Godawari Singh
A Varanasi wood-toy craftsman who modernised the city's wooden handicraft and guides more than 2,000 artisans, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
Godawari Singh is a craftsman who has spent his life keeping alive the wooden toy and handicraft industry of Varanasi. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of art, from Uttar Pradesh [1].
From Gorakhpur to Varanasi
He was born on 1 January 1941 and in 1953 moved with his mother and brother from Gorakhpur to Varanasi, where his working life began [2]. He started by making the sindhora, a wooden vermilion box still used at weddings, and then used modern tools to develop new products from the old craft [2].
Supporting artisans
More than 2,000 artisans now work in the craft under his guidance [2]. In 2001 he set up 20 self-help groups of about 300 craftsmen, who received training, design workshops and toolkits through a toy-makers’ cooperative [2].
His wooden model of Arjun’s chariot won a state award in 2003–04, and in 2005 he and his artisans represented Uttar Pradesh in the Republic Day parade, where their tableau came third [2]. In 2007 a textile ministry office in Lucknow gave him the title “Bhishma Pitamah” of the craft, and in 2017 he received the Kalamani award at the Surajkund International Crafts Fair [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2024: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2024: citation for Godawari Singh — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
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