September 6, 2018
Kanyashree sarees a huge hit at Banglar Taanter Haat
The annual ‘taant’ extravaganza, ‘Banglar Taanter Haat’ began on August 31 at Central park in Salt Lake, Kolkata. It was inaugurated by the State Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Textiles Minister. The fair will go on till September 23, from 12 PM till 9 PM.
This year 270 stalls have been installed at the fair. To ensure environment-friendliness, plastic carry bags have been banned at the fair; instead, traders are using bags made of jute and other eco-friendly materials.
Sarees from Rs 106 to Rs 6 lakh are available, in designs of varying patterns and vintage, from the Ramayana to the Kanyashree Scheme.
‘Taant’ implies the traditional cotton sarees of Bangla that are woven on handlooms. Ever since the Trinamool Congress Government came to power in 2011, under the patronage of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, taant has seen a revival. The weavers are seeing good times after many years of hardship and for many, a hand-to-mouth existence.
The minister said, though, that demonetisation had caused the taant industry to go down on its knees but, through the efforts of the State Government, it is gradually on its way back to its former glory. From this standpoint, ‘Banglar Taanter Haat’ assumes much importance as sales here would go some way in helping the weavers.
The minister also said that sales at the fair have increased a lot since 2011. In 2016, the amount was Rs 4.32 crore, which increased to Rs 5.85 crore the next year. It is expected that the amount will go up this year as well.
According to the officials of the MSME Department connected with the event, the dates of the fair have been chosen keeping the upcoming festival of Durga Puja in mind, on which occasion Bengalis buy new clothes.
The organisers have thought of some unique steps this time. Three credit and debit card transaction kiosks have been installed at the fairground. Those traders without card swiping machines would be able to swipe customers’ cards at these kiosks.
To ensure security, it has been instructed that a customer will be accompanied by the trader or an employee of the trader to a kiosk with a valid purchase bill. Operators at the kiosk will swipe the credit or debit card for payment. The amount will be credited to a government-owned account, which will be transferred later to the trader’s account.
Source: Millennium Post
