Artistes from across the country, handpicked for the talents, have been given a platform at the CYG to showcase their creative skills and craft

As the country puts its best foot forward while hosting the international mega sports event, fine artistes from various pockets of the country, have been chosen by the organisers, to display the traditional handicrafts from diverse cultures at the CYG cultural centre in Balewadi.

Exhibiting their fine art works at the centre, many of them are state or national award winners. They feel that such a platform would help in getting international appreciation and also give them an idea of trends overseas. "I have been getting offers to exhibit my works abroad in countries like London, Japan, America and so on. The CYG platform is likely to help me get an idea of the demand of consumers abroad," says Manmohan Soni, a chann-hatodi kalakaar from Kulpahar in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, who hammers in fine designs of different deities on brass metal. "This is the traditional art of Uttar Pradesh, which has been there for over 100 years, I learnt it from my father and now I teach it to other aspiring artists at Gyasi Purtan Kala Kendra in UP," adds Soni, the first in his family to bag a state and national award.

With the skill of superior carvings, the association of national award has been there for three generations with the family of Rajender Parshad Bonndwal from Haryana. Bondwal, 1984 national award winner for ivory carvings has participated in impart training in Germany and is now the general secretary of Haryana State Karigar Assosiation. "The main reason to come to the games at Pune was to display our work and let more and more people know about it. Initially we made carvings on ivory, but after ivory was banned now we make them on wood, sandalwood and bone. This is an art inherited to all the men in our family."

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