Odisha’s rural handicrafts draw attention

Bhubaneswar: The Mission Shakti and the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) showcased a vivid image of self-reliant India in the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ at the 44th India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2025 held in New Delhi, officials said on Monday.

The Odisha Pavilion featured six stalls of ORMAS and four stalls of Mission Shakti, where handicraft products prepared by rural Women Self-Help Groups were exhibited and attracted buyers. Live demonstrations of the making of these crafts were also being presented on a dedicated demo platform.

At the six ORMAS stalls, visitors had a wide range of choice for daily use and home decor items made from gourd prepared by Prerana SHG of Rayagada, Dokra craft from Jai Jagannath SHG of Dhenkanal, lac jewellery crafted by the women of Nilagiri Lacquer Producer Group (PG) from Balasore, traditional Odia sweets and ‘chhenapoda’ (cheese sweetmeat) made by Krishna Chhenapoda of Nayagarh, tussar handloom textiles for men and women produced by Gopalpur Tussar Handloom PE of Jajpur district and a variety of eco-friendly coir-based home decor items and toys created by Utkal Coir of Puri.

Similarly, the four Mission Shakti stalls offer ‘pattachitra’ paintings made by Maa Bhuasuni SHG from Raghurajpur in Puri, products made from golden grass and ‘sabai’ grass by Siba Parvati Golden Grass group of Kendrapara, paddy craft by Dhanalaxmi SHG of Nabarangpur and paper mache creations produced by Sri Jagannath SHG of Anandapur in Keonjhar.

Senior administrative officials from various States and ministries as well as representatives of business organisations interacted with the stall officials to explore possibilities for production and marketing of the displayed products.

The Odisha Mandap’s design, which includes a replica of the Singha Dwara (Lion’s Gate) of the Jagannath temple in Puri, has been widely appreciated for capturing the essence of the State’s culture and heritage.