It was a happy day for craftspersons of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd on Thursday organised the Presentation of State Awards to Craftspersons at the Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai.
The Honourable Minister for Rural Industries & Animal Husbandry, Pongalur N. Palaniswamy conferred the State Awards for the outstanding craftsmen for the years 2005-06 and 2006-07 on 10 craftspersons. He also felicitated the National Award winning craftspersons from Tamil Nadu during the last five years.
Thiru. Vishwanath Shegaonkar, IAS, Secretary to Government, HHT&K Department also presided over the function.
The Minister in his introductory speech said, "From the year 2007-08 the Government of Tamil Nadu has decided to confer the State Awards on 10 artisans each year as against the 5 awards being presented now."
The craftsmen are highly talented in intricate pursuits like Tanjore Paintings, stone carvings, wood carvings, glass painting, Kalamkari pieces, bronze icons, etc.
According to Thiru. N. Manoharan from Trichy, one among the 5 Poompuhar State Awardees for the year 2005-06, "My father was an artist by profession and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I'm glad that my hard work has paid off. I worked on my Tanjore Painting for almost 4 months and I'm pleased I'm being recognised for my efforts. I've already got offers to sell my painting in the United States. I'm very happy with my work and I'm happy that I'm making Trichy and Tamil Nadu proud."
His wife, Anandarajeshwari adds, "I've always wanted him to win and I'm glad that it's finally happening. He has used gold leaves, stones and glass on his paintings. I'm sure it's value will increase as the years go by."
Thiru. K. Raja, from Salem is one among the few to have been conferred with not only the State Award but also the VTI Award, the Prime Minister's Award and the President's Award for his work on bronze icons. Today he was felicitated with the National Award.
The awardees are selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities in the field of handicrafts. The Award consists of a gold medal (4 grams), Rs. 20000 in cash, a memento and a certificate.
K Rashmi