At the 10-day Bengal Sangskriti Utshab that ends today in Sylhet, a vital yet oft-forgotten element of Bangladesh's rich heritage and culture has the attention of festival-goers. Traditional crafts of 15 district regions of Bangladesh are on display at the Karu Mela (crafts fair) at the Gurusaday Dutt Chattar of the festival venue, showing a wide range of products that reflect Bangalees' natural sense of art and aesthetics, and showcase the immense skill it takes to bring that to life.

Long-time inhabitants of the Sylhet, the Manipuri people have a signature style of fabricweaving, and that Manipuri weaving products are on display at one of the central stalls. Along with that are shitol pati(hand-woven floor mats with folk motifs), another specialty of the Manipuri people. TaaNt handloom - particularly lungi, gamchha and sarees - are on display at the Sirajganj stall, while right next to it are the traditional 'khadi' fabric, belonging to the Comilla region.

Dhaka may today be a concrete jungle of big buildings, industrial factories and botfleneck traffic congestion, but it too has its share of crafts -mainly with metal, wool, jute and shaNkha (conch and sea-shells). Products with intricate handmade designs are on display at the stall, much to the spectator's interest. Just adjacent to Dhaka is Narayanganj, and the traditional wooden dolls and haat-pakha (hand-fans), that are not seen nearly as often in households as it used to, are also on show at the stall. Jamdani, the descendent of the famous muslin fabric, has also had a long heritage in the Narayanganj region, and sarees displayed at the stall bear testament to that.

Mymensingh, the region of rich culture and heritage, has a craft form quite niche to the region: paper crafts. Handmade paper and papier-mach^work in a variety of forms - from notebooks to sculpture-like figures are a treat to see.

Going through the stalls - Jessore’s Nakshi KaNtha (hand-embroidered blankets); Tangail's bamboo craft; flutes andsholacrafts of Jhenaidah; the ever-recognisable taaNt handlooms by the indigenous people of the hills from Rangamati-Khagrachori; jute, wool and metal-smiths' works from Savar; jute products of Rangpur; coloured pots, small tepa putul clay dolls and the gorgeous lohori kaNtha (blankets with frills around the edges) of Rajshahi; terracotta products from Barisal andsholacrafts from Magura - is like a long walk through the country, getting a glimpse of the sim-

pie rural people who have inherited these crafts through generations, and are continuing it in the face of mechanical production industries.

Bengal Foundation has been working with the National Crafts Council of Bangladesh (NCCB) for the Master-craftsperson's award in recognition of artisans and craftpersons since 2010, and their commitment to the sector is evident from the fantastic crafts fair here. It is the trifecta of heritage, traditional skills and art, and such exhibits deserve a bigger space, maybe in the form of a grand fair in the capital whose residents are the furthest aware from this important part of Bangladesh and Bangalees' identity.