Patiala : Handicrafts and textiles were in limelight at a workshop on ‘Crafts and Textiles of the Punjab’ at Old Moti Bagh Palace held during the Patiala Heritage Festival here today. It focused on sustaining and promoting them.

Phulkari hogged the limelight as Ms Kusum Chopra, Professor, National Institute of Fashion Technology, exhorted craftspersons to stick to the original Phulkari cloth so that its uniqueness did not get lost in the commercial values ruling the market forces.

Mr S.K.Misra, Vice-Chairman, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, said they would open outlets in the city and other areas to sell the products prepared by craftspersons from surrounding areas.

Ms Jaya Jaitley, president, Handicrafts Haat Samiti, said the focus should be to attract tourists on the basis of unique culture and handicrafts that our country could offer to tourists. She appreciated the idea of the Patiala heritage week, adding that the scope of such a heritage festival should be much wider. It should not be limited to a city, but should encompass the whole of Punjab.

>Deputy Commissioner Tejveer Singh floated the idea of forming and funding a self-help group which could help and train such craftspersons.

In the declamation contests held at Sheesh Mahal today, Charu Verma of Greenwell School stood first in the senior wing section while Ramandeep Verma of Civil Lines School was second. In the junior wing section IPS was first while Feel Khanna finished was second. The topic was ‘Why do I like Patiala’.