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Overcast skies. Hair gently blowing in the wind. Colors as pretty as these. Blue pottery; block prints; copper vessels. So much diversity under a roof and everything that India stands for. Elegantly dressed ladies draped in beautiful saris. What an electric atmosphere. Sampoorn Santhe is back in town with its visually enticing stalls. If you are craving for Indo-fusion wear in indigo hues, this is the exhibition to go to. Several stalls stacked with block-printed skirts, palazzos, culottes, and dresses. The regulars at Sampoorn were there along with some new entrants. I took a break for a few months from these exhibitions as there were the usual suspects (same stalls) hosted by a different banner each time. And with too many exhibitions happening all around the year, it had lost its novelty. But, it felt good this afternoon. It was good to see Vaaso again. Some pictures from the exhibition.…

Before I begin, just a quick reminder: have you entered the Zansaar giveaway yet? The contest runs until tomorrow evening, so you may want to make a mental note to leave a comment.

Now, let’s get down to business and salivate over the pictures together. Shall we? I went to the Kala Madhyam fair on a working day braving the maddening traffic and enduring an accident(thank God, no one got hurt).  Kala Madhyam has a charm of its own every time it comes to town in the form of a fair at Chitra kala parishat – twice a year. But, as I mentioned on Facebook, this time there were too many of the same kind of stalls which was an overkill. Like half a dozen patchwork/kantha quilt shops (not complaining), over a dozen kurta/kurti shops (overkill), and other half a dozen tussar silk stalls.  The exclusivity was lost in thin air.

It was past 6 p.m. on Saturday evening. After a long day, while we were returning home, my husband casually said, “oh, I forgot to tell you, Dastkar is happening at Ezone this year.” I was like, “what, serious?” And then, it came back in a flash. A friend had texted me that morning about a craft mela happening at a venue which is literally a stone’s throw away from home. It was enough to get me a on a high for the weekend and the tiredness of the day vanished in thin air.

Datskar, nature bazaar, happens every year around this time of the year at Palace Grounds. Dastkar and Kala Madhyam are the two events I look forward to every year but I’d somehow missed the announcement this year. Here’s a brief take on Dastkar 2012 after two visits and still eager for more.

What I liked:

The sights, the colors, the excitement of the kids to try the potter’s wheel, ladies undecided over fancy beaded jewelery, colorful birdies, kites, and a bit of every state served on a huge platter called Dastkar.

The path leading to the venue is decked up in ribbons of all colors and patterns. Nothing matches the vibrancy of a art and craft exhibition. Dastkar is the mother of all such exhibitions so the excitement doubles up.  Phew! Honestly, it’s overwhelming. But, for art aficionados like me, this is as good as it gets.

Yea..most men don’t come there by choice, but by force accompanying the ladies..sorry guys. But, could see the desperation on many of your faces to get out and the huge sigh of relief as you walked past the exit. I overheard one gentleman saying at the entrance even before entering, “ah dekh liya..ab bas yahin se chalen.” It can get exhausting and you need at least an hour to get a feel of it.

Many stalls from last year were missing this time. I spoke to quite a few artisans and felt sad for them as the venue perhaps played spoil sport. They were not getting as good a footfall as Palace Grounds does.

It’s Friday and I’m making plans for the weekend. How about you? With no signs of monsoon, how does the idea of spending Sunday afternoon under a big banyan tree, listening to some live soulful music, treating your visual senses to great art and letting your kids play with mud and plant some greens  sound? It sounds like a perfect happy Sunday to me.  There’s food, pottery, plants, beer, and bbq – in that order for me :) How’s it for you? Image courtesy: Kitsch Mandi Noetic Nirvana by artist “Gautam Nair” Mesmerised by the painting by Gautam Nair. Why not meet the creative minds behind such many more fascinating creations in person? Kitsch Mandi is happening at Palace Grounds this Sunday after 1 p.m. All your favorite green stores will be there like Indo Greens and Green Essence. Renowned artist Shilo Shiv Suleman is conducting a workshop on how…

Nestled in the by-lanes of Indira Nagar is a studio named “Glasscrafters“. Glasscrafters was started by Asad Hajeebhoy originally in 1991 in Bombay, followed by a four year stint in Muscat, Oman,and finally at Bangalore in 1996.  A physicist by education, Asad pursued stained glass as a hobby to take it up full-time in 1996.

Contrary to most Indian interior decor sites, Glasscrafters is well-designed replete with product pictures, portfolio, and course and service offerings. But, I still prefer to visit any studio/store in person to feel the pulse of the place.

A brief chit-chat on last Wednesday evening with Asad on art of stained glass was an eye-opener for me.  Tucked away from the hustle-bustle of 80 feet road,  Asad’s studio-cum-home is a flurry of activity with clients walking in, a designer working on some new project, materials spewn around, and finally, Asad talking about his passion for stained glass totally unfazed by his surroundings.  He demystifies the common perception that stained glass art is painting done on glass. In reality, there is no painting. Stained glass works are actually different pieces of colored glasses joined together with a copper foil to create a jigsaw-like piece of work.

According to Asad, his business broke even within 3 months of starting. Initially, he got his assignments primarily through references. The fact that there were no suppliers of stained glass materials in India back then made it a challenge. Mainly people who lived abroad placed an order for a specific piece. They brought the glass and materials with them for Asad to create. Word spread and now Glasscrafters has a impressive portfolio of over 2,000 projects. 90% of them are residential including some well-known ones such as Rishi Kapoor’s Mumbai residence.

A wide ranged of glasses are used such as wavy, wispy, opalesecent for the swirls and streaks, cathedral, streaky, textured, baroque, antique, and jewel.

A decade later, things have changed for the better. Glasscrafters is now a stockist for Spectrum glass.  The amount of  work involved in making every piece is mind-boggling. So, there’s nothing called a bulk order. A single piece or 100 pieces, to create each piece, small pieces of different colored glasses will have to be cut individually and joined together.