Kamala Awards

Celebrating craftspeople who have made exceptional contributions to India's living heritage and cultural economy.

Honoring Excellence in Craftsmanship

The Kamala Awards, instituted in 2000, recognize and celebrate artisans who have dedicated their lives to preserving and advancing traditional Indian crafts.

Kamala Samman

Kamala Samman honors a senior person who is dedicated to the cause of craft over a period of time. The work of these awardees should have significantly benefitted the community of craftspeople and transformed their lives. They have helped in setting up handloom co-operative societies that have made vast improvements in the social and working conditions of craftspeople.

Kamala Award for Excellence in Craftsmanship

The Kamala Award for Exceellence in Craftmanship recognises the high level of proficiency and skill achieved by a craftsperson as exhibited in a body of work done over the years. The award since its inception has been given to various craftspeople, some of the products being copper-coated bells, wooden puppets, leather puppetry, jute, bamboo and cane products, embroidery skills and wood and stone craft.

Kamala Award for Contribution to Crafts

This award is given to craftspeople who have contributed to the handicraft sector through their work in the government service, to their community clusters, or for training and mentoning weavers, especially women. Artisans working with the communities involved in sholapith and metal craft. Puttapaka textile weaving, muga silk weaving, wooden block making, terracota pottery, garland making, bronze icons and Bhuta masks, were recognised and conferred the award over the years.

Shanta Prasad Award for Excellence in Weaving

This award honours an artisan for proficiency in traditional handloom weaving. The award is instituted in the memory of late Smt. Shanta Prasad, senior member of CCI by her family.

Young Artisan Award

The Crafts Council of India and other organisations confer the 'Young Artisan Award' which recognises the excellence of craft of young artisans who represent the face of India's future. This award carries a cash prize, a medal, an angavastram, citation and a certificate.

Kamala Award for Revival of Languishing Crafts

This award is instituted by Smt. Visalakshi Ramaswamy and recognizes and honours an artisan for his/ her effort to revive a languishing craft.

Recent Recipients

2024 - 2025 Awardees

B. Krishnamoorthy
Kamala Samman

B. Krishnamoorthy

Weaving & Designing of Kanchipuram Sarees

Khawaja Nazir Ali
Kamala Award for Excellence in Craft

Khawaja Nazir Ali

Sozni Embroidery

Srinivasa Rao
Kamala Award for Excellence in Craft

K. Srinivasarao

Wood Craft

Rahman Lone
Kamala Award for Contribution to Craft

Rahman Lone

Handloom Weaving

kumari suman
Kamala Young Artisan Award

Kumari Suman

Hand-Knotted Carpet Weaving

Gurinder Kaur Bhullar
Kamala Award for Revival of Languishing Craft

Gurinder Kaur Bhullar

Phulkari Handwork

2023
NameAWARD & CRAFT
Gajam GovardhanaKAMALA SAMMAN
Pushpa KumariKamala Samman Excellence in Craft
Sundari Devi - Jaipur RugsKamala Award for Excellence in Handloom Weaving
Sivaprasad Reddy KKamala Award for Contribution to Crafts
Yethin NKamala Award for Young Artisan
Santoshkumar Chitragar - CCKKamala Award for Revival of Languishing Craft
2022
NameAWARD & CRAFT
Shri. Khatri Nasrinbanu GulamhusenExcellence in Crafts
Shri. Jepar Bharat VerashiExcellence in Handloom Weaving
Shri. Ramju Alimamad KumbharContribution to Crafts
Shri. Vankar Shamji VishramContribution to Crafts
Shri. Khatri Abdul Jabar MahmedContribution to Crafts
Shri. Khatri Fahd GulamhusenYoung Artisan
Shri. Siju Ashwin DevjiYoung Artisan
Shri. Vurugonda OdelluRevival of Languishing Craft
Shri. Hemalatha JainRevival of Languishing Craft
Shri. Jyotindra Jain Kamala Samman
2021
NameAWARD & CRAFT
Smt. Jaya JaitlyKamala Samman Award 2021
Shri. M.RamamurthyKamala Award for Excellence in Crafts 2021
Shri. Vinod Kumar ShakyaKamala Award for Excellence in Crafts 2021
Shri. Marvada Devji HarjiKamala Award for Excellence in Handloom Weaving 2021
Shri. Banamali Mahapatra Kamala Award for Contribution to Craft 2021
Shri. Abdulrazak Mohmed KhatriKamala Award for Contribution to Craft 2021
Shri. Sanjib BasakKamala Award for Creativity during Covid 2021
Shri. Rakeshkumar Jitendrakumar PetigaraKamala Award for the Revival of Languishing Craft 2021
Shri. Abdulvahab Haidrali KhatriKamala Award for Young Artisan 2021
Shri. Khatri Mohmad Rizwan SidhikKamala Award for Young Artisan 2021
2020
NameAWARD & CRAFTState
Shri.L.Rathakrishnan SthapathyExcellence in the Craft of Traditional Bronze Casting IconsTamil Nadu
Shri. K.P. VinodExcellence in the Craft of MetalwareKerala
Shri. Ali Mohammad BankaExcellence in the Craft of Papier MachieJammu & Kashmir
Smt. Amrita ChoudharyContribution to the Craft of Shibori, Tie & DyeRajasthan
Shri. Gaurang ShahKamala Award for Revival of Languishing Craft of Jamdani & Khadi WeavingTelangana
Smt. Masto DeviKamala Award for Revival of Languishing Craft of Chamba Rumaal EmbroideryHimachal Pradesh
Shri. Vyasaraya ShettigarShanta Prasad Award for Excellence in Weaving (Udupi Cotton Saris)Karnataka
Shri. Ishver SinghKamala Award for Young Artisan in the Craft of Miniature PotteryRajasthan
Shri. Satishbhai ChittaraKamala Award for Young Artisan in the Craft of Mata-ni-pachedi (Kalamkari)Gujarat
Kamala Samman 2020 - Contribution to the Craft Sector

Follow our journey

On Instagram

@craftscouncilofindia

Loading latest posts from Instagram...