“Shilpa Thursday” Celebrates International Women’s Day ….
“Shilpa Thursday” the Handicrafts fair which is held every Thursday at the Diyatha Uyana premises in Battaramulla under the auspices of the State Ministry of Rattan, Brass, Clay, Furniture and Rural Industry Promotion with a view to promoting the marketing activities of local artisans turned out to be a colourful market place especially for handicrafts creations of female artisans on 2021.03.04 to mark the International Women’s Day which falls on March 08.
Hon. Prasanna Ranaweera, State Minister declared open the fair and Mrs. Chandima Ranaweera, Chairperson of “Divi Saviya” Entrepreneurship Organization graced the occasion. The presence of representatives of the Bank of Ceylon, several Universities, the business community as well as a number of public and private sector institutions at the inauguration was significant.
While Bank of Ceylon provided the financial support, the Siyatha Media Network sponsored the media coverage. Handicraft training workshops, panel discussions with the participation of experts in the field, registration of handicraftsmen, cultural shows as well as the appreciation of internationally acclaimed female artisans were among the events conducted all throughout the day.
Business Community Reaches Out to “Shilpa Thursday” ….
The National Crafts Council organizes “Shilpa Thursday” every Thursday at the Battaramulla Diyatha Uyana with a view to promoting marketing activities of local artisans and the weekly event was seen with a new facelift last Thursday the 11th of February 2021.
“Shilpa Thursday” got underway with the distinguished participation of representatives of government agencies as well as private sector business organizations working for the betterment of the local business community. Mrs. Chithrangani Dissanayake, Director General of the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka, Mrs. Danushika Hapuarachchi, Director, Attrex Institute Of Higher Education, Mr. Sampath Aruhepola, Coordinating Secretary to the Hon. State Minister and the Coordinator (International Trade Affairs) of the State Ministry, Mr. Sudath Abeysekera, Chairman, and Mrs. Chandramali Liyanage, Director of the Crafts Council also joined the occasion.
Alawala gets Roofing Sheets ….
Alawala village in Attanagalla Divisional Secretariat Division is a village inhabited by a group of artisans who create reed based handicrafts. Roofing sheets and small machineries were provided to these artisans on 2021.01.23 for the construction of their workshops and facilitate their production.
The event held under the patronage of Hon. Prasanna Ranaweera, State Minister of Rattan, Brass, Clay, Furniture and Rural Industry Promotion was attended by Hon. Upul Mahendran Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament of Gampaha District and Politicians of the area including Hon. Pradeep Maduranga, Member of Pradeshiya Sabha, Mr. Sudath Abeysekara, Chairman of the National Crafts Council, Mrs. Chandramali Liyanage, Director, National Crafts Council, Prof. Gamini Adhikari, Director General of the Central Cultural Fund and Government Officials and a host of artisans.
State Minister meets Provincial Officials…
Hon. Prasanna Ranaweera, State Minister of Rattan, Brass, Clay, Furniture and Rural Industry Promotion called on the officers of Provincial , District and Head Office of the National Crafts Council on 27th August. At this meeting held at the Conference Hall of the Centre for Housing Planning & Building (CHPB), Pelawatta, Battaramulla, the Hon. State Minister explained the development programs expected to be implemented by the State Ministry in the coming year. The meeting was followed by a lecture on Attitude Development for officers conducted by a Veteran lecturer, Mr. Lasantha Kariyapperuma, Coordinating Secretary to the Hon. State Minister.
Mr. Vijitha Bandaranaike, Secretary to the State Ministry, Mr. Sudath Abeysekera, Chairman of the National Crafts Council and Mrs. Chandramali Liyanage, Director were also present on the occasion.
Sunset in crumbling Iththepane …
Mr. Sudath Abeysekare, Chairman of the National Crafts Council paid an official visit to the Talipot leaf based crafts training centre at Iththepana in Walallawita Divisional Secretary’s division on Wednesday the 22nd of February 2020. The Chairman closely examined the dilapidated building of the centre, which had not been subject to any renovation whatsoever over the years. The Chairman stated that steps would be taken expeditiously to renovate the building and to provide all necessary facilities for the successful implementation of the training courses at the centre.
The Chairman supervises training centers …
Mr. Sudath Abeysekara, Chairman of the National Crafts Council recently engaged in an inspection tour to training centers. The Chairman who studied the present situation said that under the guidance of Hon. Minister, Wimal Weerawansa, steps would be taken in near future to establish state of the art effective training centers.
An Efficient Service …
The staff of the National Crafts Council attended a special training session on February 10. The workshop was held at NAQDA, Battaramulla and Mr. Monty Ranathunga, Secretary, Ministry of Small & Medium Business and Enterprise Development and Mr. Samantha S. Pathiratne, Chairman of PASSASIA graced the workshop as resource persons. The key-note address was delivered by Mr. Sudath Abeysekera, Chairman of the National Crafts Council.
The significance of this workshop was to provide the staff with the theoretical and practical training needed to carry out many activities online including registration of craftsmen, recruiting apprentice craftsmen for the training sector and submitting applications for craftsmen for the “Shilpa Abhimani” exhibition using modern technology.
