A splendid 'haat' in Dilli

By Lakshmi Balakrishnan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 8. For more than a decade now, the Shilpika Haat has been providing women from across the country a platform to display their skill and talent. And in keeping with this tradition, the 12th Shilpika Haat was inaugurated at Dilli Haat today.

Organised by Mahila Dakshata Samiti, the exhibition will display handicraft made by women from different parts of the country. From the acclaimed mirror work of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the intricately carved wood works of Kerala, the products that will be on display at the ten-day fair are more than just pieces of art and craft.

For the women who create them, it is a symbol of their empowerment; one that is achieved by striking a balance between supplementing the household income and managing the hearth. Conceptualised with the aim of providing a good market for the handiwork of these rural artisans, this year the exhibition, according to the Samiti president, Ms. Suman Kant, will also project the progress made by the handloom and other handicraft sectors.

Displayed in 70 different stalls, this year's collection will also include the latest trends and designs in the market. According to the organisation, efforts were made to ensure that every stall had a women representative. Even in cases where women did not take part in the selling part of the business, the Mahila Dakshata Samiti had tried to convince families to allow at least one women representative to come to the Capital and take part in the exhibition.

And as most of the women participants here accept, the exhibition is more about exploring the market than money making itself. ``This place provides us with a platform to exhibit the traditional mirror work and embroidery of Gujarat. Since money is not the criteria of those who come here for shopping, we do get a good deal for our goods. But the recognition of work that one gets here is what is more satisfying ,'' says Tina, who is here with her mother to take part in the exhibition.

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