Shawl wins UNESCO handicrafts award

Karma Yangchen, a mother of three and owner of a handicraft shop in Bhutan, recently won the South Asia UNESCO award for excellence in handicrafts. Karma had submitted a shawl among thirteen other handicraft items of Bhutanese origin. The award recognises quality products that combine innovation in design, beauty and traditional skills. A total of 167 entries were received from countries like India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal and were evaluated by an international panel of judges.
India won 27 awards, the highest number, followed by Pakistan with five, Sri Lanka three, Nepal two and Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan one each. The cotton shawl presented by Karma scored for carrying appeal, vibrant colour, beautiful motifs and good pricing, averred, the judges.
The shawl was also admired for its authenticity and quality by the jury and considered fit enough for marketability at international levels. Karma in the past has also designed uniforms for the national airline of Bhutan along with running the handicrafts store and also has learnt weaving.
Currently, she has a team of twelve weavers for whom, she now provides patterns and designs for the shawls they weave. The general consensus among the jury on Bhutanese handicraft products was that they excelled in quality, authenticity and techniques, but lacked in innovation, finishing and market appeal.

Himachal Pradesh to patent handicrafts

Handicrafts and Handlooms Corporation would patent its products for their genuineness and quality to win the trust of the consumers and create goodwill in the market for the state products. This was revealed by Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, chief minister, while presiding over the 140th meeting of the board of directors of Himachal Pradesh Handicraft and Handloom Corporation and the 129th meeting of the board of directors of the Himachal Pradesh Khadi and Village Industries Board, held at Shimla under his chairmanship today (July 30).

The CM said that handmade and handwoven products were gaining popularity with the people, who have developed taste for quality handmade products and were prepared to part with any amount of money to buy such products. He said that the corporation needed to target such customers and make their choicest products available through their retail outlets. He said that with the distinct mark of product on all woollen and other handicrafts would build credibility of the state amongst the prospective customers, who would also be saved from getting cheated for fake products being sold in the name of Himachal Pradesh products.

He said that necessary modalities needed to be chalked out to get the patent registered and for applying the same on its products. He also emphasised on the need to upgrade the marketing system and adopt modern technologies for exploring wider marketing horizons for its products. He also advised the management to study the report of the students from London over the patenting of the Kullu shawls, who were recently on visit to the state to do research on the Kullu shawl industry.

He said that Himachal Pradesh was full of many distinctions in the handicraft and handloom sector, which included handwoven woollen products and other artefacts. He said that efforts needed to be made to revive the old artefacts of the state, which were at the verge of extinction. He said that there were many craftsmen in the rural areas, who possessed the quality of producing top quality products, which needed to be identified and the young generation trained in the discipline. He said that the corporation needed to contribute significantly towards the revival of the rich handicrafts and handlooms, which had maintained its distinct identity for quality products in the market.

Okhai will showcase rural women's handicrafts

Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development unveiled first nation-wide exclusive outlet of handicrafts brand — Okhai, at a mall in Drive-In area of Ahmedabad.

The retail outlet will house handicrafts created by women from drought-prone Okhamandal region of Gujarat. Okhai is part of Tata Chemicals' corporate social responsibility initiative to generate employment in rural areas.

According to a company communiqué, currently hundreds of women from Okhamandal region were involved with the project that was set up by forming self-help groups in villages of the backward region.

According to Tata Chemicals COO Arup Basu, the first in a chain of nation-wide retail outlets, Okhai was a platform to bring the products of rural craftsmanship to urban centres.