Spend a lazy weekend at Hastakala Utsav at Kalakshetra and find everything from batik to brass 

Some weekends are all about aimlessly walking around flea markets and bazaars, slow shopping and picking out quaint little things for your house. Hastakala Utsav, which is scheduled to start today, could just be the perfect start to such a weekend. Organised by two friends and business partners — Mansoor Husain from Bengaluru and Hari Narayan Sharma from Rajasthan — this Utsav is the duo’s first venture into exhibitions in the city. 

The shopping festival will bring together rural artisans from different parts of India and will feature vast collections of handloom, silk, cotton, pure silk, brass items and Tanjore paintings. With over 50 stalls, and over 150 artisans we find that most of the artisans have been doing their exhibitions since ages. Even though for some, it is their first time in Chennai, a majority of them have already exhibited in the city. Mansoor, one of the organisers, says that even though they have done several exhibitions and utsavs in other cities, this is the first time for them in Chennai. 

“There are going to be several stalls with  impressive textile collections from Maheshwari to hand-dyed products from Coimbatore to patchwork quilts from Rajasthan.” Expect to find colourful handcraft products with the use of traditional craft skills, that add a contemporary touch to your home. If you love paintings on canvas, they have a collection of them as well, from painters from Chennai and Coimbatore. Accessories and jewellery come in the form of bangles, brooches, hair pins and mother-of-pearl jewellery and kum kum boxes. If you're looking to shop for saris, this is probably your best bet. Go through varieties of fabrics like the Sanganeri sari from Rajasthan, Dhopian from Kolkata, Matka from Chhattisgarh, Kachh Bandhini fabrics from Gujarat and much more!

At Kalakshetra Foundation.
Starts today. Till July 8.
From 11 am to 9 pm.