- UNESCO and Ek Pahal jointly held a seminar with the master craftsmen of stone inlay craft
- Ek Pahal will provide skill development and English speaking workshops to the craftsman families
- The craftsmen put forth their problems in front of the representatives of UNESCO. They said that the mediation of showrooms should be reduced
Agra. One of the identities of the Taj city of Agra is also the craftsmanship of the craftsmen here. UNESCO and Ek Pahal Sansthan have come forward together to provide full compensation for their hard work to the craftsmen who carve marble stones and make them unique by doing craftsmanship on them and to further develop their skills.
On Tuesday, a seminar was organized under the joint aegis of UNESCO and Ek Pahal Sansthan at Hotel Taj City on Fatehabad Road. In the seminar, solutions to the problems of the master craftsmen of stone inlay craft working in Tajganj and new possibilities were explored. UNESCO’s Chief of Sector for Culture Junhee Han, along with her team members Chironjit Ganguly and Sneha Dattatreya Borate, listened to the problems of the artisans.
Rafiq Guru, who has been awarded the President’s Award three times, while explaining the problems of the craftsmen, said that since Covid, the condition of the craftsmen is very bad. Earlier also, we used to get some work, along with work, we used to get profit, but now there is neither work nor any kind of income. He said that today even the craftsmen who are expert in their work are forced to drive rickshaws. More than 40 artisans present in the program raised their voice in one voice to reduce the mediation of the owners of handloom showrooms. Everyone said that whatever profit is made, the emporium showroom owners keep it. According to them, they have to work. Even their creativity is not able to come. Their children do not want to come into this work of their ancestors. Due to financial constraints, neither education nor healthy life is being provided.
Manish Rai, Secretary of Ek Paha Sanstha, said that his organization will help the craftsmen in every possible way. By conducting a survey, the craftsmen and their families will be given training in skill development as well as English speaking. An initiative centre will be started in the Tajganj area itself and will work on the education and health of the craftsmen.
Ankit Khandelwal, Vice President of Ek Pehal Sanstha, Manas Rai, Ashlesh Mittal, Madhu Tripathi, Sanjana Rawat etc. were present.
