Lamp & Lampshades - City Lifestyle

Aesthetic lamps on display Everyone knows that lamps give out light. But there is also an important facet associated with lamps. Lamps that are made aesthetically in different shapes and sizes add new glamour to the room and increase the beauty of interiors. Such kind of beautifully designed lamps are on display at the arts and crafts village at Shilparamam. Numerous craftsmen have gathered from across India to display their lamps and lampshades made with different material like mud, glass, brass, bamboo, silk and leather.

Khande Kullayappa with his leather works The artisans from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Tripura, Pondicheri are displaying the delicate and attractive lamps made with lot of effort. Lalta Prasad Prajapathi is an artisan who came all the way from Uttar Pradesh carrying with him marvellous lamps made with black mud taken from the terai region of Uttar Pradesh. The elephant lamps, monkey lamps, deer lamps, camel lamps, chariot lamps, telephone stands, and lanterns made by Prajapathi are beautifully designed and are coated with different colours. The wonderful lamps have all the ingredients to transform your interiors into something special. The lamps range in price from Rs 200 to Rs 1200 depending upon the size.

Lamps and lampshades Gouranga Rakshit is another artisan who came from North Eastern state of Tripura to display his craftsmanship. His stall has the lamps skillfully woven with thin layers of bamboo, which have become the cynosure of all eyes in the crafts village. "Bamboo is a bread and butter to many of us. As bamboo is abundantly available in Tripura we make many beautiful objects entwined with bamboo. People like them as they have their own specialty", says Rakshit who runs a handicrafts shop in Agartala. The bamboo lamps and lampshades cost between Rs 100 and Rs 550.

Lanterns made of mud Khande Kullayappa's stall is another interesting stall in the exhibition. He is showcasing lampshades and puppets made with leather. Hailing from Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, Kullayappa is trying to save the dying art form of puppet making. Felicitated by the government for his excellent work Kullayappa does not miss an opportunity to display his art form. "Whenever there is a trade fair or festival I go and exhibit my products . I also educate people about this art form which is slowly vanishing", says Khande Kullayappa. Kullayappa participated in almost all the major arts and crafts festivals held in various cities like Delhi, Surajkund, Udaipur and Gwalior. Although the puppet making is diminishing but Kullayappa is unperturbed by this scenario. "I am happy to live with this art form which is being practiced since many centuries by my forefathers", says sixty five year old Kullayappa.

The response to the Lamp & Lampshades exhibition has been tremendous from the denizens of the city. Men, women, children everyone is enjoying the exhibition. " I have never seen so many varieties of lamps and lampshades in my life. I would like to carry something from this exhibition and the items are not very expensive either", says Sujatha, a housewife from Banjara Hills. Although the response has been good from the crowd but profit wise the artisans are not really happy. " We are getting positive response from the people. They are appreciating our work but when it comes to buying, they bargain a lot. And ultimately we had to sell them at a much cheaper rate than the actual price", moans Lalta Prasad Prajapathi.