Skip to main content

PM Narendra Modi to present Banarasi handicrafts to Japanese PM Shinzo Abe

By
      VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present famed geographical indication tagged handicraft products to his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe during their visit to Varanasi on December 12.  These exclusive Banarasi products include intricate brocade, Gulabi Meenakari (Pink enameled items), wood carving and soft stone craft undercut works.

"We have collected exquisite handicraft items of Banaras, which will be presented to the Japanese PM by our PM," said senior BJP leader Ashok Dhawan. The collection represents the rich culture of art and crafts of the city, he said adding, "It will be a delighted moment for to see these signature products of Banaras being presented to the visiting guest from Japan." "We have also requested to the people engaged in management for live demonstration of handicraft making at the Nadesar Palace, where the two PMs will stay for dinner," he added.

Two exquisite pieces of pink enamel art - an idol of Lord Ganesha and a peacock on wooden base are in the collection of gifts. The idol of Ganesha was made by Kunjbihari Singh of Lalghat area, and peacock was prepared by Balramdas of Prahlad Ghat area. Kunjbihari recently displayed his craftsmanship at the 55th General Assembly of International Bureau of World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva (Switzerland) held in October last year.

"Gulabi Meenakari is considered as the most alluring and technical of all metal decorations. Earlier, Banarasi Gulabi Meenakari was done on gold but now we use other metals like silver and copper," said Kunjhihari. According to records, Banaras stands next to Jaipur in the art of enamelling and the nature of Banaras pink is similar to Jaipur red. In 19th century and early 20th century, pink enamel was famous throughout the country and was much sought after by princes and the aristocracy. Unlike the red enamel of Jaipur, which has still maintained the high quality and fine workmanship of the 19th century, the pink enamel of Banaras was short-lived. It ended here in the first quarter of 20th century when its last hereditary master Babbu Singh passed away in 1923. After a gap of about half a century, there has been a revival of pink enamelling in Banaras, chiefly as a trade to meet the demands of tourists and of women, who have taken to old jewellery more as a fashion than out of love for its charm and grace. National Museum of India, New Delhi and Bharat Kala Bhawan have collections of this art.

In the collection there is a wooden idol of Lord Buddha, a specimen of the art of wood carving made by Premshankar Vishwakarma of Lehartara area. Besides, three pieces of the soft stone craft undercut work made by Bachchelal of Ramnagar area also find place in the collection.

It may be mentioned here that Varanasi region has emerged a hub of geographical indication products, which include Banarasi brocade, Banarasi sarees, and handmade carpet of Bhadohi, Banaras gulabi meenakari craft, Varanasi wooden lacquerware and toys, and Mirzapuri handmade dari. Besides, two more products - Banaras metal repousse craft and Nizamabad black clay pottery are also in the queue.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

8 Foods That Prevent Cancer

By
1.    Cauliflower Image source: Simply Scratch Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, a compound that has been shown to have anti-cancer effects. Sulforaphane are released when cauliflower is broken down, so focus on chewing it before swallowing. This compound seeks and destroys certain cancer cells without harming your healthy cells. There are plenty of recipes available online on how you can add cauliflower to your meals. Cauliflower and broccoli have similar effects, so add broccoli to your list of foods too. 2.    Carrots Image source: http://eatbelive.com/ Even though carrots are mainly thought to be good for one’s eye sight, researches from the last ten years suggest that they are also good against some types of cancer, one of which is prostate cancer. A study was done on mice who were fed an increased carrot intake, and the study showed that carrots could stop the growth of prostate cancer. Carrot have many other health benefi...
Post a Comment
Read more

The first stethoscope

By
René Laennec, a French doctor and inventor was born 235 years ago today, and Google has marked his birthday with a Doodle. Dr Laennec's importance to modern medicine was guaranteed by his invention of the very first stethoscope in 1816. Here are five things you (probably) didn't know about him : 1. Dr Laennec's stethoscope bears little semblance to the modern stethoscope. Unlike those used today, Dr Laennec's stethoscope was not a set of ear pieces connected by a plastic tube to a chest piece. His stethoscopes were simple cylinders made from wood and metal. The doctor using it would simply place it directly over the area in question and listen at the other end. 2. His first stethoscope was a rolled up piece of paper Described in his  1819 treatise  on this device, Dr Laennec invented the stethoscope while treating a young woman suffering from symptoms of heart disease. 3. The stethoscope was not his only contribution to medical science I...
Post a Comment
Read more

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review

By
For most of the reviews here at Gadgets 360, we use the mobile in question as our primary phone for about a week or so before sharing our verdict with you. We realise this isn't perfect, since there are some aspects of the device that don't become obvious during that time, and in an ideal world, we'd use every phone for a couple of months before we publish our review. But we work under constraints where most devices aren't available to us for that long - almost all products that we review are loaned to us by companies for short durations - and there's also the competitive pressure of wanting to get your review out before others do, as long as it doesn't involve cutting any corners. With the launch of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in India, Apple offered to loan the two new iPhones to Gadgets 360 - and indeed other publications - for more than the typical timeframe of a few days. The India iPhone launch of course came a few we...
1 comment
Read more