Bhubaneswar: Pattachitra artisan couple from Odisha Sudhir Kumar Maharana and Urbashee Maharana will be conferred with Shilp Guru Award and National Award in Handicrafts respectively.
The Maharanas will receive the highest honours in India’s handicrafts sector conferred by the Ministry of Textiles to recognise exceptional contribution to the preservation and advancement of traditional crafts, from President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony i
n the national capital on December 9.
Sudhir Kumar Maharana has been selected for the prestigious Shilp Guru Award, which is bestowed upon master craftspersons whose work and dedication have contributed not only to the preservation of rich and diverse craft heritage of the country but also to the resurgence of handicrafts sector as a whole, He is among six artisans from across the country chosen for the honour this year.
Likewise, Urbashee is among 18 artists in the country chosen for the National Awards for 2023.
The Bhubaneswar-based couple has dedicated over four decades to practising, promoting, and teaching the ancient Odia art form of Pattachitra – intricate narrative scroll paintings on cloth using natural colours. Beyond Pattachitra, they are also skilled in palm-leaf engraving and the painting of traditional wooden toys.