Vijayawada: The “Gandhi Bunkar Mela,” a national handloom exhibition, opened its doors on Monday here with the goal of bringing global recognition to Indian handloom and handicraft products.

The event, officially known as the National Handloom Exhibition - 2025, was inaugurated by Suchitra Ella, honorary advisor for Handlooms and Handicrafts Development. She was joined by G Rekha Rani, Commissioner of the Handlooms and Textiles Department, and Chennupati Usharani, Corporator of the 8th Division.

Speaking at the inauguration, Suchitra Ella emphasised her commitment to marketing handloom and handicraft products on both national and international platforms. “It is our collective responsibility to develop our art forms, artisans, and handicrafts,” she said. “We must work to make our families embrace handlooms. Handlooms are a livelihood, and it is up to all of us to take this forward,” she said.

Ella expressed pride in the fact that Andhra Pradesh recently received 10 awards under the “One District One Product” scheme, which included one state-level award for Bapatla district and nine district-level awards. “This is a moment of great pride for our state,” she added.

Rekha Rani, Commissioner of the Handlooms and Textiles Department, stated that exhibitions like this are organised in August to help increase handloom production and provide year-round employment for weavers. She also mentioned that proposals have been submitted to the Central government for GST reimbursement.

The exhibition aims to provide better marketing opportunities for handloom workers and bring a wide range of handloom products from across the country to a single platform for consumers.

The “Gandhi Bunkar Mela” features 100 stalls from various states, including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Delhi. Additionally, the exhibition includes five handicraft stalls and 45 handloom societies from Andhra Pradesh.

Visitors can purchase a wide range of products, including cotton and silk saris, dress materials, bedsheets, Kalamkari prints, and carpets, all at factory prices.