Kantha art got new contours and popularity when the Finance Minister, Government of India, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, paired her blue tussar silk saree with the kantha work while presenting the 2024 interim budget ahead of the elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, The art from the Birbhum district of West Bengal found its place as a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2008 for its unique embroidery style. The popularity of this art revolves around the hands that craft it—the workers who toil hard to create intricate and ordinated art pieces. The Voices talked to artists dwelling on the economy and…

In a dreamy retreat for book lovers across the city of Pune and nearby areas, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, inaugurated the second edition of the Pune Book Festival on December 14 last year. The free-to-the-public event held on the premises of Fergusson College (Pune) was jointly organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), the Deccan Education Society, and Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). The theme of the Pune Book Festival 2024 was ‘Celebrating World, Cultures, and Connections’, with an aim to promote the power of reading for everyone. Additionally, the Pune Book Festival 2024 will be remembered for the Guinness World Record that…