Sri Lankan Handicraft Map launched

By Sureshini Pilapitiya

The National Crafts Council of Sri Lanka is always known to introduce something new to the handicraft industry, and this time they have introduced a new concept to the Sri Lankan handicraft Industry by creating a map of the Sri Lankan handicraft and tourism attractions all over the country.

The first copy was handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently by National Handicraft Council Chairman, Buddhi Keerthisena.

The map consists of all the areas which are well known for their handicrafts, such as brass work, coir products, mural paintings, lacquer work, leather craft, musical instruments, cane and bamboo products, Dumbara crafts and puppetry.

It is interesting to note how the map has described the history of the particular product, along with its' description and also the area where they are made.

The map has also described all the tourism attractions of Sri Lanka such as Yapahuwa, Kandy, Polonnaruwa and Kataragama. The map will rejuvenate the tourism industry because Sri Lanka has become a world-famous tourist destination because of its' historical places. Tourists like to visit these places and they have a special liking for our handicrafts and brass ware.

It will be very useful to them to have such a map because they can easily find the destination they want to go to and find out what they want to buy. This is a creative invention done by the National Crafts Council .

According to Keerthisena it was his idea to create a map for the convenience of those who are interested in handicraft field. He said though the public know about the handicraft Industry, they do not have an in-depth knowledge. There are people who like to study it, but they do not know who make these creations. There are tour guides, academics, students, and intellectuals. They were inquiring about handicrafts.

In India, there is a craft map to describe the particular craft and where it is made. They have a similar map for every province of India. We got the inspiration from India to do a craft map. It was the Datskari Haat Samiti of India which helped us a lot in creating the map. The Datskari Haat Samiti, is a well known organisation for handicrafts in India. It's chairperson, Jaya Jaitly, extended her support in the creation of the map. She personally inspected the work and worked together with the officials of the Shilpa Sabha to make this a success.

Keerthisena said that if a shop owner wants to find out the details of a creation, he can refer to the map and quickly find them. Even some tourists like to get information about the craftsmen.

The Sri Lanka- India foundation provided 75 percent of the fund for the project. The Jathika Shilpa Sabha contributed 25 percent of the funds.

The Jathika Shilpa Sabha (JSS) does a lot of work for the welfare of the craftsmen. It encourages them to develop their skills.

It also encourages young people to take up craft making by conducting workshops . The JSS will ensure the sale of handicraft without the intervention of middlemen.

The JSS is also working closely with the Export Development Board.