Journalism of Courage
For the tenth year running,Dastkar Andhra has brought traditional off-the-loom and readymade cotton womenswear to the city for a popular exhibition and sale
In the genteel halls of Apte Sabhagruha,there is a big splash of colours. Dupattas ,saris and yardage in myriad earthy tones seem to cascade down walls here. Dastkar Andhra is in the city with its 10th annual hand loom womenswear exhibition. The independent trust has been working for the cause of handloom weavers in rural Andhra Pradesh and the rest of the country since its formal registration in 1995.
Today is the last day of their three-day outing,and the response so far has been as fabulous as ever. We have been coming here for a decade now so the buyers know us and we have come to know many of them personally, says Tummuru. The exhibition’s major pit stops are Pune,Mumbai,Chennai and Bengaluru. In Mumbai,because of various reasons,the response hasn’t been great. It could be that people do not have the time to go to tailors to get the fabrics stitched. In Pune,there is more demand mainly because people here don’t get to see these materials otherwise, she says.
In Pune,Dastkar has found a reliable market. The saris and fabrics are especially good this year. The kurta range is limited,but the material itself is excellent, says researcher Rina Evelyn,who was one of the early shoppers. The saris have a good finish. I had never bought from them before,but had seen their exhibits in Bengaluru earlier.
The exhibition is on from 10:30 am to 8 pm
