UP chikankari gets GI certification

Imitating the famous chikankari art of Lucknow or selling the product with a similar brand name would no longer be easy.

In a major fillip to the the handicraft form of Uttar Pradesh, which is also popular, it has been included in the Geographical Indication (GI) goods category under the Intellectual Property Right.

“Chikankari was included in the GI list last month,” chief executive officer of Network of Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (NEED) Anil Kumar Singh told PTI.

With the GI certification, no person other than manufacturers and craftsmen from UP will be permitted to use or sell their products under the brand name Lucknow chikan.

 

He said NEED, along with the Uttar Pradesh government, and two other organisations applied for the GI certification two years back in a bid to protect the famous Chikankari art from imitation.

“The certification will give a major economic boost to the craftsmen, who otherwise are being exploited by middlemen selling their products in other states and exporting them,” Singh said.

Chikan is a traditional embroidery art form of Uttar Pradesh which requires minute craftsmanship and is believed to have emerged during the Mughal Era.

“Chikan work, however, is not limited to Lucknow alone. It is also being carried out in 13 other districts of the state including Barabanki, Unnao and Sitapur, though Lucknow remains a major centre,” Singh said.

Singh, however, said that owing to the growing popularity and high demand of the artwork, it was being also manufactured in other states like Jharkhand, Gujarat, Bengal, Rajasthan and Bihar.

“Most of the craftsmen from these states have learnt the art from UP itself and are now projecting chikan as their folk art, which was posing a serious challenge to local artisans,” he said.

He said with GI certification, artisans from other states would not be able to use or claim chikan as their own art form.

“GI certification means that chikan is a local art of Lucknow and UP. It will provide legal protection to the craftsmen from imitation,” he added.

The GI certification will not only protect the identity of the handicraft, but also benefit the artisans financially.

“Now whatever chikan cloth is exported, it will generate an additional premium of 13 to 15 per cent. Of this premium earned, a major part will go to the craftsman,” Singh said.

He said that with GI certification in place, NEED now plans to set up a Chikankari Women Artisans Private Limited Company.

“Efforts will be made to directly associate the workers engaged in the industry so as to improve their social and economic status,” he added.