Tag: Craft
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Maheshwar’s Raksha Bandhan Connection: The Ties That Bind
Raksha Bandhan is conventionally known as the festival commemorating the love between a sister and her brother. Each year this love is renewed and strengthened by a symbolic gesture – the sister ties a piece of thread – a rakhi – on the wrist of her brother. The thread represents the brother’s commitment to protect […]
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Stitch by stitch
“I must share the story of Tabassum with you. She was one of the most highly-skilled artisans in Lucknow. She had won state-level awards. When we started training her as part of the first batch of the Sangraha project, she was very overwhelmed. She broke down and started crying. She said she wasn’t capable of […]
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The Handmade Paper Trail: A Fascinating New Journey
Once upon a time, roughly in the late ’60s America, if you bought a dress and met with some post-purchase dissonance or dropped sauce all over the front, you could just tear it up. Because that particular dress was made of paper! In the 1920s London, one could buy a ‘Paper Suit’ for a tiny […]
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Ajrakh Tales – Re-Contextualizing an Age Old Textile on the Contemporary Scene
The elegant symmetry of geometric patterns, the waltz of Indigo & madder dyes, and the minor imperfections that add to its allure… this is what forms the syntax of an ancient craft like Ajrakh. Like a skilled raconteur, the standard 3 meter length of an Ajrakh print tells tales of its invigorating history, the many […]
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Koraput – Reviving Odisha’s Timeless Craft
Koraput – rough, coarse to the touch, yet soft on the skin and completely organic. Like a wildflower’s unrefined beauty, Koraput’s elegance lies in its unassumingness and simplicity. Woven for centuries in Kotpad – a dusty little town in Odisha, this fabric is entrenched in Kotpad’s regional identity. Traditionally woven by the Mirgan community, Koraput […]
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Culture Connect: Initiating Children Into Handmade Crafts and Heritage Art
As the world of play for children continues to be infused with technology-driven stimuli, it has become imperative to introduce them to other unique and engaging forms of play and storytelling. With the repertoire of wonderful traditional and folk art forms of their country at our disposal, there is a wide array of mediums to […]
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Art in the Everyday: The Re-Imagining of Folk and Tribal Art
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” – Aristotle For the folk artist, carrying on the traditions of his tribe, community and region is a way of life, a reflection of the history he is part of, and a token of his commitment to keep […]
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Of Soil and Silver: Bidri Metal Inlay Craft from Bidar, Karnataka
Striking strokes of silver against a deep, dark black, one that does not fade with time – these defining characteristics of bidriware from Karnataka in Southern India bear testimony to the fine craftsmanship involved in creating this metal inlay work. Believed to have been brought to Bidar (hence the craft’s name) by the Bahamani Sultans […]
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Odisha Murals: Saura Tribal Art
Sauras are among the most ancient tribes of India, finding a mention in the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Ram’s devotee Savari in Ramayana and Jara, the hunter in Mahabharata who mortally wounded Krishna, are believed to have been members of this tribe. Like other tribes of India, the unique style, diversity and detail […]
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Ganjifa: 16th Century Traditional Playing Cards of India
The Story of Ganjifa In June 1527 Babar, founder of the Mughal dynasty, sent a unique gift to Shah Hasan, a close friend from Sindh. It was an exquisite set of Mughal Ganjifa round playing cards, each hand-painted on ivory and inlaid with precious stones. Little did he know that he was going to spark […]
Storytellers of Wonder 