Pankha exhibition cum sale to provide livelihood to artisans

Hand fans are an integral part of Indian heritage. In the present day contemporary world, artistic creativity of individual artisans has converted a simple utilitarian item into handcrafted masterpieces.

An exhibition featuring these Pankhas, traditional Indian fans and other related objects selected from the vast collection of eminent artist Jatin Das is going on at IGNCA.

Curated by J D Centre for Arts and Tribes India, the artwork will be on display until June 24.

The Minister of Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram launched 'The Pankha' (Hand-fans) on May 29 at the Tribes India showroom in a glittering ceremony.

The fans have been created by Tribes India through its artisans from all over the country. TRIFED would be showcasing and marketing these through its 97 retail outlets and e-portals.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister congratulated TRIFED for collaborating with JDCA for taking this initiative forward and providing marketing support to the tribal artisans – who are associated with this craft. This collaboration is expected to help revive this craft and provide livelihood opportunities for tribal artisans.

He advised TRIFED to market this craft through various tribes India outlets located across the country and also e-commerce portals like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, GeM, etc. where TRIFED is already marketing other tribal handloom and handicraft products.

He also commended the efforts of team TRIFED for this initiative and encouraged them to expand its marketing development activities and wished all success for achieving targets.

The Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs said that she was delighted to be a part of the celebrations which represents our heritage in its finest form. The handmade Pankhas were a must in all households some years ago. The revival of this by TRIBES India and TRIFED is a commendable activity and she hopes that it will touch the hearts of the people of the country.

Jaya Jaitley welcomed the initiative and stated that these handmade fans could also be supplied through TRIFED at various national and state functions where guests could use it to beat the heat.

The noted painter, Jatin Das graced the function and went around the exhibition and patted the artisans, who had come from various States.

He was delighted that TRIFED has taken up this job of promoting Pankhas and hoped that the collaboration with two organisations would promote the cultural heritage of the country both within and outside the country.

The event also marked the launch of Tribes India Interior Design Studio.