A group of nine artisans from eastern UP were in for a pleasant surprise on Friday when they visited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to present him with some Diwali gifts. Yogi Adityanath not only praised their art but bought their products by paying Rs 20,000.
“I cannot describe what this Diwali brought for us. It revived our traditional local art and left us with a pleasant experience to be cherished for life,”’ said Hari Om Prajapati of Badhau Tola in Gorakhpur.
Prajapati further said, “It was a gesture from us to thank the chief minister for his concern towards our art. But to our surprise, he not only praised us but also paid us Rs 20,000 for the products.”
Similarly, an overwhelmed Garahura of Azamgarh was at a loss of words while describing his visit to the chief minister’s official residence in Lucknow.
These artisans had come to Lucknow to sell their products at Mati Kala Fair organised by the Mati Kala Board under the MSME department.
The fair, being a hit, sold over 50 lakh items, all prepared by local artisans.
On the last day of the fair on Friday, the artisans called on the chief minister to thank him for the government’s support in reviving traditional arts and ensuring them profits.
Following the mantra of ‘Local for Diwali’ this time, the Yogi government is sending ODOP gift baskets to President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and other eminent persons. The intent is to spread awareness about the unique products of UP, covered under the flagship ODOP scheme of the state government.
The gift basket will consist of ‘Moonj’ of Prayagraj, the famous terracotta idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi of Gorakhpur, Kalanamak rice of Siddharthnagar, silk stoll of Varanasi, chikan kurta of Lucknow, jaggery of Muzaffarnagar, wooden craft of Saharanpur, perfume of Kannauj, the famous aonla products of Pratapgarh’ jari darzoji of Chandauli and brass bowl of Moradabad.