Khadi Mela 2017 kicks off at Taltala grounds

Kolkata: The Khadi Mela was kicked off at Taltala grounds in Jodhpur Park area on Thursday. The mela was inaugurated by state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay and Minister of state for Micro Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles Swapan Debnath.

"We have set a target of sales of around Rs 3 crore in this year's Khadi Mela. Last year it was Rs 2.65 crore. The focus this year has been on ladies garments and dress material," said a senior official of West Bengal Khadi & Village Industries Development Board (WBKVIB), which organises the fair.

The main attraction of the fair will be modernised designs on Khadi clothes.

There are as many as 93 stalls among which are 41 Khadi Societies spanning across the state. There will be 43 stalls on Khadi Gramin.

"Our aim in organising this fair is to provide craftsmen the opportunity to sell garments directly to customers, thus ruling out middlemen. It also gives us the chance to promote export of Khadi products and handicrafts," the WBKVIB official added.

Cotton, woolen, silk and hand-woven Khadi fabrics, handicrafts, garment products and food stalls will be part of the mela.

There will be Muslin garments, along with Kantha Stitch, which is extremely popular, particularly with the young generation.

There will be a fashion show on December 17 where the latest fashion in Khadi and Muslin will be displayed. The fair will continue till January 2.