Items made by Bihar prisoners a hit at trade fair

Their creators are behind bars for various crimes, but woollen blankets and cotton clothes hand-made by prisoners from Bihar are drawing big crowds at the ongoing trade fair here.

New Delhi: Their creators are behind bars
for various crimes, but woollen blankets and cotton clothes
hand-made by prisoners from Bihar are drawing big crowds at
the ongoing trade fair here.

Low-priced woollen blankets, white towels, book stands,
cotton kurtas and pyjamas, caps and aluminium utensils
manufactured by prisoners at the central jails of Buxar and
Bhagalpur, in Bihar, are being appreciated at the trade fair
at Pragati Maidan.

The items are on display at the decorated Bihar Pavilion
under the theme, `Indian Handicraft- The Magic of Gifted
Hands`.

"Over a dozen woollen blankets are being sold every day,"
Navin Kumar, an official at the Bihar pavilion, told.

The blankets woven by the inmates are selling at Rs 260
apiece, he said.

"Right now we have a stock of about 200 blankets. But
seeing the response, we might have to bring more pieces,"
Kumar added.

"We had not anticipated that the goods would attract a
big response," he said.

Low-priced cotton clothes like pyjamas and kurtas are
also drawing good crowds, Rabindra Kumar Jha, another official
of the Bihar pavilion, added.

Kumar said visitors are looking forward to woollen bed
sheets that are expected to arrive at the stall soon. These
are priced at Rs 350 apiece.

"This is a great platform to promote their products and
to create a better position in the market; it could also
encourage the prisoners," Home Department Deputy Director
(Jail) B C P Singh said.

Bihar is one the focus states of the trade fair this year
and the state pavilion is exhibiting a vast range of
handicrafts it is famous for.

A wide range of silk products, sikki art, wooden art,
bamboo art, terracotta art and mithila prints are on display
to showcase the essence of Bihar, Jha said.

PTI

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