Lalita Vakil
Indian textile artist
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Lalita Vakil is an Indian embroidery artist, known for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of Chamba Rumal, a traditional form of handkerchief embroidery from Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.
Nari Shakti Puraskar (2018)
Lalita Vakil | |
|---|---|
Vakil in 2022 | |
| Born | Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Known for | Chamba Rumal embroidery |
| Awards | Padma Shri (2022) Nari Shakti Puraskar (2018) |
Vakil was awarded the Padma Shri in 2022 by the Government of India for her contributions to the field of arts.[1][2] She was also honoured with the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2018.[3]
Life
Vakil was married at the age of fifteen. It was her father-in-law who recognized her talent for creating designs for Chamba Rumal and encouraged her to train local girls and women in this craft.[4]
Career
For the past fifty years, Vakil has been working to promote and preserve Chamba Rumal.[5] She has travelled extensively in India and abroad to exhibit her work and conduct workshops on this traditional form of embroidery.[3]
Vakil has frequently experimented with Chamba Rumal designs. She was the first woman to introduce silk into the embroidery to create larger pieces of the handkerchief.[4] Additionally, she has developed designs for saris, shawls, dupattas, and stoles, as well as multi-panel sets.[6]
Awards and recognition
- 2009: Shilp Guru[7]
- 2017: Nari Shakti Puraskar[3]
- 2022: Padma Shri[1]