The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the awards to Shilp Gurus and National Awardees at a function at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi today. 21 Shilp Guru Awards and 59 National Awards for the year 2012, 2013 & 2014 were presented to master craftspersons, sixteen of whom are women. The main objective of the awards is to give recognition to masters for their excellence in craftsmanship and valuable contribution to Indian Handicrafts.

Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated the awardees and expressed his deep appreciation for their excellent contribution to the preservation and promotion of Indian handicraft traditions, thereby enriching the cultural heritage of the country. Shri Mukherjee highlighted the importance of the handicrafts sector by virtue of its contribution to employment generation and empowerment of women and disadvantaged segments. The President noted with satisfaction that Indian handicrafts has recently been doing very well in both domestic and international markets.

The President of India expressed happiness at the launch of the comprehensive National Handicrafts Development Programme that emphasizes integrated approach for development of handicrafts clusters. He said that the new approach is built on empowering artisans by skill upgradation, design development, technology upgradation and supply of raw material through easily accessible Common Facility Centres at cluster level. He added that another component of the new approach is the development and strengthening of marketing linkages through options such as exporters, direct sale, sale expos and e-commerce. The President appreciated the fact that opportunities made available by Information Technology are being exploited to provide financial assistance to artisans directly through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

The President said that universities, corporate houses and government departments can all play a role in the promotion of Indian handicrafts in domestic as well as international markets by sponsoring research and upgradation of traditional tools and designs. Shri Mukherjee welcomed the decision to set up a Hastkala Academy in the national capital. The President recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s words, wherein he stated that scholastic training in handicrafts can usher in a new revolution in the revival of village handicrafts in the country. He concluded by congratulating and extending his wishes to the entire handicrafts community for their consistent creative efforts.

Congratulating the awardees, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Union Minister of State for Textiles (I/C) said that the Awards bestow on the awardees a sacred responsibility to not only maintain their skill, but to also keep the handicrafts tradition alive. He hoped that the Awards would encourage the artisans to train others and add further to India’s rich cultural heritage.

Dr. S. K. Panda, Secretary, Textiles complimented the artisans for their contribution, while also highlighting the new approach adopted by the Government for promotion of the handicrafts sector.

Dr. K. Gopal, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and Shri Alok Kumar, Development Commissioner (Handlooms) were also present at the occasion.

Shilp Guru Awards

Shilp Guru Awards are given to legendary master craftspersons, in recognition of excellent craftsmanship, product excellence and the role played by them in the continuance of crafts as a vital part of traditional heritage.

The Awards were launched on 15^th November, 2002, by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the resurgence of Handicrafts in India. On that occasion, the then President of India Late Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam honored ten masters of the craft tradition, responsible for the maintenance of the living cultural heritage of India.

From 2002 to 2014, 117 artisans responsible for maintaining craft traditions have been selected for the Award. This includes 13 master craftswomen.  It was decided that the awards should be given a countrywide coverage through the audio-visual media, to make people aware of the importance of handicrafts in the socio-economic livelihood of vast segments of the rural population.

The Award consists of a gold coin, Rs. 2,00,000/- in cash, a Tamrapatra, an Angavastram and a certificate.

21 Shilp Gurus have been selected for the years 2012, 2013 & 2014, out of whom 18 are male and 3 are female.

National Awards

The Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) has been implementing the scheme of National Awards for master craftspersons since 1965.  The main objective is to give recognition to outstanding craftspersons in the handicrafts sector. The awardees represent almost all states and UTs of the country, as well as different craft styles of different locations.

Since 1965 to 2014, 1,193 master craftspersons have been selected for the award, out of whom 186 are women.  The main crafts for which the Awards have been given are Metal Engraving, Terracotta, Worli Painting, Madhubani Painting, Papier Mache, Punjabi Tilla Jutti, Miniature Painting, Gold Leaf Painting, Pichwai painting, Phad Painting, Hand Block Printing, Bone Carving, Sandal Wood Carving, Tie and Dye Clay Modelling, coconut shell carving, Lac work, Stone Dust, Pattachitra, paddy craft jewellery and straw craft.

The Award consists of Rs. 1,00,000/- in cash, a Tamrapatra, an Angavastram and a certificate.  59 craftspersons have been selected for the National Awards for the year 2012, 2013, & 2014. 

The Shilp Guru Awards, National Awards and National Merit Certificate are awarded to a craftsperson only once in a lifetime, to encourage master craftspersons to maintain excellence in craftsmanship and keep alive our old tradition. 

DJM