Authentic and Antique collections of Bengal under a single roof!!!

Hasta silpo Mela also known as Handicraft fair is conducted in Kolkata by the Government of West Bengal and encourages upto 5000 artisans from all over the State to showcase their talent in creating beautiful handicrafts, decorative items etc.

This year the Mela(fair) was conducted on a huge scale covering two huge grounds of the Eco park, Kolkata where one ground was fully occupied with small artisans while the other was occupied by the big artisans.

The categories in which the artisans specialize in is making different sculptures using different kind of materials like brass, wood , copper, cane works, jute , clay, bamboo, handloom, silk, glass etc. An interesting fact about these sculptures is that most of the things are handmade having wide variety i.e. Scroll patachitra paintings, Teracotta sculptures, Handloom(taant) saris from Bengal, chhau masks from purulia(also, got the GI heritage tag), the hand drawn kettle, Shantiniketan leather products(also, got the GI heritage tag) carpets, furniture etc.

The thing that excites a lot is the authenticity of the sculptures, their originality, the colors, and the story behind creating these masterpieces with such dedication. And its good that such amazing creations become a part of these special fairs where the effort that has been put in is rewarded through sales and their art reaches different places of India and World

During my visit to the Mela, I came across different stalls representing many villages, towns, cities, districts some named as Purulia, Bankura, Hooghly Pavilion, Howrah , Karubasa , Teesta, Birbhum and Mednipur etc.

Although, these unique creations with raw efforts and skills bearing minute detailing cannot be priced, but to make the art reach to lengths, the prices kept are very genuine with minimal profit margins. The price range starts from as low as Rs. 30 and go upto thousands depending upon the size, material and skill involved in creating the product.

To satisfy your taste buds a separate food court with different food stalls offering variety of food items having both Veg and Non-veg variety was there. Items such as fish, chicken, peas kochuri and aloo dum, momos, chaats, chowmein, achaars(pickle), papads and different types of sweets specially patisapta & nolen gurer rosogolla from different places were there to give you a finger licking good experience.

Some key points that are worth considering as you plan your visit to this event are:-

*It will take a lot of time to explore this place, so plan your time schedule accordingly.

*This time it was held from 17 days in December.

*Parking facilities were available

*There was no entry fee.

I am sure that your visit is going to be a memorable affair with lot of new experiences!!!! See you at the next Mela!!