Date:03/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/03/stories/2008110351531700.htm

Business

EoI invited from event management companies

Staff Reporter

For conducting Malabar Crafts Mela 2008

Mela to be held at Malappuram
It will showcase skills of traditional craftsmen

KOCHI: The Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP) has invited expression of interest (EoI) from event management companies for the Malabar Crafts Mela 2008, proposed to be held at Kottakunnu Maidan, Malappuram, between December 16 and 30.

The mela will showcase the varying skills of traditional craftsmen in the State, especially those in north Kerala.

It is being organised with a view to strengthening and promoting the traditional industries of the State and introducing a mechanism for interaction with the existing players in the traditional sector. The mela will also be a stage on which the artisans can be directly introduced to buyers and find their customers.

There are also crafts which are languishing.

The mela can help identify these areas so that they can be nurtured. The buyers can also get a first-hand feel of the atmosphere and the rural ambience.

Selected artisans, craftsmen, NGOs from Kerala and other States will participate in the mela in areas like handicrafts, handlooms, coir, bamboo and screw-pine products, among others.

Efforts are being made to create the true ambience of a rural market and rural cuisines and cultural programmes will be a part of the mela. K-BIP is an autonomous body of the State government under the Department of Industries and Commerce functioning as an agency for promoting the potential of the State for entrepreneurship and business development.