500 artisans to take part in exhibition marking Kasturba Gandhi's 75th death anniversary

A five-day exhibition of crafts by 500 artisans from across the country will commemorate Kasturba Gandhis 75th death anniversary (which falls on Friday), along with Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary year.

The exhibition named 'Ba, Bapu evam Shilpkala Utsav' will run from February 22 to 26 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here.

The showcasing artisans have been selected from a pool of over 10,000 artisans who participated in a pan-India programme 'Hunar Khoj Yatra' that started on October 2, 2018 from Rajghat.

The Yatra was an initiative to identify and acknowledge craft traditions and artisan communities that had not been acknowledged so far, IGNCA Janapada Sampada Division head Molly Kaushal told IANS.

There would be knife-makers, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, potters, weed mat-makers, folk painters and handloom artisans, among others who will be displaying utility, ritual and decorative crafts at 'Hunar Haat' organised at the event.

The cultural festival seeks to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream of self sufficient villages, and is organised in partnership with Sampoorna Bamboo Kendra, a non-governmental organisation which train artisans and promotes handicrafts made out of bamboo.

The exhibition will be inaugurated with a classical dance performance 'Natya Katha: Kahani Kasturba Ki' by Padma Vibushan recipient and Rajya Sabha member Sonal Mansingh on Friday at the Ambedkar International Centre here.

Entry is free for the public.

--IANS

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