UNESCO has awarded the 'Seal of Excellence' to 33 handicraft products out of a total of 155 entries in the South Asian region, including 12 from India.

An international panel of judges and experts in design, marketing and handicraft production gathered across four regions in Asia over the last few weeks to judge over 400 entries for the 2007 UNESCO Seal of Excellence in Handicrafts.

The successful South Asian SEAL awardees from India are: Bindoo Ranjan of Delhi(Algaed Khadi); Sankar Kumar Meher of Orissa (Scarf); Muhammad Yousaf (Madhya Pradesh-Bamboo Mat); Chaturbhuj Meher (Orissa-Wall Hanging); Surendra Meher (Silk Odhini Scarf-Orissa); Yasin Savaijiwala (Ahmedabad-Hand Block Printed Stole); Arshad Kafeel (Ghaziabad-Lamp Wood Inlay); Ayush Kasliwal (Jaipur-Brass Pods); Pankaj Soni (Madhya Pradesh-Jewellery Box); Muhammad Maqbool Jan (Srinagar-Papier Mache Jewellery Box); and Abdul Jabbar M Khatri (Bhuj, Gujarat-Chandrokhani Shawl).

Established to encourage craft-workers to use traditional skills and materials, the SEAL aims to ensure the continuation of traditional knowledge, the preservation of cultural diversity and the handicraft industries in the region.

Entries are reviewed against five key criteria, incorporating excellence, innovation, authenticity, marketability and eco-friendliness. By recognising such attributes in craftsmanship, the programme aims to set quality standards, raise international awareness and strengthen market demand for Asian handicraft products.

The programme was established in Southeast Asia in 2001 by UNESCO and the ASEAN Handicraft Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA). It was expanded to include Central and South Asia in 2004 and East Asia in 2006. This year, 109 products were awarded in Asia among over 400 submissions.

For The Seal of Excellence in South Asia, 155 submissions were received, which kept the judging panel occupied for an entire day in Islamabad.

The range of submissions was highly diverse, including traditionally woven textiles and fibres, metal work, wooden creations and papier mache. The products were from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.

There is an increase of 50 percent in the total submissions from South Asia this year, suggesting a keen interest shown by the participants in the region.

Mr. Rakesh Joshi

Joshi Enterprise

Manager, Joshi Enterprise
Dispur, India

Free Member, Joined :02/02/2007
No of Topics Posted : 122
Reply/Comments : 16