Aipan, a traditional art form with which the Kumaonis particularly women decorate their houses to welcome an auspicious occasion like Diwali or any other event like marriage ceremony, now moves beyond the threshold of the Kumaon.
Attracted to this peculiar piece of traditional design, now art lovers from both domestic and global levels have started to include this traditional art form in their modern lifestyle also.
People now can be seen even wearing garments like 'kurtas' shirts reflecting these 'Aipan' designs as the college of home science, the GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, in association witthe Gandhi Ashram have started using the culture centric ancient art to design a variety of garments like silk made 'kurtas', shrits and other homely items like table covers, bed-sheets, dining mats to name a few.
The interesting fact is that housewives and rural woman who posses expertise in this 'Aipan' art are also contribute to the promotion of the same and they are paid for that.
In a bid to promote this traditional art we have now tied up with the Gandhi
Ashram, Dr Rita Raghuvanshi, Dean of the college of home science, the GBPUAT, Pantnagar, told The Pioneer.
The College of the home science of the GBPUAT is promoting this Kumaoni design under the National Fellow Programme of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi.
Under this programme all the 'Aipan' designed objects like garments and other homely items are sent to different parts of the country through the Gandhi Ashram shops so that people could easily purchase them, she adds.
"We involve the rural women who are experts in 'Aipan' art to design all the silk and other homely items," Raghuvanshi says. Thus obviously, the National Fellow Progamme has not only come in handy to promote this diminishing Kumaoni art which is integral part of the culture of the Kumaon, but also strengthening livelihood options of the rural folk.
This can be described an attempt on part of the aforesaid departments under the National Fellow Programme to popularise this traditional art. But as the people here believe a lot needs to be done to revive this traditional art even in remote parts of the region as people nowadays have started purchasing machines made decorative items.
"Since markets are flooded with machine-made 'Aipan' posters and stickers, people prefer to purchase the same from the nearby market to investing their time in making these 'Aipan' designs in traditional way," says Janardan Prasad, a local here.
"Therefore, the Government must come up with some innovative ways to encourage the people to save their dying rich cultural heritage," he adds.