Foreign dignitaries at the G20 Summit will be presented with silver filigree brooches modelled on the Konark Wheel of Odisha's Sun Temple.
Published Sep 10, 2023 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 10, 2023 | 1:25 PM
Filigree works and Telangana's stall at the Crafts Expo. (Supplied)
The historic Konark Wheel of Odisha’s Sun Temple was the attraction — and the recurring motif — at the two-day G20 Summit currently underway in Delhi.
A wall displaying the 13th century artefact formed the perfect background as Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed world leaders at the newly-constructed Bharat Mandapam convention centre on Saturday, 9 September.
Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, described the wheel as one that illustrates the civilisational conflicts of time, space, continuity — and the future.
Each leader will return from the summit with a piece of the motif — a souvenir to remind them of the Delhi G20.
And as they travel back to their own countries across the globe, the chests of a group of people down South will swell with pride.
For, those souvenirs — filigree brooches — originated in Telangana’s Karimnagar.
It all began three to four months ago, Silver Filigree of Karimnagar (SIFKA) Handicrafts Welfare Society Secretary Gadde Ashok Kumar recalled, when the Union government was looking for apt mementoes for the dignitaries.
Filigree modelled on the Konark Wheel. (Supplied)
“Around that time, we prepared the samples — peacock, swan, elephant and Konark Sun Temple chakra (wheel). We showed them to the authorities in Delhi and they selected the brooches modelled on the Konark Wheel,” Kumar told South First, adding that 200 filigree brooches were sent to Delhi.
He said that they received the order through the Telangana State Handicrafts Development Corporation (TSHDC).
“It is a privilege and great honour to make these articles for the dignitaries and showcase our cultural heritage at the global forum,” he said.
Considered to be one of the rare arts, filigree is a delicate form of jewellery metalwork and is usually made of gold or silver.
Apart from the brooches that are to be presented to the leaders, SIFKA has also displayed filigree decoration and gift items at the crafts expo being organised as part of the international summit. SIFKA Handicrafts Welfare Society President Arroju Ashok is managing the stall.
Earlier known as filigrann or filigrene, filigree’s roots can be traced back to Italian and French metalwork from the 17th to 19th centuries.
Filigree shaped like a peacock. (Supplied)
The word finds its genesis in the Latin word Filum which means thread and granum, a small bead. The art is said to have been in existence for 400 years now.
“The pieces have tiny beads or twisted threads, or both. After that these are soldered together onto the surface of a metal object and arranged in the form of artistic motifs,” Gadde Ashok Kumar explained.
Karimnagar district possesses a rich history in filigree and is home to many highly skilled artists working on this delicate art.
“Our ancestors also used to work in the same field and most of us inherited these skills from them. It represents the artistic as well as cultural pride of Karimnagar ” he added.
Filigree artists also make several other articles, such as spoons, boxes, containers in different shapes, ashtrays, jewellery, perfume containers, veenas, peacocks, swans, fruit bowls, idols, photo frames, etc.
The Karimnagar filigree artists have received several awards, including UNESCO’s global recognition.
Items on display at Telangana stall at G20 Summit. (Supplied)
They received the Intellectual Property Rights Protection or Geographical Indication (GI) status in 2007. They have also received the State Memorial Award from C Rangarajan when he was the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
In 2008, the SIFKA was presented with the UNESCO Award of Excellence in Hong Kong. Two years later, they received the Kalanidhi Award from then-Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia at the renowned Surajkund fair.
In 2011, the society was bestowed with the National Award for the Best Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in the South Zone.
The silver filigree mementoes made by Karimnagar artisans were presented to several foreign dignitaries in the past, including former US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, during their visits.
