CHENNAI: There are places where you shop. And then there are places where you pause - to listen, to feel, and to understand. At the Craft Bazaar 2026 by Crafts Council of India (CCI) in Chennai, craft is not displayed behind glass; it sits before you, warm from the hands that made it. It gathers over 60 artisans from across the country as part of CCI’s 60th year celebrations.
From hand-painted scrolls to woven grass mats, from leather puppets to earthen wall plates, Chennai is witnessing India in its most tactile, intimate form. Craft Bazaar, now underway at the Mother Teresa Women’s Complex, brings over 60 artisans from across the country, not merely to sell, but to share.
We cannot let these art and culture die,chairperson Visalakshi Ramaswamy
Craft is not just an exhibit piece. Daily life items are art that makes you who you are.” For her, the bazaar is both celebration and responsibility, a reminder that tradition survives only when it is supported.
“Every craft has a purpose. Everything here is handmade,” says Jayasri Samyukta Iyer of CCI.
It all begins with the environment. Each state is different - the trees, the soil, the landscape. Craft is shaped by where you come from. That rootedness is visible everywhere.Jayasri Samyukta Iyer of CCI
At one stall, Rahmath Meeral patiently explains how her grass mats are made. The grass is soaked in water for three to four days before it is ready for weaving.
Only then it becomes perfect for design and shape,Rahmath Meeral
For Yavanika, showcasing her Chandra Kalamkari collection here is a first. Every piece is hand-drawn using bamboo sticks and thread. The colours are natural. Seeds soaked, ground and turned into pigment. Black forms the base. “My parents have been doing this for 30 years.”
Kalam means pen, kari means craftsmanshipYavanika
From Odisha’s Pattachitra by Akshaya Kumar Bariki, where figures appear in profile, never front-facing, to intricately cut leather puppets by State awardee Khande Ramdas, every stall carries legacy in its folds.
In a world of quick clicks and quicker trends, Craft Bazaar slows you down. It reminds you that behind every motif is a memory, behind every weave a waiting pair of hands. Walk in as a visitor, and you may leave as a custodian of something far older and far more enduring than fashion.