Supporting the Artisans! Roshini Nilaya hosts ‘Craft of India’ Exhibition

Supporting the Artisans! Roshini Nilaya hosts ‘Craft of India’ Exhibition

Mangaluru: The Second Season of ‘Crafts of India’, a two-days exhibition-cum-sale of handicrafts organized by the Sociology-Economics Forum of School of Social Work-Roshni Nilaya-Mangaluru in collaboration with Inchara Foundation was inaugurated on Friday, 11 August 2017 by Mangaluru City Corporation Mayor Kavitha Sanil, along with other dignitaries on the dais namely- Preetham Rodrigues-Director of Inchara Foundation; Dr Laxminarayan Bhat-Registrar (Evaluation) at Roshni Nilaya; Ms Jennis Mary -Vice Principal, Roshni Nilaya; Ms Cecilia F Goveas- HOD of Economics, Roshni Nilaya; and Ms Joan Rita O’Brien- HOD of Sociology-Roshni Nilaya. Inauguration was done in a unique way by spinning the ancient and traditional Charkha.

The second season of “Crafts of India”- a exhibition cum sale of handicrafts in support of the artisans was organized with an ardent desire to create a larger canvas than what exists today, for all the beautiful and unparalleled creativity that the simple artisans of India have been quietly perfecting for centuries. People’s art in India does not wait for a canvas or paints made in a factory. Handicraft exhibitions not only promote the art of their creators but also testify to the taste of good art. Today the main challenge the artisans face is that they are not able to earn a good livelihood through art due to various reasons. Many of us do not know the depth of Indian culture. In our day to day life we do many things which we feel are part of tradition but are ignorant of their exact meaning. This exhibition will surely bring an awareness among the people to buy the hand made products and thus support the Indian Artisans.

The programme began with invoking God’s blessings through a prayer song sung by Sr Archana and group, followed by welcome address and briefing of the Exhibition by Ms Joan Rita O’Brien, where she said, ” The handicrafts of Indian artisans have slowly lost relevance with the advent of industrialization. And today it is viewed merely as ‘decorative, peripheral and elitist’. It is a long battle of overcoming the challenges of unorganized production, low education, lack of quality raw materials, lack of funding, lack of market linkages, dominance of middlemen, and lack of interest by current generation. So in order to bring awareness of Indian culture/traditions/art and to support the Indian artisans we have organized this two-days exhibition on 11th and 12th. Your support is very much solicited “

Addressing the gathering Mayor Kavitha Sanil said, ” Why India ticks across the world is because of the Indians who have realized the value of Indian culture and hence are more connected to their roots. Being in India we have not realized this and hence we are forgetting our culture. I call upon everyone to be a proud Indian. I also urge everyone to work towards conserving Indian folklore and cultural richness of the country. I compliment this college and Inchara Foundation for their efforts in organizing this exhibition which will support the Indian Artisans. The college has made a difference in the lives of young people and many others by organizing various events of this kind. It is a golden opportunity for the students of Roshini Nilaya to develop their skills. Next time you should do this exhibition in bigger scale, may be a bigger venue or Nehru Maidan, and if you need any help from MCC I will fully support and cooperate with you for this good cause”

The special attractions of the exhibition were live demos from artisans (terracotta and metal jewellery making), exhibition cum sale of Terracota jewellery, Dokra crafts, handloom sarees, mehendi corner, materials from various states of India, Kurti’s and Jackets, jute products, etc. Visitors got a chance to buy weaves of North East, Chanderi, Orissa, Kalamkari and other places. Traditional food like Sannas, Patholi, Pundi, Moode, Pani/Bhel puri, Pathrode, and other authentic homemade delicacies were also sold at the exhibition hall-where all those who were craving for authentic homemade cuisine filled their tummies.

Dr Laxminarayan Bhat-Registrar  (Evaluation) at Roshni Nilaya introduced chief guest Kavitha Sanil, and called her the powerful Mayor of Mangaluru, and that the college felt proud to have her to inaugurate the exhibition. The vote of thanks was proposed by Ms Cecilia F Goveas- HOD of Economics, Roshni Nilaya; and the programme was compered by Ms Edna Fernandes. Mangalorean.com is the proud media partner for this event.

In conclusion, the handicraft artisans of India are known for their perfection of craftsmanship, excellence of design and form, and an unsurpassed sense of color. The nimble fingers of each craftsman turn every article they touch into a thing of joy. These handicrafts reflect not only the refined taste of their makers but also testify to the love of the people for beautiful objects of rituals, decoration and of daily use. Man’s association with art and craft dates back to the advent of human civilization. No wonder, the advent of human civilization and its association with the tick tack of the warp and weft on the loom is traced to the same time. India, a country of 29 states, 7 union territories, 18 languages and more than 1500 dialects, offers an enormous range of handicrafts and exhaustive list of handlooms from each of the states and union territories. Therefore we need to support these Indian Artisans the best we can.

Ending this report with a poem by the Weaver poet, Kabir Das-“

“I weave your name on the loom of my mind,

To make my garment when you come to me,

My loom had=s ten thousand threads,

To make my garment when you come to me.

The sun and moon watch while I weave your name,

The sun and moon hear while I count your name,

These are the wages I get by day and night,

To deposit in the lotus bank of my heart”.

Note : Exhibition timing from 10.30 am till 6 pm on both the days (11 and 12 August) -Come Support Our Artisans!

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