LUCKNOW: At the upcoming G-20 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to gift state heads and foreign dignitaries a unique hand-made brass artefact in the shape of a lotus, called 'Kamalam', from Mahoba in Bundelkhand.
The five-inch tall artefact, crafted by Manmohan Saini, a national award-winning metal craftsman from Mahoba, comprises 16 petals - eight big and eight small.
Saini was given a heads-up eight months in advance by the UP Handicrafts Development and Marketing Corporation to prepare 50 lotuses in brass, which were sent to Delhi in advance, along with spare pieces.
Saini expressed his excitement at the prospect of his work being showcased on such a prestigious platform and said he believes that the brass work will get a new lease of life after this. The artefact is designed to resemble a lotus in full bloom and can be opened and closed with a slight rotation of the outermost petals. Saini is the only artisan who can prepare these special lotuses.
It took him three months to make 50 of them, and the corporation experts monitored the making process for quality control and design.
Saini's 'Kamalam' gained national attention in 2016 when BJP MP Kunwar Pushpendra Chandel gifted it to the Prime Minister at the Parivartan rally. It caught the PM's attention and won a lot of appreciation. Saini learned this craft from his father, Gyasi Saini, who used to make decorative brass pieces in Kulpahad.
His two brothers, Azad Saini and Shiv Kumar Saini, have also won state awards in the skill. Saini hopes that Kamalam's recognition on an international platform will revive the traditional brass work in Mahoba and its surroundings.
It is a matter of pride for Mahoba district and Bundelkhand that such a unique memento made in Mahoba will be given to the state heads and foreign dignitaries at the G-20 summit, said the district magistrate Mridul Chowdhary.