The Uttar Pradesh government, continuing emphasis on the empowerment of local artisans and craftsmen will provide a platform to products of over 150 such artisans through a 3-day long exhibition, which is set to be organised by the UP Mati Kala Board ahead of the occasion of Diwali.
Buoyed by the success of the maiden exhibition of clay products at Mati Kala Festival last Diwali, The UP Mati Kala Board will again hold an exhibition in the state capital to promote the art of pottery and clayware.
As is evident from the name, Mati Kala Festival is a celebratory display of the commodities handcrafted by artisans across Uttar Pradesh from clay and pottery, where craftsmen from all districts of the state will be exhibiting their skill and talent via their products.
Promoting ‘Vocal for Local’ this Diwali, the exhibition will display products such as idols of Lord Ganesh and Lakshmi, decorative lamps and diyas, earthen lamps and other clay and handmade products. The Mati Kala Festival turned out to be a super hit last Diwali as deities Ganesh and Lakshmi, earthen diyas and other products were sold for about Rs 50 lakh, which gave a major encouragement to small traders, pushing the rural and local economy.
Along with display and sale of Mati Kala products, a 3-day long seminar and workshop to attain finesse in terracotta pottery under Matikala/Pottery Development Scheme will also be organised. In which, eminent experts of top institutions will give information about the technical aspects of their discipline to the artisans coming from various places. This will help them to manufacture quality products at competitive prices as per the international market standards. The enthusiasts will also get trained about the different phases of terracotta glaze pottery and will learn new methods of trimming and finishing of pottery.
Apart from this, to realise the vision of ‘Self-reliant India’, with the help of local administration in every district of the state, a three-day Mati Kala temporary sale center will be set up for all the artisans, thereby providing a market to their products.
The Artisans who participated in the Mati Kala Festival last year, not only managed to sell over 50 lakh items, but also attracted praise from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Chief Minister not only lauded the skills and talent of the artisans but also made their Diwali special by buying their produce at exorbitant prices.
“The efforts of the board are directed towards making the market competitive for artisans which will not only improve quality of products but also fetch better prices. The Mati Kala Board was established by the government in July 2018 with the aim of protection and promotion of local skills. Schemes like ODOP, Vishwakarma Shram Samman have the same objective. The purpose of this exhibition is to provide a platform to the local products.” – Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary Khadi
