In October 2021, 3 products from Tamil Nadu – Karuppur kalamkari paintings, Kallakurichi Wood carvings & Kanyakumari Clove were awarded with Geographical Indication (GI) tags.
Karuppur Kalamkari paintings – They are Traditional dyed paintings made on pure cotton cloth, mainly used in temples for umbrella covers, cylindrical hangings, chariot covers. These were patronised by Nayaka rulers back in the 17th century.
Kallakurichi Wood carvings – Traditional wood carvings that are indigenous art of Madurai, which are mainly used for designs & ornamentation.
Kanyakumari Clove – Known for its rich aromatic oil content, with volatile oil content of 21% (normal 18%) resulting in 86% of eugenol.
- Of India’s total production of 1,100 tonnes of Clove, Tamil Nadu accounts for 1,000 tonnes with 65% of it coming from Kanyakumari.
- Hilly regions of Western Ghats rich in Black soil are known for the unique organic nature of the cloves.
i.Chennai GI Tag registry allocates GI tag for 51 products including 12 products from 4 western countries – German Beer (Muncener Bier) , Italian veined Blue Cheese (gorgonzola) , Greece Plant resin (Chios Mastiha), Czech Republic’s seed cone (zatecky chmel).
ii.With this New Inclusion, the total GI tagged products in India have crossed at least 421.
Note – Tamil Nadu & Karnataka each with 43 GI products are listed top in India
iii.Some of the new inclusion to the list includes, Kuttiattoor Mango & Edayurchilli from Kerala, Lahauli Knitted Socks and Gloves and Chamba chappal from Himachal Pradesh, TeliaRumal of Telangana, Sojat Mehndi of Rajasthan, Manjush Art of Bihar among others.
About Tamil Nadu:
Governor – R. N. Ravi
GI tagged products – Thanjavur Thalaiyatti Bommai, Thanjavur Veenai, Thanjavur Thattu, Tanjore paintings, Netti carvings.
Srirangam is a riverine island city located on river Kaveri.
