Imphal, December 26 2008: DISPLAYING THE rare terracotta and pottery crafts of Self-Help Group cluster from Andro village in Imphal East District, black pottery crafts of SHG cluster from Nungbi Village in Ukhrul District; and Kouna (Water reed) crafts, water hyacinth crafts, cane and bamboo crafts of SHG cluster from Kongba in Imphal East District; the ten-day Manipur Handicrafts Exhibition was inaugurated by Shri Meghachandra Kongbam, Joint Director, Manipur Information Centre, New Delhi, Government of Manipur as Chief Guest this evening at Balram Exhibition Hall, House No.236, Satya Niketan here.
The Crafts and Social Development Organization (CSDO) organized the ten-day exhibition which will continue upto January 4, under the sponsorship of the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
Inaugurating the exhibition, the Chief Guest stated that organizing a grand handicrafts exhibition in the national capital by a voluntary organization from Manipur, a distant place from Delhi was a rare occasion.
It gave a right platform for the master crafts persons for showcasing their unique products so that it could create a marketing link for export of their products outside Manipur.
He appealed to the master crafts persons to think of their products to have unique quality with regional touch so that buyers could attract their products.
Production sector, distribution sector and marketing sector were the essential elements for any kind of industry which must go hand in hand.
Shri Th Premeshwor Singh, General Secretary of CSDO said that the exhibition could benefit the crafts persons of various Self Help Groups for introducing their unique products in the national capital as well as exposing themselves to the national market.
Apart from selling the products, the exhibition had a live demonstration programme on how the products were made.
Shri Premeshwor said that the CSDO had its show room at Kongba Bazar and its sales counter at Trade Centre, Porompat in Imphal.
He was planning to open a show room in New Delhi for global market of the Manipuri handicrafts products.
Smt Pushpa Chaku, Assistant Director (Northern Region) of the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India appreciated the master crafts persons from Manipur for taking care of their breakable products on the way from Imphal to Delhi so that they could showcase their products in Delhi.
She also stated that the live demonstration programme of the exhibition would attract the large crowd.
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Manipur Information Center