President Pranab Mukherjee will present the Shilp Guru and National Awards to artisans for their contribution to Indian handicrafts here tomorrow.
"The President of India will present 59 National Awards for 2012, 2013, & 2014 in this function. Since 1965 to 2014, 1,193 master craftspersons responsible for maintaining craft traditions have been selected. Out of these 186 are women.
"The main objective is to give recognition to masters for their excellence in craftsmanship and valuable contribution to Indian Handicrafts", a release said.
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Four craftspersons from Delhi will also receive Shilp Guru and National Awards for their great contribution to Indian Handicraft.
"While the award is given in recognition of excellent craftsmanship and the major role played by them in continuing craft as a vital part of traditional heritage, it is also necessary to recognise product excellence keeping in view the global market trends," the release said.
The Shilp Guru Awards, National Awards and National Merit Certificate are awarded to a craftsperson only once in a lifetime to encourage him/her to maintain excellence in craftsmanship and keeping alive the old tradition.
Gaganendra Nath Tagore, popularly known as 'Gagan
Thakur', had designed the very first scarf with a beautiful traditional motif.
The products in their present 600 sq ft showroom in South Kolkata included beautiful Dhanekhali sarees stitched by about 40 weavers from Phulia, the hub of cotton sarees with simple designs from Bengal, door curtains, table linen, bed linen by self help groups from places like East Midnapore, palanquin-elephant-durga dokra art from Birbhum, beautiful hand-crafted masks made of papier mache and patochitra made available through banglanatok.Com.
The association was famous for items like its Portuguese cutwork and shadow work and a unique weave called Roshanara, which was created by mixing rayon and cotton yarn.
"Having shifted from two places previously, now we are at this permanent address though facing space crunch. However, we expect rise in footfall in the coming days. The masks had been sold out in the last festive season while we are expecting non resident Indians to drop in at this place during Christmas when they visit Kolkata, " she said.
An interactive session is planned between children and artisans during Christmas while 'Earth Day' campaigners will also talk about eco-friendly products to spread awareness in future, she said.
