Lajwanti
A Patiala artisan who has promoted phulkari embroidery for four decades and trained hundreds of women in it, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2021.
Lajwanti is a craftswoman from Patiala who has worked for more than forty years to keep phulkari, Punjab’s traditional flower embroidery, alive. She was named for the Padma Shri in 2021 in the field of art, from Punjab [1].
Village beginnings
Lajwanti was born on 13 April 1953 into a poor family in a remote village in Patiala district, and was drawn to the craft from childhood [2].
Teaching the craft
She set up her own production unit, where more than 400 people have been trained under the guru–shishya scheme, with government support and on her own initiative [2]. Over three decades she has trained young people across the state [2]. More than 200 people who could not read or write have found work through her and now support themselves [2].
She has shown phulkari in India and abroad, taking part in the Taj Mahotsav in Agra and in international markets, and has led training sessions at schools and colleges including NIFT Mumbai [2].
Honours
Lajwanti received a National Merit Certificate in 1993 and the National Award in 1994 [2]. She was honoured by the Crafts Council of India in 2005 and the Silk Mark Organisation of India in 2017, and received a Khadi promotion award in 2019 and an India SME Forum award in 2020 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2021: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2021: citation for Lajwanti — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
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