Artisans elated as Hasta Shilpa Mela '17 sees footfall of thousands

Kolkata: With only a week left for Hasta Shilpa Mela to come to an end, an elaborate campaign by the state government in promoting the fair has attracted a footfall of thousands, leading to "good business" of the handicraft artisans from different parts of the state.

The fair has been organised by the state government to promote the business of handicraft makers mainly from the rural parts of the state.

This time, it has been organised near gate number 1 of Eco Park and the fair is going to continue till next Sunday.

Instead of waiting for the next weekend, most people visited the fair on Sunday. There was a huge turnout in the fair on Sunday and the participants were also found to be happy with the business at the end of the day.

Around 3,700 handicraft artisans are participating in the fair that is spread over an area of one lakh square feet. More importantly, the fair is unique for availability of the rarest collection of handicrafts, ideal for beautification of homes.

It may be mentioned that there was a total turnover of around Rs 28 crore in the fair in 2016. The state government has taken all sorts of measures to ensure that the sale goes up further.

Hoardings and posters have been put up at different places across the city and there were also constant advertisements aired on television channels to attract more people to the fair.

Moreover, the location has also come as an advantage for the fair. Eco Park has now become an important landmark of the city where hundreds of people visit regularly and in weekends the number of visitors goes up several times.

The visitors of Eco Park are also not leaving the opportunity to collect a unique piece of Bengal's handicraft items from Hasta Shilpa Mela.

There is still a week left when people can visit the fair. So, the handicraft item makers are expecting more business as the fair has gained immense popularity this year.

Subodh Naskar, a handicraft artisan, said: "We are immensely thankful to the state government for promoting the fair in such a nice way, which has helped to attract a huge crowd."