National Gallery of Modern Art has created a mini market for spouses of G20 leaders.
First ladies and spouses of leaders participating in the G20 summit will get a chance to buy symbols of India's rich tradition at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), which has been decked up to welcome them. The building has put on display salwar suits, pottery items and jewellery for the women. NDTV visited NGMA for a first-hand look at the items kept there for sale. A majority of G20 leaders, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida are attending the summit on September 9 and 10.
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At NGMA, one exhibitor from Jammu and Kashmir told NDTV that they have integrated art from different Indian states to present "magical products" to the ladies.
"We have this beautiful hand-painting concept on Pashmina shawl. We also have hand embroidery from Kolkata. The message we are trying to convey is that India has too much beautiful craft, which can be integrated to create a magical product," he told NDTV.
One salwar suit on display has a price tag of Rs 2.5 lakh. Similarly, a Nataraja statue has been listed for $6,000 (Rs 4.98 lakh).
The spouses of the G20 leaders will also get to see Patan Patola sarees, made using a double ikat weaving technique, traditionally from the Patan region of Gujarat.
Sunil Soni, who has put up the saree stall at NGMA, told NDTV, "Our range starts from Rs 1.35 lakh and goes up to Rs 3.5 lakh. The costliest one if called vintage Patola. This is a 900-year-old art and these sarees have been made using the same method."
"It takes seven and half months to make one Patan Patola saree," he added.
A pashmina shawl stall owner showed one of the costliest products that has a price tag of Rs 8 lakh.
He explained that the high cost is due to the intricate process involved in creating the product, which is made of silk threads. "It takes 7-8 months to make one shawl."
The spouses of the G20 leaders will visit NGMA to inaugurate an exhibition dedicated to India's civilisational prowess and artistic excellence, titled 'Roots and Routes: Past Present and Continuous' on September 9.