Six craftmen get Kalamani awards at Surajkund fair
New Kerala
Surajkund (Haryana), Feb 15 : Six craftsmen, including a woman, were given Kalamani Awards at the conclusion of the Surajkund Crafts Mela here today.
Those given the Kalamni Awards are: Benudhar Mahapatra (Orissa), Qamrunnisha, Zhaoordin Usta and Rajesh Kumar Jangid (all three from Rajasthan), Panchhu Ram Sagar (Chattisgarh) and Ramakant R Suryavanshi (Maharashtra).
Seven artists Khem Raj Kumahar (Rajasthan), Manimegalai Manikarm (Tamil Nadu), Khandu Wangchuk (Sikkim), Kailash Chandera Meher, Sarvan Lata Meher, Lingraj Maharana (all three from Orissa) and Avdesh Pandey (Rajasthan) were conferred with Kala Nidhi Awards.
Those who got the Kala Shri Awards were Puran Kumar Devangan (Chattisgarh), S Jeya Cruz (Tamil Nadu), Shiv Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Suresh Chandra Dass (Tripura), Vankar Harji Aaatubhai (Gujarat), Mahasunderi Devi (Bihar) and Balu Jiya (Maharashtra).
Haryana Governor A R Kidwai was the chief guest at the concluding function of the Mela at which more than 350 artisans and weavers from all over the country showcased the exquisite and rich heritage of handloom and handicraft.
For the first time craftsmen and weavers from the SAARC nations, including Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Burma and Bangladesh displayed their items.
