Dastkar 2010 and me

You know what I did last weekend. 

Don't you?

I went to the Dastkar spring fair that is on at the IGNCA lawns in New Delhi. It wasn't as much of a 'spring' fair though, what with the grey skies and unexpected rain playing spoil sport at the open venue. But the beautiful crafts and textiles, and the friendly craftspeople more than made up for the un-february like weather.

 

Here are some snapshots from Dastkar:

Cloth lanterns right at the entrance; Kutch embroidered coat; Painted urns (matka)

Lacquer toys from Ettikopakka district in the state of Andhra Pradesh; Metal figurines from Bastar

Wooden furniture and items from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh; Woven rugs from Gujrat (I picked up the red/yellow one from this lot)

Painted bamboo bangle boxes; Tanchoi weave saree

Clip boards made of block printed recycled fabric; colorful fabric bags from Ranthambore's women coop in Rajasthan

Ok, so the two pics above refuse to part and let me write between them. I will let them be given the post Valentine day spirit and such. 

Pic 1: Phad painting; another form of embroidery from Gujarat
Pic 2: Row upon row of earthern urns; Kite stall! The ubiquitous charkhi and maanjha : kite spool and line

 

[All pics taken by me]

Dastkar 2010..

...is here!

Like the last time,

I will be making my customary multiple visits to the fair

and will bring you loads of pictures 

of traditional Indian art and craft

as well as

contemporary designs and products from young Indian designers

So if you are in and around Delhi,

mark the dates

and maybe we can meet

and chat over some delicious kashmiri kahwa

on a balmy winter-turning-to-spring afternoon :)

Dastkar coords

Dates: Jan 12th-21st, 2010

IGNCA Lawns (India Gate area)