The two-day Craft Bazaar 2023, organised by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Shillong, was inaugurated by the Arunachal Pradesh Director of Textiles & Handicrafts, Haj Dodung, at its campus in Umsawli.
Addressing the inaugural programme yesterday, Dodung commended the NIFT Shillong organising the Craft Bazar and stressed on the importance of supporting artisans to preserve the tradition of arts and crafts, especially in the fast-paced digital world.
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, 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.
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.