IICD Craft Awards 2024

Genesis

IICD instituted the annual ‘Craft Awards’ in the year 2020, to commemorate the 25 year of its existence and in the memory of people who were the leaders to initiate craft & design development and education in India. This is to pay tribute to the stalwarts of the country who have done exemplary work in the craft sector and name the awards after them.

Craft Award Winners 2024

Pupul Jayakar Award for ‘Craft Entrepreneurship’

Savini Sanavaria

Founder of Pashoo Pakshee Communities for Conservation

Suresh Neotia Award for ‘New Generation Crafts Person’

Garima Saini

Daughter of Shilp Guru Gopal Saini,
Blue Pottery Artist, Jaipur
Master’s in International Business

M.P. Ranjan Award for contribution in ‘Craft Design Education’

Somaiya Kala Vidya

An Institute of Education for Traditional Artisans

Kripal Singh Shekhawat Award for ‘Innovation in Craft Design’

Ayush Kasliwal

Founder of AKFD and Creative Director of AnanTaya,
Graduate of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
EDIDA India – Designer of the Year 2013
UNESCO Award of Excellence (2007, 2008)

Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay Award for ‘Social Impact in the Craft Sector’

Suryaprabha A. Ghorpade

President and Governing Body Member,
Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra (SKKK)
Guiding the organization since the 1990s

Jury Members

Ms. Anuradha Singh

Anuradha Singh is the Head of Lady Bamford Foundation and the Director of NilaHOUSE – an organisation that sits at the intersection of craft, design, sustainability and community empowerment.

Anuradha’s nuanced understanding of the power of craft and heritage as an agent for social and economic development has been informed by her two decades of experience in the heritage and cultural development sectors. She was previously the Additional Director at the Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, to which she brought landmark programmes including the first edition of the Indian Ceramics Triennale and the exhibition “New Traditions: Influences & Inspirations in Indian Textiles, 1947 – 2017”. She played a vital role as a member of the core founding team for the Jaipur Virasat Foundation, an organization deeply involved in preserving the cultural heritage of Rajasthan. She was instrumental in spearheading the Jaipur Heritage International Festival, Jaipur Literature Festival, and Jodhpur Riff during her tenure at JVF.

Anuradha Singh's career is a testament to her commitment to preserving and advancing cultural heritage.

Ms. Meenakshi Singh

Ms. Meenakshi Singh trained at the National Institute of Design Ahmedabad in the area of Apparel and Textile Design. She has more than 30 years of experience in various areas of Craft and Design ranging from design education, outreach and training, product development, retail and others. She retired as Dean Academics from the Indian Institute of Crafts & Design Jaipur in 2023.

Besides teaching at the premier institutes of the country like NID, NIFT, Pearl Academy, IICD and others she has worked extensively in the craft and the khadi sector particularly in Rajasthan and Gujarat working with artisans, training them for quality and product development. She has worked with Fab India as their first store manager in Rajasthan and was also instrumental in setting up a Museum shop The Palace Atelier in the City Palace Museum Jaipur. Her interest is to work in the area of sustainability and development. Currently she works as Co- Founder at Khatu Designs- a home grown lifestyle & accessories brand based out of Jaipur, Rajasthan also curates Khatu Culture Trails as an offshoot of Khatu Designs. She continues to conduct training programs in the craft sector on Design and other subjects related to design.

Mr. Tarun Kumar Bansal

Hotelier by training and choice. Manages Arya Niwas Hospitality hotels, travel services for his family. Award winning, popular, mid-range hotels including Arya Niwas, Jai niwas, Jaipur Jantar, Om Niwas and Tara Niwas plus a couple of home stays. Also unique experiences at Jaipur through Jaipur Diaries and package tours across the state through Tours2Rajasthan. Interests range from Trekking in Kumaon hills, Birding, Reading to folk music and arts. President HRAR ( Hotel and Restaurant Association of Rajasthan) Scrutineer for UNESCO ICH project Western Rajasthan appointed by Government of Rajasthan his deep intent in culture has led him to be an office bearer at Alliance Francaise Jaipur.