The Indian Women's Association (IWA) on Wednesday organized a charity bazaar, showcasing their culture and traditions in an event that offered visitors a multitude of clothes, accessories and home products with a distinctly Indian taste.

Different types of colorful oriental shawls, clothes and home products, such as cushions, beauty cases and bags with bead embroideries -- both local and foreign -- were on sale in the bazaar's 200 stalls.

Unique carved-silver bracelets, earrings and traditional Indian saris were some of the more popular items with visitors, mostly local Indian residents and expat families. The one-day bazaar at the Four Seasons Hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta, was an annual IWA charity event that began in the early 1970s.

IWA chairwoman Gopi Lachman Panjabi said all proceeds from the bazaar would be given to orphanages, nursing homes and underfunded schools, all of which also receive monthly donations from the group.

"We have been doing this for some 30 years. It all started with a small bazaar at the ambassador's residence, and then moved to the Gandhi (Memorial) School. For the last five years, we have held the bazaar in a hotel because the number of visitors and vendors keeps growing," Gopi said.

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Biren Nanda and his wife also attended the event.

Pasar Baru in Central Jakarta has traditionally been the hub for ethnic Indian-owned stores, many of which sell clothes and textiles. With their numbers in Jakarta burgeoning, more Indians are now setting up shop in Kemang, South Jakarta, with many selling household products and accessories.

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