Shah Rasheed Ahmed Quadri
A master craftsman of Bidriware, the inlaid metalwork of Bidar, who has shown the craft around the world, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
Shah Rasheed Ahmed Quadri is the senior-most master craftsman of Bidriware, the metalwork of Bidar in which silver is inlaid into a dark alloy. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2023 in the field of art, from Karnataka [1].
A family craft
Quadri was born on 5 June 1955 into a family that had practised Bidri work for generations, and studied up to the pre-university course [2]. He began working at the family craft as a child and soon started trying out new patterns, designs and objects [2].
Novel Bidri Craft
In 1986 he founded Novel Bidri Craft in Bidar, where he has developed new articles and designs and trained new craftsmen and craftswomen, so that the craft would have more hands to carry it on [2]. His designs have been admired in India and abroad [2].
He has shown and demonstrated Bidriware at exhibitions and fairs in many countries, including the United States, Italy, Singapore, the Netherlands, Spain, Bahrain, Oman, Switzerland and China [2]. In 2011 he took part in Karnataka’s Bidriware tableau at the Republic Day parade, which won second prize [2].
Recognition
He received the Karnataka state award in 1984, a National Award in 1988, the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2006 and the Shilp Guru award from the Government of India in 2012 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2023: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 21 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2023: citation for Shah Rasheed Ahmed Quadri — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 21 October 2026.
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