Master craftsman and Bidri art trainer Mohammad Abdul Rauf died in Bidar on Sunday.
The 60-year-old national award-winner Rauf suffered a heart attack at his house and died on the way to hospital, family sources said.
He is survived by his wife, a daughter and sons M.R. Basit and M.R. Bari, both accomplished Bidri artists.
He was among the few globally recognised Indian artists of Bidri craft.
Fondly called Rauf Bidriwale, he was among the most acclaimed craftspersons from Bidar.
A visit to his tiny shop-cum workspace-cum house was on the itinerary of tourists from across India and abroad.
The Union government’s citation commended his work saying: Tracing back to a long lineage of expert craftsmen, Shilpguru Mohammad Abdul Rauf has played a quintessential role in elevating Bidriware into a contemporary art form without compromising on the traditional and cultural relevance of the craft.
He was the only Bidri artist in the State to win the national award for craftsmanship and mentorship.
He had the honour of receiving the national handicrafts award at the hands of two Presidents A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Pranab Mukherjee. He also received State-level awards twice.
He was ever willing to learn. He created Bidri QR codes during the Wikipedia edit- a-thon in 2014, organised by the Bidar Rotary Club and the district administration.
Working with designers of global fame, he made the championship medals for the Commonwealth Games 2010.
He used to create new designs based on drawings and themes submitted by students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Design and other institutions.
He displayed his work in various international fora like the fairs in Beijing and Frankfurt organized by the National Book Trust of India. He represented Bidriware at the International Autumn Trade Fairs in the U.S. and Dubai, crafts fair in Munich, TENDENCE-Frankfurt, Messe Frankfurt and Trinidad and Tobago.
Apart from traditional designs like Hookah bases, Vases and Umar Qayyam jugs, he handcrafted new products like modern art installations, wall tiles, pen drive casings, staplers, handles, letter openers, stationery cases, mirrors, furniture, bowls and plates.
Born in Alibag of Bidar Old City, he began at the age of 10 as an apprentice to his father Sheikh Ahmed, a national award-winning craftsman.
In a career spanning around 50 years, he produced several works of art that have adorned the walls of museums and galleries across the world.
His works are displayed in London, the U.S., Germany and France and the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad.
Rauf regularly created memorabilia like mementos, finisher medals, copper plate citations and busts and statuettes for various Central and State government agencies.
As part of the Shilpa Guru scheme and Gurukula internship scheme of the government and EXIM Bank, he trained over 1,000 youth in Bidri craft.
Rauf and his sons created a wall of handicrafts of India at the second terminal in the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.
The Union government sourced the artefacts gifted to U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barak Obama from Rauf, during their India visits.
He used to recall how after a few months of Mr. Clinton’s visit to India, some U.S. government officers came to Bidar looking for him. They had brought back a mini breakfast table he made in Bidri craft for repairs. It was damaged during its journey to Washington on the Air Force One. He later made a similar table for industrialist Vijay Mallya.
Apart from being involved in various national and State-level programmes to teach and educate young people, introducing them to the craft, he organised several training courses for design students as they were developing their graduation projects.
