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GI-Tagged Gulabi Meenakari Handicrafts : Gift To Visiting Delegates From G20 Nations

News: The G20 visitors will get GI-tagged Gulabi meenakari handicrafts as a gift from the Uttar Pradesh state government.

One of the rarest crafts in India, gulabi meenakari is conducted in the backstreets of Varanasi, close to Gai Ghat.

It is a style of Persian art that includes fusing several hues to tint the surface of metals.

Persian enamel artists brought this skill to Varanasi in the early 17th century, during the reign of the Mughals.

The Persian word “Minoo” has a feminine variant called “mina,” which meaning “heaven.”

It alludes to heaven’s azure hue.

It is practised on jewellery and home furnishings in Varanasi.

Simple equipment including the salai (an etching tool), the kiln, the metal palette, the mortar and pestle, the kalam (a tool for applying enamel), the brass dye, the little scrubbing brush, the forceps, and the takala (a needle-like instrument for applying colours) are used in minakari work.

There are three popular variations of this trade.

Ek Rang Khula Meena, in which a single translucent colour is employed and only exposed gold outlines are used.

The five hues red, white, green, light blue, and dark blue are used in Panch Rangi Meena.

Gulabi Meena, in which the hue pink predominates