Varanasi artisans to present exquisite gifts to PM Modi

VARANASI: Local artisans of Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Parliamentary constituency have prepared two exquisite pieces of traditional crafts to present him during his visit to the city on Sunday.
One is a 72" x 22" silk-cotton mixed stole depicting the images of Peepal leaves and shloka prayer of Lord Buddha –“Buddham Sharanam Gachhami; Dharmam Sharanam Gacchami; Sangham Sharanam Gacchami”, while the other one is a beautiful art piece of silver based famed ‘Gulabi Meenakai’ (pink enameling) in form a 10” replica of ‘e-boat’, the first of the country being launched by the PM at Assi Ghat on Sunday evening.
“These mementos for the PM were prepared on the request of Bharatiya Micro Credit,” said Rajni Kant, president of Human Welfare Association (HWA), the organization which played a key role in getting Geographical Indication (GI) tags for the famed traditional products of the region. He said that both the pieces have been handed over to the organizers for presenting to the PM.
“I feel honoured and satisfied whenever I make any item for the PM,” said Bachchelal Mayura, a master weaver of Banarasi saree who prepared the Buddha stole for the PM. A native of Chhahi village in Sarnath area Maurya had also made similar gifts for Modi in the past. He had woven a stole displaying the image of Mahatma Gandhi with a charkha and his favourite bhajan 'Vaishnava jana to tene kahiye je peer parayi jane re' written in the 15th century by Gujarati poet Narsi Mehta. Besides, he had also designed a stole with famous couplets of Sant Kabir - "Jhini bhini chadariya" - which was presented to the PM at the launching ceremony of National Handloom Day in Chennai on August 7 last year.
The pink enameling artist Kunjbihari Singh of Lalghat, who has made the replica of e-boat this time, had also prepared the idol of Ganesha and replica of e-rickshaw in the past, which were presented to the PM on different occasions. Kunjbihari had displayed his craftsmanship at the 55th General Assembly of International Bureau of World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva (Switzerland) in October last. Pink enameling is considered as the most alluring of all metal decorations. National Museum of India, New Delhi and Bharat Kala Bhawan have collections of this art.