The prestigious National Handloom Awards and Sant Kabir Handloom Awards for 2023 have been awarded to six artisans from the North-eastern region of India. The winners will receive their awards at Vigyan Mancha on August 7, 2024.
The winner are as follows: Meghali Das of Assam, Vekuvolu Dozo of Nagaland, Nabam Yapi of Arunachal, Nirmala Sinha of Tripura and Vanlalruati of Mizoram.
Wahengbam Shaya from Manipur also received the “Sant Kabir Handloom Award for women weavers,” which is also known as the “Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay Sant Kabir Handloom Award.”
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
The Sant Kabir Award was established in order to acknowledge weavers for creating a bridge between the past, present and future with knowledge, design and skills by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The award was brought about in memory of Sant Kabir who was a 15th Century mystic poet and sant of India.
The award is presented to Handloom Weavers, Designers, Handloom organisations and Marketing Agencies who have made great strides to keep the tradition of handloom alive and for showing excellence in the handloom sector.
Additionally, the award is also given by the President of India, along with Shilp Guru Awards and National Awards presented to the Master Craftsperson and Master Weavers. This was introduced in the year 1965.
It’s objectives lay as:
- To recognise extraordinary skills and contribution of handloom weavers, designers,
- organisations and Marketing Agencies towards promotion, development and preservation
- of weaving tradition and welfare of the weaving community.
- Recognise talent and workmanship of young weavers, be role models and inspire others
- to emulate them.
- Reward individuals/ organisations to adopt innovative measures for marketing of
- handloom products and recognise their achievements.
