Lankan craftsmen felicitated at National Shilpa Abhimani

Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen (centre) and President Maithripala Sirisena view a Kandyan-style devil mask at the National Crafts Council exhibition and award ceremony held at Apey Gama in Battaramulla in December 2015

• Over 600 Sri Lankan craft winners from wide-ranging sectors
• ‘NCC’s Nov 2016 int’l expo helped SL craftsmen’: Rishad
• 2016 Expo first int’l level event for Lankan craftsmen

 Creating history in Sri Lanka’s handicraft sector, an unprecedented number of Lankan craftsmen are to be felicitated at the Shilpa Abhimani National Handicrafts Awards ceremony held today in Polgolla, Kandy.

“President Sirisena’s scheduled participation at today’s event in Polgolla is an honour to Sri Lankan craftsmen of all types,” said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen. Minister Bathiudeen was discussing the preparations for this morning’s National Shilpa Abhimani Awards event - which will be held in Polgolla, Kandy - with top officials from his ministry’s National Crafts Council on 25 February in Colombo.  

“This event felicitates almost 600 winners of the 2016 November Handicrafts Competition held along with the 2016 SAARC Handicraft Exhibition in November 2016,” said Minister Bathiudeen. 

“I congratulate all the winners who are greatly upholding our historic traditions. The work of the National Crafts Council under me in getting SAARC countries to participate in the November 2016 Colombo event is commendable,” he added.

Today’s awards ceremony takes place at the National Cooperative Building in Polgolla, Kandy. Almost 600 Sri Lankan craftsmen and women who were picked from the 2016 SAARC Handicraft Exhibition at BMICH are scheduled to be felicitated by the President at this event. 

Interestingly, the winners come from a wide range of handicraft sectors ranging from those using clay, mats, fibres, jute, cotton, cane and bamboo, metal, jewellery-related crafts, masks and puppets, carvings, musical instruments, textiles, textile-based material, lace, lacquer works, wood-based crafts, leather crafts, stone-based crafts, paintings and sculptures as well as some specialised in arts such as batik and Sri Lanka’s own Dumbara designs.

The 2016 SAARC Handicraft Exhibition at the BMICH was held from 17-20 November with more than 30,000 participants. It was the first such national handicraft expo that was held in Sri Lanka with international participation. It was attended by craftsmen from several SAARC countries.