Bhubaneswar: Kalabhoomi, the state handicraft museum, organised a two-day long craft conversation at Gandamunda in the capital city to promote art and culture, Saturday.
The event commenced with a story telling session on the museum and its diverse collections by Bakul Foundation. This was followed by a palm leaf etching workshop by eminent palm leaf artist Dijabara Das, who guided enthusiasts on different techniques. Another workshop that allured the learners was the Ganjifa workshop led by national award winner Ganjifa artist Gangadhar Maharana.
Interacting with Orissa POST, Maharana said, “It is important that people know about various crafts and arts of Odisha. Ganjifa, also known as Ganjafa, is a design used on playing cards. It also denotes a card game that has been inherited from the Mughals. Later, during the sixteenth century, sasanas or villages in Puri pursued this art form and everyone from the royals to priests to the common man played the game. This game is very addictive and is played in many sahis of Puri till date.”
The game involves a pack of 96 cards with six different sub-sets having a particular colour each. Unlike the present day playing cards, the Ganjifa cards have paintings of various deities on them.
A pottery workshop, a full-fledged food court as well as a crafts bazar were also organised at the venue to encourage visitors buy various products and learn the craft of pottery. A musical session was organised in the late afternoon. This was followed by an interaction session for craftsmen. The day’s event ended with a cultural programme. The event was curated by Detour Odisha and supported by Odisha Tourism, BMC and BDA. The museum is also planning to outreach different other segments like schools, colleges, corporate houses to create awareness about the glorious handicrafts and handloom traditions of the state.