SHILLONG, March 16: The two-day Craft Bazaar 2023, organised by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Shillong, was on Thursday inaugurated by the Director of Textiles & Handicrafts, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Haj Dodung, at its campus in Umsawli.
Addressing the inaugural programme, Dodung commended the NIFT Shillong organising the Craft Bazar, thereby creating a platform for artisans to showcase their work and sell their products.
He also stressed on the importance of supporting artisans to preserve the tradition of arts and crafts, especially in the fast-paced digital world.
Dodung also said that it is the NIFT that can assist various tribes of the Northeast in promoting their designs and motifs.
Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor, who was also part of the inaugural programme, opined about the importance of contemporising ethnicity and folk stories in handloom and handicraft of the region.
NIFT Shillong Director Shankar Kumar Jha, on the other hand, appreciated the work of the artisans and emphasised the critical role that institutions such as NIFT, in collaboration with artisan community, play in promoting and showcasing the unique and creative crafts of India on the global front.
Meanwhile, artisans at the Craft Bazaar have expressed their happiness in being provided an opportunity to showcase their products and promote them in the market.
The artisans have also expressed hope that through such opportunities, they will improve and share their ideas with others who represent the neighbouring state.
It may be mentioned that the Craft Bazaar is a unique initiative of the Ministry of Textiles to provide a platform to the artisans of handicrafts and handlooms to showcase their work and sell their products.
Participated by artisans from 23 clusters of North East, the event showcases a diverse range of handlooms and handicrafts from North East.
“About 14 stalls will be exhibiting and selling exquisite works of 22 artisans/weavers from Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya with products like cane-bamboo, jewellery, handloom, weaving, embroidery, dry flowers, black pottery, textiles, and many more,” the statement said.