The Crafts Council of Karnataka (CCK) presents the 31st edition of Vastrabharana. “This is our annual flagship exhibition and will feature a sale of handcrafted textiles and jewellery. The theme for this year’s exhibition is Spice,” says Padmaja Sakhamuri, convenor of Vastrabharana speaking over the phone from her home in RMV Layout in Bengaluru.
“In the past, we have had celebrities including Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Shoba De, and Sridevi inaugurate our exhibitions. This year, we thought we should have a personality from Karnataka and it is Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar who will be inaugurating the exhibition this year,” adds Padmaja, also a committee member at CCK — a non-profit organisation started in Bengaluru in 1967 under the patronage of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. It is also affiliated to the Crafts Council of India and World Crafts Council and focuses on promoting and supporting crafts of Karnataka and sustaining livelihoods of craftspeople.
“We are a small organisation and make sure all proceeds go to the craftsmen and for the betterment of the craft community. We try to do something in our own little way and look for known personalities to be a part of this exhibition as this also boosts the event in a positive manner,” says Padmaja, who has been curating Vastrabharana for five years now. “I started with the Mumbai Vastrabharana, but faced glitches. The show did not take off as expected, perhaps, we did not have the exposure as to what that city expected. But, post COVID-19 we have done well in Bengaluru. We had our show in March 2021, following protocols. We also have regular crafts exhibitions in November every year.”
