PM Modi gifts stone bowls, dhurries to Japanese counterpart

Yamanashi [Japan], Oct 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe two handcrafted stone bowls made from rose quartz and yellow quartz stone and hand-woven dhurries, which have been specially crafted on the occasion of the former's visit to Japan for the 13th India-Japan annual summit.
Made from rose quartz and yellow quartz stone sourced from Rajasthan, the bowls were crafted by master artisan Shabbirhusen Ibrahimbhai Shaikh of Gujarat’s Khambhat region, which has been known for its practice of stone craft since generations and is also a leading hub for exports of stone products from India, sources said.
The uniqueness of the bowls lies in the fact that the form of the product is scooped out from a block of stone, and then shaped and refined using basic hand tools generally without any lathe machines.
Hand-woven by the master weavers of Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur, the dhurrie designs show the diversity of possibilities available; from a symmetrical repeating geometric tessellation in one, to stylistic floral motifs arranged around the classical medallion pattern in another, according to the sources.
The dhurries use two distinctive Indian colour palettes, while one uses Indigo blues, reds and sprinkles of turmeric yellows, the identifying colours that have marked Indian textiles for centuries. The other uses the muted earthy tones of the Indian landscape.
These stone bowls and dhurries were made under the design supervision of India’s premier design institute, the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Furthermore, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is working towards the upliftment of the stone craft cluster of Khambhat by bringing in design and technological interventions.
In addition, a Jodhpuri wooden chest from Rajasthan with traditional work was also presented, sources said.
Prime Minister Modi, who arrived in Tokyo on Saturday evening for the annual summit, met Abe at Hotel Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture located in the foothills of Mount Fuji, before joining his Japanese counterpart for an informal lunch which was held in his honour at the hotel with the mountain in the backdrop.
The two leaders then took a stroll around the hotel, after which the duo headed to a factory of industrial robot manufacturer Fanuc Corporation.
After the visit, Prime Minister and Abe held one-on-one talks at the latter's second home in Yamanashi. (ANI)