In Thanjavur, artisans of traditional art-forms seek support to protect art from becoming extinct. #Namakkunaame http://t.co/WCMKsPES5X

During his Namakku Naame tour through the cultural capital of Thanjavur in mid-October 2015, DMK Treasurer M. K. Stalin held an intimate dialogue with traditional artisans and master craftsmen dedicated to preserving Tamil Nadu's world-renowned cultural art forms. Artisans specializing in Thanjavur gold foil paintings, bronze icon casting, pith model craftsmanship, veena making, and iconic dancing dolls shared the profound hardships threatening their centuries-old vocations. The craftspeople explained that skyrocketing raw material prices, a complete lack of institutional credit, absent export marketing infrastructure, and competition from cheap industrial replicas had pushed traditional artisan families to the brink of destitution, forcing younger generations to abandon heritage crafts for low-wage manual labour. Stalin listened with deep empathy, acknowledging that these traditional crafts embodied the artistic pinnacle of Tamil civilization and demanded active state patronage rather than passive neglect. He criticized the AIADMK government for offering zero promotional subsidies or welfare pensions to master craftsmen. Stalin pledged that a future DMK administration would establish dedicated artisan clusters, provide pension security, supply subsidized raw materials, and organize global exhibitions to ensure these heritage arts thrive sustainably.