Shimla, Jan 25 (IANS) Lalita Vakil, a craftsperson involved in protecting the globally acclaimed but dying art forms of the erstwhile princely hill state of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh, was on Tuesday conferred the Padam Shri.

Vidyanand Sarek from the state was selected for Padma Shri for literature and education.

Vakil is a master of the exquisite embroidery on Chamba 'rumal', which depicts scenes from 'Geet Govind', 'Bhagwat Puran', 'Radha Krishna', and 'Shiv Parbati'.

Earlier, she was honoured with the Shilp Guru award for her excellence in Chamba embroidery in 2012 and won a national award for her craft in 1993.

The art of embroidery on the Chamba 'rumal' originated and flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Chamba school of miniature paintings also got royal patronage.

'Heartiest congratulations to Shri Vidyanand Sarek & Ms Lalita Vakil from Himachal Pradesh on their selection for #PadmaShri award 2022,' Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur tweeted.

'Their outstanding contributions to literature and art, respectively, will keep on inspiring the people of the state and the nation.'

--IANS

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