Mangaluru: Pilikula Urban Haat and the National Level Craft Bazaar 2016 was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Youth Services, Sports and Fisheries K Abhaychandra Jain by lighting the traditional lamp at Dr Shivarama Karantha Pilikula Nisargadhama (PN), Moodushedde here, on March 25.
Executive Director of PN, S A Prabhakara Sharma welcomed the gathering and introduced the dignitaries. Speaking on this occasion, Jain said, “When the PN was proposed, there was a lot of retaliation by the people due to various reasons, but now this place has flourished and benefited the state and has become a cultural hub. Though we are now modernized and live in the age of computers we should not forget our rich traditions.”
He urged everyone to give the event a wide publicity so that the artisans as well as the people of the district benefit from the bazaar. “People visiting this place will get a chance to practically involve in the traditional arts,” he added.
Vice Chancellor of Karnataka Folklore University, Dr K Chinnappa Gowda was felicitated on this occasion for his contribution in the field of preserving the folk tradition. Deputy Commissioner, A B Ibrahim said, “The Urban Haat was constructed long back, but was not formally inaugurated until today. So once we have inaugurated it, the next question is what we are going to do next? We always say that we should preserve our culture, heritage and tradition and now we have a stage set just to do that. All the citizens must make ample use of it.” He asked people to visit PN and spread the word of development in the region.
Ibrahim said that in the coming future, a postage cover will be released in order to publicise PN in collaboration with the postal department. “We have many plans for this place and those thoughts must be converted into action,” he added. Ibrahim then delivered the vote of thanks.
The Craft Bazaar is organized in collaboration of Union Ministry of Textiles and State Department of Industries and Commerce and is exclusively held to promote, preserve and protect Indian Handicrafts. The entire Urban Haat project is undertaken at a cost of Rs 3 crores of which Rs 2.1 crores is sanctioned by the Government of India and Rs 90 lakhs by PN.
Crafts Bazaars are organized throughout the country so that artisans are provided with a marketing platform at the national level. In Mangaluru, about 100 master crafts persons including National and State awardees are selected to showcase their hand crafted goods. Wood carvings and bronze icons from Tamil Nadu, Rosewood carvings, Wooden inlay, Lacquerware toys and Kinhal toys of Karnataka, and various other items like paintings, terracotta, embroidery, leather items from Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Kerala are some of the attractions at the bazaar.
The Bazaar is open from March 25 to April 3 from 11am to 9pm. It is widely urged that we buy Indian handicrafts and preserve the Indian heritage.
MLA Mohiuddin Bava, MUDA Chairman, Ibrahim Kodijal, Joint Director of DIC, Gokuldas Nayak ZP CEO Srividya, MCC Commissioner, Dr H N Gopalkrishna and others were also present.
