With the aim to promote the local traditional crafts and also challenge the Chinese monopoly in pottery and statue making ahead of Diwali, clay artists of 15 districts will converge on Lucknow to showcase their products at a unique fair being organised by the Mati Kala Board from November 4 to 13.

Besides exhibiting a wide array of products, the fair would also show how these products were made.

The main attraction would be the idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha and designer diyas made from ‘mati’ (soil) of Uttar Pradesh.

The Mati Kala Board will be bearing the expenses of the artists’ stay in the state capital for 10 days and they would also not be charged for putting up their stalls at the fair.

Additional Chief Secretary (Khadi and Village Industries} Navneet Sehgal said that the Mati Kala Board was trying to increase and improve production capacity of the local artists and make them competitive in the market.

“To ensure better quality, the artists have also been connected with professionals and the National Institute of Fashion Design (NIFD) for training to hone their skills,” he said.

The product range would include terracotta of Gorakhpur; black pottery of Azamgarh, earthen cooker of Khurja and other products from Agra, Lucknow, Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Chandauli, Unnao, Ballia, Kanpur, Pilibhit, Allahabad, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Banda.

“To boost the sale of the products, the Mati Kala Board is making sure that the idols and diyas of different sizes are ready for the exhibition as the fair gets underway,” Sehgal said.