New Delhi: Bijay Kumar Parida of Odisha’s Sisupalgarh was among the 30 master craftsmen conferred with Shilp Guru Award by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at an event organised by the Ministry of Textiles here on Monday.
He won the award for Palmleaf Engraving for the year 2018.
Parida’s work, which is in Pattachitra style, draws on scenes from the mythological epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The Shilp Guru Awards are given to legendary master craftspersons in recognition of excellent craftsmanship, product excellence and the role played by them as gurus in the continuance of crafts to other trainee artisans as a vital part of traditional heritage. The awards, started in 2002, celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the resurgence of Handicrafts in India. It consists of a gold coin, Rs.2 lakh prize money, a Tamrapatra, a shawl and a certificate.
Besides 30 Shilp Guru Awards, 78 National Awards were also presented for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. Several craftsmen from Odisha also featured in the National Awardees list.
2017
Rakesh Kumar Maharana (Stone Carving)
Biranchi Narayana Behera (Painting)
Pradeepta Kumar Nayak (Straw Craft)
Sabita Mahapatra (Pattachitra Painting)
Swarnalata Mahapatra (Tasar Painting)
2018
Ranjan Moharana (Stone Carving)
Santosh Senapati (Palmleaf Engraving)
Sanghamitra Maharana (Pattachitra)
Rajendra Kumar Meher (Natural Fibre Tassar Silk)
Kuni Patra (Straw Craft)
2019
Susanta Kumar Das (Stone Carving)
Bijayalaxmi Swain (Palmleaf Engraving)
Swapna Manjari Nayak (Palmleaf Engraving)
The National Awards are being given since 1965 for outstanding craftsmanship in different craft categories – Metal Engraving, Chikan Hand Embroidery, Khurja Blue Pottery, Mata Ni Pachedi Kalamkari, Bandhani, Tie & Dye, Hand Block Bagh Print, Warli Art, Stone Dust Painting, Sozni Hand Embroidery, Terracotta, Tanjore Painting, Sholapith, Kantha Hand Embroidery, Palm leaf Engraving, Brass wire inlay on wood, Wood Tarkashi, Madhubani Painting, Gold Leaf Painting and straw craft.
The award consists of Rs.1 lakh prize money, a Tamrapatra, a shawl and a certificate.
The event could not be conducted earlier physically due to the pandemic, an official release said.
