Gulabi Meenakari Brooches and cufflinks for the President of the United States
The Prime Minister presented a Gulabi Meenakari brooch and cufflinks to US President Joe Biden. Gulabi Meenakari is an art form GI tagged by Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. A piece of pure silver is cast into the base and the chosen design is embossed on the metal. The reliefs are then filled with crushed meena glass mixed with attractive natural anardana (pomegranate seeds). It is then baked to obtain a translucent array of colors. What distinguishes it from other meenakaris is the white layer of meena, which acts as a translucent canvas for hand-painted motifs. Paint is fired layer by layer for long lasting durability. The motifs mainly use pink (gulabi), its name for the craft.
These cufflinks were specially prepared for the president along with a matching brooch for the First Lady.
UK platinum hand painted tea set
Prime Minister Modi presented a set of hand-painted teapots from the Bulandhshahr district in Uttar Pradesh to his UK counterpart Boris Johnson.
The base is hand painted and then fired at 1200 degrees Celsius. The embossed contours are hand-set using a mehndi cone. Each shape is then individually colored and baked again. The crockery has been rimmed with platinum metallic paint in honor of the Queen, whose platinum celebration is being held this year.
Hand-tied silk carpet for the Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister presented a hand-knotted silk rug to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Silk rugs are famous all over the world for their softness and craftsmanship. A Kashmiri silk rug is known for its beauty, perfection, lushness, elegance and devotion to craftsmanship. Each Kashmiri silk rug is treated as a hand-made work of art like never before.
Kashmiri silk rugs are mainly made in the Srinagar area of ​​the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. These delicate creations are hand-tied on the warp threads, one by one, according to a strict color code in the order in which they appear in the pattern. The knotted product is cut with scissors to smooth, and then processed by several lightening processes.
In particular, all silk rugs have the amazing innate property of displaying different colors when viewed from different angles or sides. Oftentimes, colors tend to change day and night in hues that seem to create the illusion of viewing two rugs instead of an actual one.
Attar bottle in zardozi box for French President
The Prime Minister presented Indian perfume (essential oils) in a box of zardozi, handcrafted in the Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, to French President Emmanuel Macron. The Zari Zardozi box is hand embroidered on khadi silk and satin with the colors of the French National Flag. Traditional Indo-Persian motifs, hand-embroidered lotus flowers with blue metal wire and pendants are used in Kashmiri rugs, alongside motifs from Awadhi architecture.
This box includes:
Attar Mitti- A unique essential oil produced in Kannauj, where Petrichor, the fresh smell of the first rain to fall on earth, is captured in sandalwood oil. It has a naturally moist earthy aroma, produced by the 5000 year old traditional deg and bhapka method by distilling specially selected earthenware on sandalwood oil.
Jasmine Oil: An exclusive natural oil product from the freshly picked flowers of Bela (jasmine sambac) produced by careful glass distillation.
Attar Shamama: A unique essential oil that captures the essence of several herbs and spices in a herbaceous perennial formula over Sandalwood oil to create an essential oil with a warm, spicy oriental flavor that is very difficult Copy.
Attar Gulab: An essential oil that most closely resembles natural rose, produced by hydraulic distillation in a copper vessel to prevent the petals from overheating.
Exotic Musk: A modern masculine fragrance crafted with the elegance of Jasmine, the lavish sensuality of Rose and the provocative charm of the warm woody notes of Musk as the base note.
Garam Masala: In honor of the French appreciation for a cuisine with a strong foundation, the new liquid is concocted Garam Masala has been added. This is an edible natural oil blend of extracts and essential oils of India’s iconic spice blend Garam Masala, which is difficult to replicate.
Marble inlaid countertops for Italian PM
Prime Minister Modi gave Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi a marble countertop.
Mosaic marble is derived from Opus sectile, a form of pietra dura common in the ancient and medieval Roman world, where the material was cut and inlaid into walls and floors to form images or patterns. This mosaic marble countertop is sourced from Agra and is made from semi-precious stones with their colors gradually shifting, making it very similar to the Italian marble mosaic. Stones with color gradients are harder to place, but make the overlay more realistic. The delicate process includes cutting and carving semi-precious stones on the marble by hand. To begin with, a predefined pattern, such as a floral design or a geometric design, is engraved on the marble item. Various small pieces of semi-precious stones are then delicately cut. These small pieces are then slid into grooves, turning the simple marble item into a beautiful and colorful work of art.
Marodi-engraved metal pots for the chancellor of Germany
The chancellor presented Marodi engraved metal vases to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
This hand-engraved, nickel-plated copper vase is a masterpiece of Moradabad, also known as Peetal Nagari or the “brass city” of Uttar Pradesh. After casting the pot, the design that must be engraved will first be sketched on the paper. The sketch of the whole design is done with a fine carving tool that is closed with a wooden block. This particular type of engraving is called Marodi, due to the curves used to fill the negative space in this design. The importance of Moradabad carving is in its ability to upgrade items of everyday use into objects of intrigue.
Black ceramic artefacts for the Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister Modi presents his Japanese counterpart with black ceramic artefacts. The black pottery of Nizamabad in Uttar Pradesh uses a special technique to bring out the colors. This technique involves baking the pot inside the oven, ensuring that there is no scope for oxygen to enter the area and that the heat level remains high. The presence of oxygen can cause ceramics to appear red. The glaze on the pottery is made from the high zinc content of the soil and the mustard oil applied before the pottery is fired. Pottery comes with and without mosaic. In the inlaid ceramic box, silver metal powder was used. The circles are carved by hand and then painted with metal powder. The whole ship is then grilled for the last time.
Dokra artwork on the theme of Ramayana for the president of South Africa
The Prime Minister presented a piece of dokra art to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The art of Dokra is casting non-ferrous metals. It uses a lost wax casting technique. This is over 4,000 years old. There are two main processes of lost wax casting: solid and hollow. These products, made by artisans mainly from central and eastern India, are in great demand in the domestic and foreign markets for their raw simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and strong form.
The gift to the South African leader was a work of art by Chhattisgarh, based on the Ramayana theme: Lord Ram riding an elephant, along with his brother Lakshman, Goddess Sita’s wife and Lord Hanuman.
Nandi themed Dokra art for the president of Argentina
Prime Minister Modi presented another piece of Dokra art to Argentine President Alberto Fernández. Even this – an image of ‘Nandi’, the vehicle (rider) of Lord Shiva, according to Hindu mythology.
Ram Durbar lacquerware for President of Indonesia
Prime Minister presented Ram Durbar Lacquerware to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
The GI-tagged lacquer art form originated in the temple town of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Wooden statues of gods, goddesses and sacred animals are coveted souvenirs by pilgrims. The process is a tedious one, requiring assembling a basic form of wood with individual details, which are covered layer by layer with lacquer or lacquer. True to their city of origin, Lacquerware items always come in bright, jewel tones.
This particular piece is made on Goolar wood (Plant name: Ficus Racemosa). The main characters in the artwork are Shri Ram, Goddess Sita, Lord Hanuman and Jatayu. It is believed that the Indonesian version of the Ramayana was written during the Medang Kingdom (732-1006 AD) in Central Java. It is known as Kakawin Ramayana. The story of the Ramayana is told to the people through shadow puppetry (wayang kulit and wayang purwa).
Moonj basket and dried cotton for the President of Senegal
The Prime Minister gave gifts of Moonj basket and cotton to President Macky Sall of Senegal.
In Senegal, the tradition of hand weaving is passed down from mother to daughter, adding to its importance as a means of cultural expression and family livelihood – led by strong women. The same is being done in the Prayagraj, Sultanpur and Amethi districts of Uttar Pradesh state, where Moonj Saccharum Bengalense is currently serving as a sustainable source of income for rural women. Plus, Moonj is a great example of utilitarian handicrafts made with sustainably sourced ingredients. Like Senegalese baskets, Moonj craft also uses bright colors, jewel tones. This particular piece is by a master craftsman from Prayagraj. The blades of the sarpatite used here are much thinner, making it more difficult to weave.
Cotton Durries are hand-woven in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The art of Manjak knitting is similar to the manual shuttle work done in Sitapur weaving. The beauty of this particular piece is the thin width of its loom, which triples Durrie’s work.
