Empowering women with Sikki grass art
15th Dec 2012
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Meera Thakur training women outside her home | PHOTO: Photo: TS Bedi
eera comes from Umri, a nondescript village in Bihar. She recently showcased her wonderful Sikki Grass art creations at the National Crafts Mela, Chandigarh, a craft she has been working with since the age of 4. She was conferred with the 'Bal Shilpi Artist' by the Delhi Crafts Council in 1988 and proved to be a major breakthrough for Meera. She is now a name to reckon with among the Sikki grass artists of the region. This award was a milestone from where she has never looked back.
Meera has come a long way from her home town in the pursuit of earning recognition for this art form and has showcased at several platforms throughout the country, and abroad, including Ethiopia and Brazil. She has now settled in Chandigarh and has been providing free training at her residence where she trains approximately 20-25 women in a year belonging to the financially weaker sections of society without any financial help from the government. She says, "The guiding idea behind introducing this concept is to make them self-reliant and offer them ample opportunities to eke out a living. The Government once disbursed funds for this programme a decade back but no help was provided thereafter." The training entails no expenditure on part of these women. Provisions like colour, grass and other raw materials required for the production comes from the fees generated by teaching enthusiasts at her centre, who can afford to pay.
When asked about her future plans, Meera says, "I believe this is a great art form with huge potential. I, as a frontline practitioner of this rare art, am committed to deliver the best of my services for its enrichment till my last breath. I have some definite plans to set up a permanent training centre here and contribute my mite for the betterment and enhancement of aggrieved and oppressed women."
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/empowering-women-with-sikki-grass-artn
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