Gangtok: The Directorate of Handicraft and Handloom Industry in Gangtok set up with the aim of keeping alive the traditional arts and crafts, is a storehouse of exquisite hand-woven carpets, blankets, shawls, hand-carved furniture and so on. The other striking feature of the Directorate is the presence of rich ethnic Buddhist paintings. Here, the art of "Thanka" too is taught at the Directorate to young students. "Thanka" or the Buddhist paintings are found all over the state in all the monastries. The "thankas" depict the life of Lord Buddha, Goddess Drolma and also the wheel of life.

    The training imparted to the students at the Directorate not only aims at popularizing the art, but it also increases the prospect of employment for these students as most of them are school droupouts. The stipend received by each student undergoing training attracts a number of young men from all over the state. "I have come from a village. Here I have learned painting. Government has helped a lot. Here we also receive a stipend. It's very good over here," says Phurba Bhutia, a student. "We make the paintings of Sikkim's deity Budhha. These paintings are taken to the monastries. We use natural colour," he adds. Bhutia gets additional money whenever his paintings are taken by a monastry. According to an instructor at the Directorate, a number of students come to learn painting and the stipend paid to them plays a vital role in their lives. Once they are through with their training, they can either work for the Directorate or can take up independent contracts. "A number of locals come to this place. They learn painting . They can also work here. All the students get stipend which makes their life easy," said Tillu Tamang, the instructor. The central figure in the thanka is always a Budha. Other figures depicted around the main deity have their mystical significance too.
- Jan 22, 2005