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Gifts PM carried to G7 meet were made by these U.P. artisans
U.P. chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that the PM has given new heights to the handicrafts of the state (by showcasing them) on the global stage
At the 48th G7 Summit, now underway at the German resort of Schloss Elmau, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone bearing gifts for the world leaders gathering there. Craftsman in Uttar Pradesh have reason to delight for the PM has carried with him their artwork as gift items for heads of developed countries.
In a series of tweets, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that the PM has given new heights to the handicrafts of the state (by showcasing them) on the global stage.
Here’s a brief description about some of the artists who were involved in making gift items with their indigenous artwork.
Gulabi Meenakari peacock brooch and cufflink set for US President made in Varanasi
Crafted by national awardee Ramesh Kumar Vishwakarma and his two sons, Rohan and Vaibhav, it took them 18 days to complete the task of making a Gulabi Meenakari peacock brooch. Rohan said it is an honour that their artwork got an international stamp when the PM gifted it to the US President. These cufflinks were prepared for the US President with a matching brooch for the First Lady, he said.
Gulabi Meenakari is a GI-tagged art form of Varanasi. “It is a piece of pure silver moulded into a base form, and the chosen design is embossed on the metal. The embossed shapes are then filled with crushed meena glass mixed with natural anardana (pomegranate seeds) glue. What distinguishes it from other meenakari is the layer of white meena which acts as an opaque canvas for hand painted motifs. The motifs use the pink (Gulabi), which lends its name to the craft,” he said.
Lacquerware Ram Darbar for Indonesia’s President
Om Prakash Sharma, 51, of Varanasi, crafted wooden idols of the principal characters of the Ramayana like Ram, Sita, Laxman Hanuman and Jatayu, each measuring less than 2 feet. “I was told that the PM will gift these to the Indonesian PM,” he said.
“Ours is the fifth generation which is into this work. The process is a tedious one. I got the order during the ground-breaking ceremony in Lucknow and handed over the goods on June 18,” he said. The GI-tagged lacquerware art form has its roots in Varanasi.
Sharma said it is believed that the Indonesian version of Ramayana was written during the Medang Kingdom (732-1006 AD) in Central Java. It is known as Kakawin Ramayana. The story of Ramayana was narrated to people through shadow puppetry (wayang kulit and wayang purwa).
Moonj baskets and cotton durries for Senegal’s President
Master craftswoman from Prayagraj, Firoza, 36, made Moonj baskets. It took her 12 days to complete the task. She engaged several other women to finish the task.
In Senegal, the tradition of hand-weaving is passed down from mother to daughter, adding to its importance as a vehicle for cultural expression and family livelihood – driven by strong women.
The same is done in Prayagraj, Sultanpur and Amethi districts of the state of Uttar Pradesh, where Moonj (Saccharum bengalense), a kind of grass, is now acting as a sustainable source of income for rural women.
Attar from Kannauj for president of France
Shakti Vinay Shukla, director, Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre, said that the box includes: Attar Mitti, a unique attar produced in Kannauj, where petrichor, the smell of the first rain falling on parched earth, is captured over sandalwood oil. It has an earthy, wet, natural aroma, produced by 5000-year-old traditional deg and bhapka method by distilling specially selected baked soil over sandalwood oil. It also has jasmine oil, an exclusive natural oil, produced by freshly plucked flowers of Bela.
The attar is produced by distillation to capture the closest to natural fresh, floral, sweet, green odour of the freshly plucked flower of Bela.
The box also includes Attar Shamama, a unique attar capturing the essence of a number of herbs and spices of Vedic formulation over sandalwood oil, and Attar Gulab, an attar having an odour closest to a natural rose petal, produced by hydro-distillation in a copper vessel, to avoid overheating the petals.
CAPTIONS: Firoza with Moonj basket of Prayagraj
