Two Kerala craftspeople have been honoured in India’s 2025 Shilp Guru and National Handicrafts Awards, presented by the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under the Ministry of Textiles, according to UNI, which reported the awards on 15 October 2026. A. Prathap of Thiruvananthapuram received the Shilp Guru Award, India’s highest handicrafts honour, for coconut-husk carving, while Asha G. Krishna won the National Award in the paper quilling category, becoming the first woman from Kerala recognised in that discipline.
Prathap’s coconut-husk carving transforms a material widely discarded as agricultural waste across Kerala’s coconut belt into detailed decorative and figurative work, a craft tradition closely tied to the state’s dominant coconut economy. Krishna’s winning piece reinterpreted a Kathakali theme through quilling, a technique that shapes thin coiled strips of paper into intricate designs, applying a craft more commonly associated with decorative stationery to one of Kerala’s best-known classical art forms.
The Shilp Guru Award recognises master craftspeople for sustained excellence and contribution to preserving traditional skills, and typically goes to artisans with decades of practice rather than recent entrants to a craft. UNI’s report did not specify how many years either Prathap or Krishna has worked in their respective fields.
Recognition for crafts outside the mainstream
Coconut-husk carving and paper quilling both sit outside the handicrafts most commonly associated with Kerala internationally, such as Kathakali masks, bronze work or coir products, making this year’s awards notable for recognising lesser-known traditions within the state’s craft economy. The Ministry of Textiles’ selection committee draws nominees from across India each year, so recognition for two Kerala-based artisans in the same award cycle reflects a concentration of honours in a single state’s handicrafts sector for 2025.
Krishna’s quilling work bridges two traditions that rarely intersect directly: a performance art form built on elaborate costume, makeup and movement, and a comparatively modern craft technique using folded and coiled paper. That combination, and her status as the first Kerala woman honoured in the paper quilling category specifically, marks a notable first within a craft recognition system that has run for decades.
What the award means practically
Shilp Guru and National Award recipients typically receive a cash prize, a certificate and increased visibility for their work, which can translate into higher demand from collectors, exhibitions and government-backed craft promotion programmes, though UNI’s report did not detail the specific financial award attached to this year’s honours. Recognition at this level often also qualifies artisans for mentorship roles, training younger craftspeople through government skill-development schemes tied to the handicrafts sector.
For Kerala’s wider craft economy, built heavily around coir, coconut by-products and classical performance traditions, Prathap’s and Krishna’s awards offer a reminder that the state’s artisanal output extends well beyond its most commercially visible exports. Both now join a small group of Kerala-based Shilp Guru and National Award recipients recognised by the Ministry of Textiles in recent years, a list that has grown only gradually given how selective the national award process remains.
