CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday inaugurated a four-day handicrafts exhibition at Kalaivanar Arangam, showcasing the rich craftsmanship of artisans from across Tamil Nadu. The exhibition, open to the public free of charge, will continue until Saturday, February 8.
The exhibition features a wide range of traditional art forms and products, including Thanjavur paintings, terracotta works, various clay pots, Kalamkari textiles, and handicrafts made from banana fibre.
It also provides information to artisans on government subsidies, marketing support and opportunities for overseas exports.
As part of the inaugural programme, the Chief Minister presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to 10 artisans and Poompuhar Awards to another 10, recognising their contributions to the handicrafts sector.
The Poompuhar Awards were conferred on K Venkatesh, C Sangeetha and A Babu (Thanjavur); K Reeta and M Safana (Villupuram); S Murugan (Mayiladuthurai); A Raj (Chengalpattu); A Kavvabeevi (Tirunelveli); T Selimary (Kanniyakumari); and M Kumar (Chinna Kanchipuram). Each award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a four-gram gold coin, a Thamarai Pattayam and a certificate.
The Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to C Kuluthan (Nagapattinam); N Rajendran and G Rathinam (Thanjavur); S Gopal and C Indira (Chennai); G Subramanian and T Thirumoorthi (Chengalpattu); K Palraj (Sivaganga); SS Sangeetham (Kallakurichi); and K Subramanian (Kanniyakumari). Each recipient received Rs 1 lakh in cash, an eight-gram gold coin, a Thamira Pattayam and a certificate.
Ministers KN Nehru, EV Velu, TM Anbarasan, MP Saminathan, Ma Subramanian and PK Sekarbabu were present at the event.