Onam Fair rich in variety

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Small is beautiful. The adage would hold true in the case of the Onam fair currently on at SMSM Institute. What makes this fair different is that it has packed in so much variety, that too in adequate amount only.The place is for all those shopaholics in the city who are tired of seeing the same old stuff turning up in fair after fair. You would be taken in so much by the items available that you would definitely wish if at all a little more space was provided for the artisans and craftsmen.Each stall has something different to offer. On the one hand, you have the pride of Kerala in the form of the traditional sarees woven at Balaramapuram, the Aranmula mirror, handwoven fabric, wooden and brass figures, in addition to the traditional handcrafted artifacts and curios. The Balaramapuram sarees, priced at Rs 675, come with painted body and ‘pallu’ with zari border, in attractive shades.For people like Kunal Choudhary from Rajasthan and Tanwir Hussain from Jammu & Kashmir, the fair has turned out to be their first chance to be in Kerala. Kunal has got some breathtakingly beautiful works. One, the paintings done on velvet cloth; another is the ‘meenakari’ work done on a canvas using gold and needle; then he has paintings done on original old stamp papers available in Jaipur, in addition to imported marble crockery from Pakistan and marble chess set from Italy.Another fine piece with him is a jumbo oil painting with antique finish. It is priced at Rs 25,000! “I don’t know whether I would be able to sell it. After all, I don’t know the taste of the customers here,” Kunal says.He has also got jewellery boxes, which are old wooden boxes given a new finish using paints and ‘Kundan’ work. A cute little marble paperweight and clocks, again in marble, make his stall quite a different one.Tanwir proudly flaunts a whole lot of stuff at his stall. One is the traditional Kashmir carpets and wall hangings, which are priced from Rs 3,000 to - hold your breath - Rs 2,50,000! He has also showcased a whole lot of bags and purses made using sheep leather, which are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 600.However, the most special item with Tanwir is the wide variety of hookahs. Instead of the traditional type which is of terracotta and wooden make, he has hookahs which have a glass base, a body made using German metal and pipe.“They are not showpieces, you can use them. We use the tobacco in various flavours, like orange, apple, pineapple and grape!,” he says.The hookah collection includes the cute little one, which, again, is not just a showpiece, priced at Rs 300, to the biggest of the lot, costing Rs 3,000.Tanwir has also brought kettles, paper mache works and screens, besides many other adorable items to the fair.Traditional Orissa paintings, Rajasthani jewellery, terracotta items, furniture from Uttar Pradesh, ‘kurtas’ and tops with ‘chikan’ work, Kashmiri dress items and dress materials from Tirupur have been showcased at the fair organised by the Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd.The fair will conclude on September 8. There is a 10 per cent discount on all items.