Dastkar Haat is back in Hyderabad. The range of crafts like beads, glass jewellery, miniature toys and saris being showcased by artisans from different parts of the country, have made this exhibition quite popular with Hyderabadis
Visitors are greeted with live Rajasthani folk music. Right beside them, craftsmen working with scrap metal can be seen making toy cars, insects and birds, while some other artisans showcase their colourful ceramic works. There is no restriction on the number of items you can buy at this stall selling mostly household crockery at prices that begin from ₹100. Look for the colourful ceramic bowls.
Shibori with needle work
The Kadam Haat stall at the corner will entice you with their fashion-forward, eco-friendly bags. Look for their sabai grass bag collection. Here, they also have large sheetal pati totes. The price starts at ₹1,000. In the vicinity, another stall sells bags, of all shapes and sizes, made from discarded plastic wrappers. The artisans show how to make better use of plastic and not let them reach landfills. The prices here start from ₹1200 onwards.
glass work decorative toys from UP
The haat has a number of stalls selling silk saris and materials. So if you are a fan of silks with natural dyes and hand embroidery, make sure you don’t miss this place . Shibori stall from Rajasthan has brought saris with fine needle punch as the design.
board games with hand painted stone coins | Photo Credit: prabalika M borah
A very unique stall by the craftsman Jagadish at the haat, showcases home decor made from banyan leaves, ridge gourd bath sponge and other vegetable waste like onion and garlic peels. These products are attracting a lot of buyers. Jagadish explains the process involved, especially for the decorative pieces made from banyan leaves. Showcasing the network of veins of the banyan leaves is the speciality of his craft. His pieces are aesthetically appealing with a neutral choice of colours.
Kantha work
In native handmade crafts, there are beautiful Indian board games that are ideal for travel. The board games by Pallet are unique because they have hand-painted stone coins with magnets on them. The detailed artwork on them is worth every rupee spent. There is also a stall from Rajasthan showcasing beautiful products made out of elephant poop paper.
Upcycled Denim is a stall where you can give your old denim a new life. They make bags, caps, toys and jewellery from old denim, sturdy, stylish and earth friendly.
If you love funky jewellery with its signature Indianess, Dastkari Haat has many stalls selling cloth, shells, silver, metal, stone and glass jewellery. For home improvement, the choices are ample. The collection of dhurries especially can be too tempting.
The entire jewellery collection does not look like the run-of-the-mill exhibition stuff because it is made by master craftsmen.
Dastkari Haat exhibition from 11am to 8pm at NITHM, Gachibowli ends on February 11.
