Chhattisgarh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets wood carving exponent and Padma Shri recipient Ajay Mandavi

Kanker (Chhattisgarh) [India], July 1 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Ajay Mandavi, a noted exponent in tribal art and Padma Shri recipient, in Chhattisgarh's Kanker on Saturday.
He met the tribal artist before addressing a public rally in Kanker on Saturday.
"I have arrived here today after meeting your son, Ajay Mandvi, from Kanker. A proud son of the Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, he has incorporated Gond tribal art in woodcraft," Rajnath said after meeting Mandavi.
Mandavi, who teaches wood calligraphy art to jail inmates, was honoured with the country's fourth-highest civilian honour, Padam Shri, by the Union government for excellence in art on Republic Day this year.
The tribal art exponent is credited with transforming the lives of more than 400 undertrials by encouraging them to take up wood carving.
He has dedicated himself to rehabilitating the 'misguided youth' by teaching them wood calligraphy.
Mandavi has been into wood calligraphy since 2005.
In 2010, the then District Collector requested him to teach woodcraft to jail inmates. Since then, Mandavi has been teaching the art to prisoners, most of whom are undertrials in Naxal cases.
Around 400 suspected Naxalites have learnt the art from Mandavi.