CCI’s Kamala Awards honour legacy, craftsmanship and innovation across India

From Ab Rahman Lone’s painstakingly handspun Pashmina shawls of Kashmir to Doru Lakhabai Valabhai’s richly woven sarees of Gujarat, the Kamala awards honour a deep-rooted bequest of handloom excellence. Gurinder Kaur Bhullar’s revival of authentic Phulkari embroidery and Khawaja Nazir Ali’s mastery of intricate Sozni enactment item the value of preserving endangered crafts. Representing the adjacent generation, Suman Aspura reimagines rug weaving done bold, modern designs, portion K. Srinivasrao carries guardant the ineffable contented of temple woodcraft with a blend of practice techniques and modern tools. The prestigious beingness honour, Kamala Samman, was awarded to B. Krishnamoorthy, whose timeless kanjeevaram silk creations and extended archival enactment basal arsenic a testament to India’s enduring weaving heritage. Meet the grant winners.

Lifetime accomplishment award: Kanjeevaram weaver B. Krishnamoorthy, Kanchipuram

Master weaver B. Krishnamoorthy preserves the bequest of Kanjeevaram silk done craftsmanship and a immense archive of accepted motifs. His enactment has been celebrated globally done patrons similar Nita Ambani, who wore a sari designed by him portion attending Donald Trump’s statesmanlike inauguration successful Washington, D.C. successful January 2025.

Krishnamoorthy was honoured by the CCI with the Kamala Samman arsenic a designation of his achievements. A Kanchipuram-based maestro weaver who is simply a accepted silk saree designer, and practice plan activist, helium is simply a third-generation practitioner of the Kanchipuram silk weaving contented who has been acknowledged for the depth, grandeur, and creator elegance of his work.

A defining infinitesimal successful his travel came successful 2010, erstwhile helium was selected for the National Award, earning designation for his exceptional saree plan on with a currency prize of ₹1 lakh. He chose to utilise this award, to papers and sphere the affluent bequest of his craft. He began compiling samples of motifs and supporting designs—both his ain creations and those helium had collected implicit the years—into a broad notation room for handloom enthusiasts and researchers. Today, the maestro weaver has built a repository of 5,015 basal designs, each meticulously woven successful 25-metre silk cloth with a tallness of 60 inches, serving arsenic a lasting archive of Kanchipuram’s weaving heritage.

“I consciousness a heavy work to safeguard this art. So far, I person trained 20 weavers successful the trade and americium consenting to bid more. Anyone with a flair for drafting tin statesman by learning the graphic plan of motifs, making punch cards, and knowing jala work. Gradually, they tin advancement to weaving,” helium says.

“Currently, I americium moving connected a work that documents 500 supporting designs and motifs utilized exclusively successful Kanjeevaram silk sarees,” helium adds.

Award for Excellence successful Craft: Master sculptor K. Srinivas Rao, Chennai

For maestro sculptor K. Srinivasrao who carries guardant a lineage of temple craftsmanship by blending accepted woodcarving techniques with modern tools, sculpting divine forms is simply a meditative practice. He says helium is committed to preserving this by grooming the adjacent generation.

The Chennai-based 52-year-old sculptor, artist, woodcraft artisan and mythologist hails from a accepted lineage of Sthapathis—master craftsmen who person shaped temple architecture crossed generations. He has created puja mandapams, idols of Gods and Goddesses, intricately carved woody doors, vahanas, and temple rathas. His enactment brings unneurotic past forms, accepted techniques, and time-honoured carving methods.

“As a child, I was profoundly fascinated by sculpting, watching my begetter and gramps astatine work,” helium recalls. “After completing people 10, I did not proceed with ceremonial schooling. Instead, I became an apprentice to my begetter successful a colony adjacent Visakhapatnam. Later, successful hunt of amended opportunities and visibility, I shifted my basal to Chennai astir 3 decades ago,” helium says.

Over the years, Srinivasrao has blended past woodcraft techniques with modern moving methods, incorporating modern tools specified arsenic powerfulness saws and electrical planers portion retaining the essence of accepted craftsmanship.“I privation youngsters to larn this handicraft and excel successful it. A sculptor cannot beryllium replaced by AI. I person been grooming the younger procreation astatine my workshop, and truthful far, astir 40 students person been trained astatine my centre,” helium adds.

Though determination are astir 300 antithetic types of uli (chisels), a minimum of 50 are required to sculpt a azygous woody figurine, helium says. “For me, creating divine figurines is similar tapas,a signifier of meditation. At the extremity of the process, erstwhile I look astatine the finished piece, I get goosebumps. It brings a consciousness of ecstasy;that is the existent joyousness of this profession,” helium adds.

Award for Contribution to Craft: Master artisan weaver Ab Rahman Lone, Kashmir

Ab Rahman Lone, a handloom maestro weaver and handicraft artisan from Anantnag, Kashmir, began his travel successful Pashmina weaving successful 1995, and has trained implicit 200 artisans to make shawls. Using techniques specified arsenic Sozni embroidery and handlooms, helium stitches by hand, a accepted process that comes with its ain acceptable of challenges fixed the acold weather.

Each handspun shawl has a GI (geographical indication)tag code, which gives you accusation astir the weaver, tailor, composition, design, size and method utilized successful the product. He aims to empower himself and the artisans of his colony to go autarkic and make much products, portion preserving age-old techniques.

“The Sozni handspun shawls instrumentality 2 and fractional years to make. We’re presently moving connected the Aatmanirbhar programme started by our premier minister, Narendra Modi which is my imagination to achieve. In our village, we person handlooms wherever we springiness abstraction to our tailors to marque this product, and for women to enactment from their homes,“ helium says

Award for Excellence successful Handloom Weaving: Master weaver Doru Lakhabai Valabai, Gujarat

Hailing from Jam Khambaliya, Gujarat and a recipient of the National and Khemka Awards, Doru Lakhabai Valabhai is simply a maestro weaver specilsing successful handloom fabric saris, dupattas and stoles that bespeak the affluent weaving practice of Gujarat. Born successful a weaver family, these techniques person been taught fondly to each passing generation, helium says. His plan aesthetics spotlight intricately woven geometric patterns.

“It is due to the fact that of awards specified arsenic these that we get the accidental to dispersed consciousness astir our craft, products and history. Hand weaving is thing I’ve known to bash for ages, and determination is thing other I could ideate doing”, helium says. His woven shawls, stoles, saris, and dupattas bring to beingness designs of abstraction, intermingling the quality of flowers and leaves with lyrical imagery of colourful birds. Traditional pit-loom weaving techniques, affluent textures and artisanal finishes are the hallmark of Lakhabhai’s handloom textile creations.

Award for Revival of Languishing Crafts: Phulkhari manus embroidery, Gurinder Kaur Bhullar, Punjab

Specialising successful Phulkari benignant manus embriodery from Punjab, Gurinder Kaur Bhullar creates saris, dupattas and location decor products incorporating this intricate craft. Concerned by the increasing commercialisation of Phulkari successful exhibitions and retail spaces, she acceptable retired to revive its archetypal essence done probe and by identifying artisans who proceed to signifier the authentic style.

Having learnt the trade from her grandma and mother, she understands that Phulkari draws inspiration from mundane surroundings which includes motifs specified arsenic receptor of wheat, and is past traditionally translated onto people dyed khadi, which is woven astatine home. By brining unneurotic skilled tailors and artisans, she ensures authenticity of the embroidery.

“When a miss was born, her parents would traditionally acquisition her khadi cloth, and she would statesman moving connected it from a young age. By the clip she was acceptable for marriage, she would person mastered the creation of Phulkari. It is simply a contented that goes backmost generations, and I americium committed to moving hard to sphere it,” says Gurinder.

Award for Excellence successful Craft: Sozni embroidery connected Pashmina, Khawaja Nazir Ali, Kashmir

Hailing from Kashmir, Khawaja Nazir Ali has been practising the intricate creation of Sozni embroidery connected pashminas shawls and woven carpets portion moving from the historical lanes of Alamgari Bazaar successful Srinagar. With implicit 45 years of experience, Khawaja has recieved the National Award successful the past, and remains profoundly committed to preserving the bequest of handmade Pashmina shawls, believing it to beryllium integral to keeping the tone of Kashmir alive.

His do-rukha shawl—a double-sided embroidered Pashmina adorned with exquisitely elaborate paisley and floral motifs—epitomises the itricacies of Kashmiri embroidery.

“This is simply a accomplishment I would ne'er similar to lose. If we halt practising these traditions ourselves, however volition they beryllium passed connected to aboriginal generations? Being honoured astatine events similar these makes maine grateful, arsenic it helps span the spread betwixt our procreation and the next.”, helium said.

Award for Young Artisan: Rug weaver Suman Aspura, Rajasthan

At 27, Suman Aspura has emerged arsenic a promising rug weaver from Sikar, Rajasthan, having learnt the trade from her mother. Her hand-knotted rugs,marked by bold colours and abstract geometric patterns, gully inspiration from her mundane surroundings. Her rugs, woven successful bold colours wih abstract and geometric designs instrumentality inspiration from the stories of her regular life, she says, bringing unneurotic storytelling and skill.

“It takes a large woody of clip to make these rugs. My parent has taught maine everything I cognize and I consciousness immensely arrogant to person this award”, she says.