Lucknow; and 'The Yogi', a Delhi-based label working with sustainable techniques and hand-spun textiles, among others.

The visitors will also be able to participate in demonstrations of "sarkanda grass weaving" and "dhurri weaving and dyeing".

Along with demonstrations, cultural performance from Manipur and Nagaland will also be held on February 15 and 16.

The Basant Bazaar will come to an end on February 24.