Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India are relentlessly promoting the Indian artistic heritage and incredible craftsmanship. A series of initiatives and efforts are underway to seek global platforms for the unparalleled artistic skills of the Indian artisans. In one such effort, Prime Minister Modi has gifted a traditional braze ‘uruli’ crafted from the Mannar metal to the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese. With this the Mannar metal and the timeless artistic heritage of India has gained global recognition.
The ancient artistic skill of India has traversed down the generations and has been preserved and nourished by the artistic community for ages. These traditional arts are the hallmark of India’s civilisation and rich ancient knowledge ecosystem. The government has thus accelerated landmark initiatives to promote and popularize these crafts. In this direction, the centuries-old traditional metal craft of Mannar has been gifted to the Australian Prime Minister. The gesture also symbolizes the motto of ‘Vocal for Local’ adopted by the Government of India.
Prime Minister Modi presented the traditional brass ‘uruli’ to his Australian counterpart during the G-20 Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa in November, 2025. The Prime Minister spoke about the gifting of Mannar metal craft in the monthly radio programme, “Mann Ki Baat”. The Prime Minister emphasised the commitment of the government to promote the indigenous craft under the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative. He reiterated that the gifts presented by India to the world leaders during the G-20 Summit were carefully chosen with the vision of promoting indigenous crafts and arts. The gifts should echo the message of India’s rich artistic heritage, civilisational craftsmanship and the stellar skills of the artisans. “I presented the Prime Minister of Australia with a brass uruli, an exquisite craft from Mannar, Kerala. My aim was to make the world aware of Indian crafts, art and traditions, and to provide a global platform to the talent of our artisans”, Prime Minister Modi affirmed during Mann Ki Baat.
Prime Minister Modi in the monthly radio programme, also spoke about the traditional Indian gifts presented to other world leaders at the G-20 Summit. For example, a silver horse replica from Udaipur was presented to the Prime Minister of Canada. A silver Buddha replica was gifted to the Prime Minister of Japan. A silver mirror with floral motifs was presented to the Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. All these traditional artifacts, reflects India’s deep history and hallmark in the traditional craft ecosystem earmarked with strong skills and intricate craftsmanship. Every artistic piece resonates with a story about India’s rich civilisational history and strong link to culture & art.
The metal craft of Mannar
Mannar is a town in the Alappuzha district of Kerala. It is popularly known as the “Bell Metal Town”, known for its metal artifacts such as vessels, bells, idols, dolls, lamps and other traditional utensils made out of bell metal, bronze and brass. In an attempt to protect the uniqueness and exclusivity of the Mannar metal craft, the Union government has also initiated steps to render a Geographical Indication(GI) tag to the traditional craft and the process is underway.
As per the history, the artisans of Mannar are said to have migrated from the town of Sankarankovil and Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu centuries ago. These artisans over the decades, emerged as the natives of Mannar and indulged in the incredible artistic work that today has global recognition. “A GI tag will provide international recognition to Mannar’s brass products, ensure authenticity, prevent counterfeit goods and improve income stability and job security for artisans”, said Natarajan. C, the leader of the Mannar artisans community.
