BIJS

To promote handcrafted jewellery of Bengal in the international arena and to provide a better platform to the local artisans, the Swarna Shilpa Bachao Committee (SSBC) and KNC services are planning to organise Bengal International Jewellery Show (BIJS) in the city in January next year. The BIJS is expected to see foreign buyers from countries like USA, UAE, Thailand, Bangladesh and others. According to the organisers, many more countries will participate in the exhibition where various jewellery, mainly handcrafted ones, will be put on display.

The main objective of the programme is to ensure that the small-scale jewellery artisans across Bengal can get exposure to domestic as well as international markets. The organisers said that Bengal has a huge potential, not just because of its skilled artisans but the quality of the jewellery as well. Especially the handcrafted ones can fetch foreign money. But the artisans from the state do not get the platform. A sizeable number of skilled labourers in the state often migrate to other states for better opportunities.

One of the organisers has, however, blamed the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) for not organising any exhibition in Kolkata, though it has a regional office in the city. They demanded that GJEPC must take a proactive role in this regard, so that Bengal artisans can get a platform to promote their products.

Subir Kumar Sen, president of SSBC, said during a Press conference at a city hotel that the main purpose of the initiative is to give a platform to the local jewellery artisans, so that they can showcase their products. Handcrafted jewellery items prepared by the local artisans are unique in both their look and qualities. During the exhibition, which is scheduled to take place at Netaji Indoor Stadium from January 12-14 next year, some modern machines would also be put on display, which would help the artisans make their products more attractive, Sen said. The organisers, however, assured that the bank fiasco of Nirav Modi will hardly have any impact on the small-scale jewellers, as they do not fully depend on bank loans. The initiative would give a better exposure to the small-scale jewellers in the state.