G20: Padma Shri Awardee Lajwanti showcases Phulkari embroidery at Craft Bazaar in Bharat Mandapam
Sep 09, 2023
New Delhi (India), September 9 : India on Saturday unveiled its cultural essence at the G20 Summit after Patiala-based Phulkari artist and Padma Shri awardee Lajwanti showcased Punjab's Phulkari embroidery at Craft Bazaar in Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition and Convention Centre.
She was awarded Padma Shri in the year 2021 for making ‘Phulkari’ folk embroidery of Punjab recognized globally.
She showcased phulkari embroidery of Punjab on various clothes at the G20 art and craft exhibition exemplifying “vocal for local and local to global”.
Padma Shri awardee Lajwanti said, "When I was 6 years old, my grandmother used to make these designs. We used to watch her hiding behind her. I developed an interest in it and gained expertise. Now I go to villages and encourage women to work in order to move forward and they can also earn some money. I got my first national award in 1993. This tradition (Phulkari embroidery) was dead in Punjab. I have worked hard to revive it. I have met the prime minister multiple times, and he asks me how I'm always working on this. I said that I don't want this art to be extinct."
Lajwanti further said that she taught women in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand.
"Soon we will open a training centre in Patiala for the children who are trapped in drugs. They will learn something and the government will also give them money for their work," she added.
The Padma Shri Awardee hails from Tripuri town in Patiala, Punjab. In addition to getting the Phulkari art recognized, she has also taught the art of Phulkari to thousands of women across the globe who are now teaching and passing on this art to many others.
Meanwhile, spouses of G20 leaders will inaugurate an exhibition dedicated to India's civilisation prowess and artistic excellence, titled 'Roots and Routes' today at the National Gallery of Modern Art.
The exhibition showcases Indian textiles, decorative items, and artefacts. This exhibition delves into India's rich cultural heritage, ethos, and interconnectedness, tracing its cultural wonders through archaeological artefacts, literature, numismatics, epigraphy, and paintings.
