A craftsman who spent five decades quietly keeping a traditional art form from fading into obscurity received national recognition in New Delhi. President Smt. Draupadi Murmu presented the Padma Shri to Shri Chirangi Lal Yadav in the field of art, honouring his lifelong commitment to Kansa Nakashi, a traditional metal engraving craft that carries centuries of Indian cultural heritage.
Kansa Nakashi and the Effort to Keep It Alive
Kansa Nakashi involves intricate hand-engraving on bell metal, a craft that demands extraordinary precision and patience built over years of dedicated practice. As modernisation drew younger generations away from traditional skills, this art form was gradually losing both its practitioners and its audience. Shri Chirangi Lal Yadav chose a different path. For the past five decades, he devoted himself to nurturing and refining this craft and to carrying it beyond its regional roots to both national and international platforms. His sustained effort gave Kansa Nakashi a visibility it might otherwise have lost entirely.
Yogi Adityanath Extends Congratulations on X
Yogi Adityanath posted a congratulatory message on social media platform X, extending warm wishes to Shri Chirangi Lal Yadav. He described the Padma Shri as fitting recognition for five decades of dedication to this art and credited the craftsman with taking Kansa Nakashi to a broader national and international audience. The message underlined the cultural weight of the honour and the significance of the craft it celebrates.
Public Reaction
The post drew appreciative responses from many users who congratulated Chirangi Lal Yadav and praised his decades-long contribution to the craft, while some others used the occasion to raise concerns about local issues such as power outages and public safety in their respective regions.
