Mirzapur craftswomen to showcase work at Japan Carpet Fair

VARANASI: A group of craftswomen associated with a self help group have been invited to the Japan Carpet Fair to sell and exhibit the foot mats and wall hangings they have made. The craftswomen of Gareeb Prerana Swayam Sahayta Samuh, in Khajuri village of Mirzapur, make quality foot mats and wall hangings.

Impressed by the talents of these craftswomen, the organisers of the fair invited the entire group to Japan and gave them an opportunity to sell their products at the Japan Carpet Fair which will be held in 2021, a press statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government read. SHG director Afsana Begum said, “The group is doing business of Rs 2.5 lakh per year. The women have also started selling wall hangings, foot mats, and show pieces across the state which also benefited the ODOP scheme launched by the Uttar Pradesh government.”

This is just one SHG, while thousands of such SHGs were created during the lockdown to provide employment to women in Uttar Pradesh.

“The local weavers here inherit the centuries’ old legacy, which should be sustained. We are consistently engaged in providing a platform to these women through various programmes. Not only has the group made itself financially stable under the National Rural Livelihood Mission but gave a major boost to the carpet business,” said district mission director Ramesh Priyadarshi.

Afsana and her team have always made Uttar Pradesh as well as the nation proud with their talent. Earlier, the handicraft of Mirzapur has been appreciated in Kashmir, Lucknow, and Hyderabad.

Local weavers also incorporate new perspectives into traditional crafts with state-of-theart design technology to create authentic designs and masterpieces that will now be displayed on a world stage.