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by Carol Aloysius

This novel dried leaf tea pot cum cup and saucer made of everlasting flowers and rigifoam and covered with dried leaves demonstrates the many uses that dried leaves can be put to by an imaginative person.

When the Sri Lankan Ladies Association in Abu Dhabi got together to celebrate their first anniversary last week, they had a special guest who had flown all the way from their home country to initiate them into the fascinating hobby of "do - it - yourself arts and crafts," at a two-day workshop.

For Ramanie Arsekularatne, a professional in the field, who flew to Abu Dhabi on the invitation of the Sri Lankan Community Circle, the Middle East destination was the second offer she had received within the past few months to showcase her artistic talents to creative housewives living in a foreign country.

The workshop was part of the many activities planned by the Sri Lankan Ladies Association in Abu Dhabi to coincide with the popular Dubai shopping festival, and their first anniversary.

The workshop held at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation saw Ramanie harnessing her multi faceted talents and putting them to their fullest use to demonstrate the delicate art of floral arrangements , the fascinating craft of bead ornaments and bead embroidery, the novel art of using fish scales to turn out ornaments and jewellery, paintings on glass, porcelain and fabric, saree painting, vegetable carving, sugar flowers , ribbon embroidery, patch work and the art of preserving flowers in their natural shapes and colours among many other things.

Many of these crafts were being showcased by the artist before a foreign audience for the first time, the artist explained on the eve of her departure. Ramanie who recently conducted similar workshops in Sweden says that she is glad to have an opportunity of sharing her wide expertise and knowledge gleaned from the many courses she has followed in the US, UK, France , Japan and Singapore with other women- especially Sri Lankan women living in a foreign country. "I believe every woman has an inborn artistic sense . 

A striking dried flower arrangement using mostly grass flowers.

Once you tap that potential and guide her on the right lines, there's no limit to what she can do with the most ordinary raw material" she observed. She added," Any woman who masters even a few of these do -it - yourself hobbies which mainly use scraps and left-over fabrics and indigenous raw material, can be self-supporting and earn a good income , besides engaging in a very interesting hobby."

As a first step towards helping women who have already mastered various skills under her guidance in the Academy she runs, Ramanie also held an exhibition of their work in Dubai. "This is to give these housewives a window to the growing market for indigenous crafts abroad", she said. The exhibition coincided with the two day workshop cum demonstrations.

She was scheduled to hold a similar workshop in Dubai.

A beautician and hair stylist in addition to her other talents, Ramanie said she was also demonstrating various types of make up as well to suit the skins of women living in middle eastern environments .

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