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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

The talent of our craftsmen
What talent! This was the instant reaction of anyone visiting the Shilpa 2004 local crafts exhibition held recently at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition Hall. A welcome sign was the effort by at least some local artistes to improve on the designs and create new ones while maintaining the traditional touch. A fine example was the six-foot brass lamp created by W. Karunaratne from Gadaladeniya, which had won the President's Gold Award. The huge lamp was innovative. In addition to 12 lamps using coconut oil, he had a row of another 12 where electric bulbs could be used. Pride of place, however, had been given to the 'pol thel pahan' which were on top while the row of bulbs was at the bottom. The bulbs were hardly visible.

In the earthenware category, Biyagama's M. Matilda had won a Gold for a ten piece set to store pulses. It was a simple but novel presentation. G. H. Gamini from Madewala had created a huge brass tray with an intricate design. These are just random selections. There were many more - too many to describe.

It was also encouraging to see such large crowds visiting the exhibition. The interest shown by parents in bringing their children along was heartening because it is vital that the younger generation appreciates traditional arts and crafts. The layout in the main hall was tastefully done leaving ample room for the crowds to move about freely. The crowds never felt the rush as such, unlike in most other exhibitions where adequate attention is not paid to ground layout. The absence of separate stalls within the main hall contributed to the openness where people could move about freely.

The biggest draw was the demonstrations. These were educative and interesting and the artistes took time to explain how they turned out their products.

Looking round the handloom section, one began to wonder why there is such a clamour for Indian sarees and other clothes. Most of the local designs had a simple yet rich look. Colour combinations were tasteful. The wide variety of household linen was also attractive.

The exhibition also featured small and medium sized industries engaged in industrial pursuits with the assistance of the Industrial Development Board (IDB). This type of exhibition certainly helps to boost the morale of local craftsmen while affording an opportunity for everyone to appreciate their talent.

The exhibits also demonstrated their export potential. Most of the products could undoubtedly match international standards. Hats off to the National Crafts Council, the National Design Centre, Textiles Department, Sri Lanka Handicrafts Council and the IDB for a job well done.

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