Pranab Mukherjee to honour master craftspersons, weavers

Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles; Smt. Kiran Dhingra, Secretary (Textiles); Sh. S.S. Gupta, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts); and Smt. Monika Garg, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), will also attend the award ceremony.

The Shilp Guru Award for the Master craftpersons was introduced during the year 2002.These awards are conferred to legendary master craftspersons of Handicrafts whose work and dedication have contributed not only to the preservation of rich and diverse craft heritage of the country, but also to the resurgence of handicrafts sector as a whole.

Each Award consists of one mounted gold coin, one shawl, Certificate and a Tamrapatra. In addition, financial assistance to the extent of Rs.6.00 lakhs is also given to each selected Shilp Guru Awardee to innovate and create five new products of high level of excellence, high aesthetic value and high quality befitting the stature of the Guru.

Sant Kabir Award has been introduced in 2009 and this award is conferred on such outstanding weavers who have made valuable contribution in keeping alive the handloom heritage and also for his dedication in building up the linkages between the past, present and the future through dissemination of knowledge on traditional skills and designs.

Each Sant Kabir Award consists of one mounted gold coin, one shawl, certificate and a Tamrapatra. In addition, financial assistance to the extent of Rs. 6.00 lakhs is also given to each selected Sant Kabir awardee to innovate and create 10 new products of high level of excellence, high aesthetic value and high quality.

National Awards to Master Craftspersons and master weavers were introduced in 1965. The award comprises of a cash prize of Rs.1,00,000/-, a certificate, Tamrapatra and an Angavastrarm.

The Awardees of these two years represent almost all States of the country apart from different crafts and weaving styles of different locations in the country.

Out of the total twenty Shilp Guru Awardees, eighteen are male and two are female.