The Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, with support of Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts today launched the inaugural edition of the Kamladevi Chattopadhyay Craft Lecture Series at the International Craft Complex (The Kunj), New Delhi, featuring keynote lecture by Padma Bhushan awardee Rajeev Sethi on the theme “Handmade for Gen-Next.” The lecture saw the presence of Amrit Raj, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts); Dr. M Beena, Development Commissioner (Handloom); Ravi K Passi, Former Chairman-EPCH; Rajesh Rawat, Addl. Executive Director-EPCH; with over 100 participants including Prominent Designers, Scholars, Shilp Gurus, National Awardees, Architects.

The lecture series pays tribute to the visionary legacy of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay widely regarded as the mother of India’s craft renaissance, who played a pioneering role in reviving and institutionalizing India’s handicraft and handloom traditions. Her lifelong work helped empower artisans, promote indigenous crafts, and position Indian handicrafts on the global stage.

The inaugural lecture by Rajeev Sethi reflected critical questions that defines handmade today, whether it can endure in an era of rapid technological change and how its age-old strengths can respond to contemporary challenges such as migration and cultural homogenisation. Sethi underlined the enduring power of the human hand its intuition, skill and sensitivity as a creative force that no machine can fully replicate and highlighted how handmade craft aligns closely with sustainability through less mechanised production, localised livelihoods and the empowerment of women and marginalised communities across India.

Speaking on the occasion, Amrit Raj, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), said, that the lecture is a reminder that India’s millions of artisans remain central to our vision of inclusive, sustainable growth and global leadership in handmade excellence. She further said that the series is tribute to Kamaladevi ji’s insistence on integrating crafts with education, livelihoods and nation-building.

The office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) is the nodal agency in the Government of India for craft and artisan-based activities. It assists in the development, marketing and export of handicrafts, and the promotion of craft forms and skills.

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