Visit New Town's Sonajhuri Haat

The stretch of road under the Axis Mall flyover in New Town turns into a colourful bazaar every weekend. From approximately 3pm to 9pm, strains of music waft in the evening air, often drowned out by the voices of vendors calling out to customers who bargain for the best rates. 

Twenty-five-odd stalls, on a rotating roster, sell a variety of items: terracotta and dokra figurines to kantha saris and home linen, homemade pickles to handmade jewellery.  

Sanju Karmakar comes all the way from Dariapur village in East Burdwan to sell dokra items. The craft involves making artefacts using a molten mix of copper and tin that is poured into a wax mould. 

He makes everything from dokra idols of goddess Durga and her children, figurines playing musical instruments or at work, deer and other animals.

Prices at this stall range from Rs 200 for the small figurines and up to Rs 8,000 for the large idols and models.

Ships, grand palanquins and royal elephants made of shola pith — the spongy core of the Indian Cork plant — are on sale at Sudip Sarkar’s stall at the far end of the haat. A third-generation artisan from Berhampore in Murshidabad, Sarkar says his items are in demand and he runs out of stock nearly every weekend. Priced between Rs 200 and 1,500, the shola items are eye-catching and intricate. 

Colourful hand-painted kettles, trays and mugs brighten up Alo Chitrakar’s stall. Walk by and you can see the artisan from East Midnapore putting the finishing touches to his paintings. One can also catch him narrating stories depicted in scroll paintings. The prices range from Rs 200 for small trays to Rs 800 for large patachitra scrolls.

Models of animals, toy cars, boxes, bangle holders, utensils and many more different kinds of items in wood are on display right at the starting point of the haat. Artisan Mukhtar Hussain from Murshidabad also has a collection of mirrors at this stall. Prices start from Rs 30 and go up to Rs 5,000. 

Panels etched with scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata and tales of deities at Nadia’s Sanjay Swarnkar’s stall are a popular purchase at the fair. The fibre panels depicting Shiva, Ganesha, Jagannath and others can be mounted on walls of homes, offices and commercial spaces. The prices range from Rs 3,500 to Rs 22,000.

Samar Mondal of Barasat brings a collection of dry flowers made of dried maize leaves, palm leaves and other materials to the haat. Painted in an array of colours, the dry flowers are priced between Rs 5 and Rs 30 per stick. 

Nirupa Mondal from Mukundapur sets up a stall selling food items typical of Bengal, such as intricate goyna bori, nadus, chutneys and pickles. The items sold at Rs 20 to Rs 80 fly off the shelves in no time. 

A wide range of jewellery pieces, such as colourful beaded neckpieces, trendy or ethnic earrings, bracelets and other pieces of handmade jewellery, are sold at several stalls in the haat. Ratna Dey of Kanchrapara sells jewellery made of seashells at Rs 100 to Rs 600. 

Table runners to mini flowers, a colourful display of exquisite crochet items are on sale at the haat. Burdwan's Sabitri Debnath works deftly with needle and yarn as customers stop by to watch her create intricate crochet patterns and motifs. Prices of items sold range from Rs 10 for small flowers to Rs 220 for table runners and asanas.

Several stalls at the haat sell saris with hand-painted designs. The prices of these items range from Rs 600 and go up to Rs 5000. Saris from different parts of the state, including Birbhum, Nadia and Murshidabad, can be found at these stalls. Ready-to-wear blouses and hand-painted T-shirts are also available. Prices range from Rs 200 to Rs 400.  

So, if heading to Santiniketan is not on the cards for you any time soon, maybe New Town's 'Sonajhuri Haat' might meet your need for handcrafted wares this weekend.