Household products by tribals catch fancy

BHUBANESWAR: A wide range of household products being sold by tribals at the ongoing Adivasi Mela, are much in demand among the urban dwellers. Products made and collected by tribal villagers seem to have cast a spell on the people of the city, as sales continue to soar at the mela, an annual fair held at the Adivasi Ground here. And with just a day of the fair left, projected sales promise to surpass last year’s figures. Till Friday, the figures had crossed Rs  1.23 crore mark.  The products are being sold at a model tribal market known as tribal haat in a section of the fair. Forest produce like honey, tamarind, turmeric, varieties of mustard seeds, the medicinal Harida, spices, wholegrains and pulses grown by the tribal farmers are available at the haat. The sellers claim these are being sold in their purest form, without any chemical treatment. Other commodities made by SHGs like broomsticks, turmeric powder, tamarind and herbal juices are also selling like hot cakes.This apart, the tribal art and craft items have caught the fancy of people. This time, three pavilions were created at the venue to sell craft items including Saura paintings and Dokra craft. Officials said a number of Saura paintings by tribal artists portraying various interesting themes have been sold in large numbers during the fair.For years, the Mela with its simple but refreshing village ambience has been the city’s connecting point to the carefree life of the days gone by. Be it for its ethnic layout, the life-size huts, the warm people, walk in demonstration centre, lip smacking food or the range of products. The Mela, organised by SC and ST Development Department, will conclude on Sunday. This time, in the wake of panchayat polls, the 15-day affair was cut short to 11 days.