One for the craftsmen
Ageographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on certain products, which correspond to a specific geographical location or origin.With the initiative to promote GI, the Ministry of Textiles is organising Kala Kumbh – Handicrafts Thematic Exhibition, at Growel’s 101 Mall in Kandivali.
The exhibition has been planned in Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai, as well.
Supported by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), the exhibition aims to promote livelihood for artisans, who’re participating from across the country and displaying their works at this ten-day-long event.
Rakesh Kumar, director general, EPCH, says, “Artisans are the backbone of the Indian handicraft sector and possess inherent technical and traditional craftsmanship. At this exhibition, the visitors will be able to see a wide variety of GI crafts. One could go with their friends and family and buy these handicrafts. In this way, they could help better the livelihoods of these artisans, who come from various parts of
India.”
Bahar Chitrakar, 65, an artisan from Kalaghat, West Bengal, whose work is based on folklores from the state, says, every work has a folk song associated with it. “I have been making Pattachitra (traditional, cloth-based scroll painting from Odisha and West Bengal) since I was 15 years old. This is the only source of livelihood for my entire family and there are 22 of us. The Pattachitra is made on paper and mounted on long metres of cloth. We use natural colours such as black from lamp soot, yellow from haldi, blue from the Aparajita flower and red from betel leaves to paint these artworks.”