A Staff Reporter
Dimapur, March 29
A 10-day mega crafts event dubbed the Gandhi Shilp Bazar was inaugurated by officer-on-special duty for Industries and Commerce Bendangtoshi Longkumer on Tuesday, March 29, at the Urban Haat in Dimapur.
During a ceremony inaugurating the event, Longkumer expressed appreciation to the office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, for sponsoring the event which he said would provide a common platform for craftsmen across the country ‘under one roof.’ It will create an opportunity for them to ‘discover ability from each other,’ he said.
Managing director of Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation (NHHDC) Ltd S Temsulong Jamir also spoke during the event. He expressed confidence that the event would ‘strengthen the marketing linkages of crafts in domestic and overseas markets.’
Gandhi Shilp Bazar is being organized by the NHHDC. It will culminate on April 7. A delight for handloom and handicraft enthusiast, around 100 craftsmen from across the country are participating in the show with their exclusive crafts. Besides handicrafts, jewellery, decorative items, and hand-woven garments are on display at Urban Haat.
Nagaland Handloom & Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd. (NHHDC) was set up in the year 1979, as a government of Nagaland undertaking with the main objective of production, marketing and promotion of the vibrant traditional handloom and handicrafts products of the State.
The department states in its statement of purpose that In pursuance of said objectives, the corporation has been actively carrying out productive works, promotional activities to provide a platform to weavers/ artisans to promote their products as well as to educate them about the intricacies of the market.
Handicrafts and handloom sector in Nagaland has a vast potential for growth and for facilitating economic self-reliance for the majority of unemployed youth. Production, development and promotion of handloom and handicrafts are the primary objectives with which the Nagaland Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd. (NHHDC) was established.
Handicrafts
A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft, and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one’s hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid materials, paper, plant fibers, etc. Usually the term is applied to traditional techniques of creating items (whether for personal use or as products) that are both practical and aesthetic.
The term arts and crafts is also applied, especially in the United States and mostly to hobbyists’ and children’s output rather than items crafted for daily use, but this distinction is not formal, and the term is easily confused with the Arts and Crafts design movement, which is in fact as practical as it is aesthetic.
Handicrafts have its roots in the rural crafts—the material-goods necessities—of ancient civilizations and many specific crafts have been practiced for centuries, while others are modern inventions, or popularizations of crafts which were originally practiced in a limited geographic area.
Many artisans natural, even entirely indigenous, materials while others may prefer modern, non-traditional materials, and even up-cycle industrial materials. The individual artisanship of a crafted item is the paramount criterion; those made by mass production or machines are not handicraft goods.
Seen as developing the skills and creative interests of students, generally and sometimes towards a particular craft or trade, handicrafts are often integrated into educational systems, both informally and formally. Most crafts require the development of skill and the application of patience, but can be learned by virtually anyone.
Like folk art, handicraft output often has cultural and/or religious significance, and increasingly may have a political message as well, as in craftivism. Many crafts become very popular for brief periods of time (a few months, or a few years), spreading rapidly among the crafting population as everyone emulates the first examples then their popularity wanes until a later resurgence. (Source: Wikipedia)
