Organisers and awardees at the award giving ceremony, top, visitors at a stall of Crafts Fair. — Ali Hossain Mintu.

Four crafts persons from across the country, who have mastered  their respective choice of craft, awarded with the Mastercraftspersons Award 2013 at a ceremony at the Bangla Academy in the capital on Friday. Subsequently a three-day crafts fair was formally inaugurated by Commerce minister GM Quader.
National Crafts Council of Bangladesh and Bengal Foundation jointly organized the award giving ceremony and the fair.
The four awardees are: Subodh Kumar Pal (Rajshahi) for earthen dolls, Md Arifuzzaman (Rangpur) for sataranchi (traditional carpet), Pradip Kumar Das (Kushtia) for cane-basket and Md Shariful Islam (Kushtia) for a four-stringed traditional musical instrument made by wood.
GM Quader, as the chief guest of the award giving ceremony, handed over BDT 50,000 checks, crests and certificates to the four winners. Besides, 32 craftspersons received honourary certificates from the organizers. 
Litterateur Selina Hossain, National Crafts Council president Munira Emdad and Bengal Foundation Chairman Abul Khayer were also present at the programme as special guests.
The guests, at their speeches, emphasized to the need of promoting the crafts, which have a deep connection with the root of the nation. Selina Hossain said, ‘On the backdrop of today’s trend of globalization, it is very tough for the mastercraftspersons who live in remote villages to survive.’ She urged  the urban people to encourage the artisans by purchasing more crafts products.  
A good number of visitors gathered on the first day of the three-day fair.  Countrywide artisans are displaying their craftworks at the 20 stalls at the fair. Traditional crafts products like Saree, Nakshikantha, Ektara, Dotara, Sataranchi and different types of decorative pieces are the highlight of the fair which will continue till January 13. The fair also features live performances of the folk singers who came from distant villages of the country.