India-Nepal Folk Crafts Festival from Tuesday

Fashion show, design development workshop major attractions.

KATHMANDU, Nov 6: South Asia Foundation (SAF) is organizing Nepal Folk Crafts Festival (INCF) 2017 in Kathmandu from Tuesday.

Organizing a press meet on Sunday, SAF said that the main objective of the five-day festival is to promote bilateral relations through crafts and enhance relationship between artisans of the two countries through cultural exchange program.

The festival will be held at the Brikuti Mandap Exhibition Hall, Kathmandu. It is open to all, according to the organizers.

The South Asia Foundation is organizing the festival in association with Council of Handicrafts Development Corporations (COHANDS) and Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and SAARC Business Association of Home-Based Workers (SABAH) Nepal. Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, is sponsoring the event which is also supported by the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi and BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation (BPKF).

The festival will have more than 80 thematic pavilions with focus on folk crafts of India and Nepal, cultural events, live demonstration by craft persons, buyer-seller meet to promote relationship between handicrafts producers and customers, food stalls, seminars and interactions, among others. A total of 50 artisans, including 30 from various parts of Nepal, will showcase their crafts during the event.

Similarly, Khadi-Nepal Fashion Event, a fashion show, will be organized at the India House, Embassy of India in Kathmandu, on November 10 as part of the festival. During the fashion show, Khadi, as well as other hand-woven eco-friendly products, will be showcased to carry the message of self-reliance and sustainable model of development, the organizers said. The fashion show will present the designs of Indian designer Payal Jain, along with designs by home-based workers from Nepal and other well-known designers.

Likewise, a design development workshop which will be conducted by Asit Kumar Raha, SAF-Design Consultant, will be the other attraction of the event. Raha will introduce new design element and design trend to familiarize the artisans with market-friendly products, according to the organizers.

Speaking at the event, Rahul Barua secretary general of SAF, said that the festival will help to enhance bilateral relation between Nepal and India.