BHUBANESWAR: The annual Toshali National Crafts Mela was inaugurated virtually by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the Capital city on Thursday. Urging visitors to follow the Covid-19 protocols, Naveen said the Toshali Crafts Mela has transformed into one of the most popular handloom and handicrafts fairs in Eastern India.
On the occasion, the Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Minister Padmini Dian felicitated three artisans with State Handicrafts Award-2019. They are Divyajyoti Behera (stone sculpting)), Dilip Kumar Swain (palm leaf engraving) and Priyanka Patra (terracotta).
Similarly, seven artisans were conferred the State Kalakruti Award. They are Susant Kumar Das and Nityananda Sa (stone sculpting), Ronibala Mohapatra (pattachitra), Nirmal Chandra Das (palm leaf engraving), Suresh Chandra Mohapatra (applique) and Kuni Patra (coir craft).
As many as 250 stalls have been set up at the Janata Maidan venue showcasing the best the handloom and handicrafts from across the country. While a majority of 170 stalls are exhibiting Odisha textiles and crafts, the rest 80 are from other states. Official sources said all measures have been taken to ensure that Covid-19 safety guidelines are followed at the fair. The fair is open from public from 2 pm to 9 pm and will continue till February 4.