Source: The Hindu
TIRUPATI, INDIA, September 16, 2001: Coinciding with the annual Brahmotsavam of Lord Venkateswara, the All-India Crafts Mela will be held at Tirupati from September 19 to October 3. The venue of the mela is the Urban Haat site, jointly promoted by the Central Government’s Ministry of Textiles and State’s Tourism Department at a cost of US$342,500 on Tiruchanur road here to give a boost to local arts and crafts. Around 100 artisans, craftsmen and weavers from various parts of the country will take part in the mela. The tourism director, Mr. G. Kishan Rao, said that Tirupati being a major pilgrim centre, there was lesser need for his department to go in search of market and the department’s only job was to provide sufficient infrastructure to streamline the process of linking artisans and customers directly avoiding middlemen.