Hyderabad SARAS Mela records sales of ₹1.49 crore in two days

The SARAS Mela at the HMDA Grounds on Necklace Road is drawing large crowds, providing rural women entrepreneurs and artisans a platform to showcase their products and expand their markets. The exhibition recorded sales of ₹89.26 lakh on Monday, its sixth day, with 54,556 visitors. On Tuesday, nearly 50,000 people visited the mela, generating sales of about ₹60 lakh, according to official sources.

Held from October 7 to 18 by the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Telangana, the exhibition brings together rural women entrepreneurs and artisans mainly from self-help groups (SHGs) across the country, offering them an opportunity to showcase their products and reach urban consumers. A total of 205 stalls have been set up, displaying handloom sarees, handicrafts, traditional food products, millets and household items.

Products ranging from Kashmir carpets and Kerala spices to bamboo artefacts and traditional jewellery have been attracting buyers. Visitors, including foreign nationals and prominent personalities, have shown interest in the exhibits, while stall organisers have expressed satisfaction with the sales.

A women’s group from Manipur selling bamboo products recorded sales of about ₹1 lakh in a single day. The stall offers a range of utility and decorative items made from bamboo.

SHG member builds ₹1-crore enterprise

Vemula Sridevi (55) from Laxidapalli village in Illanthakunta mandal of Karimnagar district, has built an enterprise with an annual turnover of about ₹1 crore after joining the self-help group movement. She runs a handloom unit from her residence, producing Kalamkari and other materials. She has also secured a geographical indication (GI) tag for her product and established her own brand.

“I supply handloom materials worth around ₹5 lakh to ₹6 lakh every month to the Telangana State Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society Limited (TGSCO),” she said. A regular participant at the SARAS Mela, she said the exhibition helped her reach customers and generate profits within a short period.

Sridevi also makes artificial jewellery, including necklaces - using stones sourced from Rajasthan, which she visits every year to procure raw materials.

Traditional products find buyers

Sanapa Subhadra, 48, from Mulugu district, is selling ippa puvvu (Mahua flower) products, including laddus. Despite having no formal education, she has taken up the enterprise with encouragement from officials and women’s self-help group networks.

Manga Pasula, 40, is showcasing Cheriyal masks and wall decorations made using wood and tamarind seeds. Her family is among the roughly eight families that continue to practise the traditional art in Cheriyal, where it once flourished. The State government has been promoting Cheriyal artefacts by presenting framed masks at official events, she said.

Jyotsna Santra, 32, from Hooghly district in West Bengal, recorded sales of ₹1.20 lakh on Sunday. She creates framed artwork using hay, with her exhibits depicting figures associated with different religions.

“There is no religion for art,” she said, adding that she also accepts orders for customised illustrations and portraits made from hay, and has displayed bronze jewellery at her stall.