In addition to textiles of kotpad and kalamkari, the Dastkari Haat Diwali Crafts bazaar at Gallery 1AQ, Mehrauli, also has on display the ancient tribal art-forms of sanjhi, dokra and warli, thus, preserving culture, says Khushbu Kirti
As I entered the premises of the Qutub complex, the haat, backed by the majestic historicity of the Qutub Minar, showcased myriad colours and unique regional crafts in numerous stalls. An art enthusiast would go gaga over the aberrant designs and the diverse culture that was being displayed all over the haat. Textiles from Bihar, kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh, embroideries from Gujarat, ikat from Andhra, goan paintings from Madhya Pradesh, patek from West Bengal — all were exquisitely exhibited, and shone brilliantly.
One could spot, from afar, furnishings and block painted bedsheets by artisans all the way from Rajasthan, items like colourful baskets, dresses and jewellery made from waste gamcha fabric, striking wire-craft comprising jali cutwork wire lamps, pichwais made of gold, silver, and natural colours, terracotta items, and I can keep going on.
I approached the first stall of beautiful mats and plates made of what looked liked mudarkathi grass. The work was from Midnapur, West Bengal. Showing me a picture of some elderly artisans engulfed in their craft, Sagar, from the NGO called Munami foundation, told me, “These women engaged in the work are using madur (golden) grass. They make mats and runners out of this. Our NGO supports these artisans and, in turn, they make these aesthetic designs.”
As I spoke with more artisans, I was made aware of the noble causes behind their efforts. In addition to earning their bread, not only did they support sustainability, but also women empowerment.
Khetaram, working on another stall with delicate and vibrant suits, saris and bedsheets, that had artwork and embroidery on them done by artisans from Barmer, Rajasthan, told me they had 5,000 women working with their organisation called Mudra Mahila Vikas Sansthan.
Sanjay Shriram, sitting amidst dazzling colours, explained that the craft displayed was called leather puppetry, a hallmark of Andhra Pradesh art and crafts. “I make all the table, door and wall hangings, paintings, and clocks that you see here, on leather.”
Kalpana, from Rangeela Dhaga, who made handloom gamcha from West Bengal, said, “We stitch and weave on the gamcha, and make handbags, hangings, table-linen. We are 25 women working together, at the moment, in Bengal and Delhi.”
Another artisan, who also had received a national award by APJ Abdul Kalam for his product in 2003, shared his story, “Our dupattas and saris are vegetable-dyed handloom, and we also utilise cow dung in the process. The tradition of making kotpad saris has been handed over to us by our oldest of generations. It is the pride of Odisha’s rich tribal history and culture. We are tribal weavers of the Mirgan community of Kotpad village, in Odisha. The vegetable dye is natural as it is manufactured from the aul tree grown in our region.”
As I progressed further, I realised, on looking at the artisans and hearing their stories, that this fest was a beacon of hope for these craftsmen. Displaying their talent and skills, and selling them was their only way of livelihood. These traditional artists are showcasing beautiful products that are also hand-made.
The Dastkari Haat Samiti has become the backbone for the crafts community, building a thriving artisan-buyer ecosystem for almost 35 years now. They have worked with artisans since the first day of the lockdown to provide adequate ration and support.
In a conversation with Jaya Jaitly, the founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti, she expressed, “Our organisation commenced in 1986. We have been holding bazaars all over the country for many years. With that temporary bazaar situation, we want to create a permanent place for temporary people. That’s how we came up with Dilli Haat. It is one of our proudest achievements. We are very committed to issues that are far more serious, like the sustenance of livelihood. Heritage gives us all that we need to have, whether it’s music, dance, theatre, painting, textile, weaving, which is greater than any country in the world. We, ourselves, have neglected it because of colonial rule. But now, we are waking up to all the treasures that we’ve had all along but didn’t value.”
“Lakhs of people in the craft-sector also deserve to earn, but they don’t have businesses, they don’t have capital. But what they do have is a heritage that has been passed on to them for generations. And they have been taught a skill that is disappearing. They are very much a part of the market economy,” she concluded.
Another stall displaying little idols and other show-pieces in brass held my attention. On asking Rajeev Kumar, who belonged to West Bengal, about the craft, he answered, “Dokra art is a tribal art, an ancient casting process in the country. Our unit works under KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission), a government organisation. We have a self-help group of women who make the jewellery items and others.”
Once you realise that everything the artisans are making is completely eco-friendly, you come to the conclusion that these are the people who are going to sustain the planet, when fuels run out completely. Not only do they use conscious and sustainable practises, they also build each other up.
Khadi, which everyone thinks is only a homage to Mahatma Gandhi, actually involves, right from the farmer cultivating pure and organic cotton, to the spinner, and a dozen weavers to work on the cloth. It requires an entire tribe to execute just the production of the cloth. So, here you have it — the roots of problems that India, and a lot of other nations, face — unemployment, pollution, exploitation of resources, global warming, consumption of junk, and so much more, getting resolved.
“India always had the science and technology to industrialise. We did not do it, consciously. Gandhi said if we were to industrialise that one little isle of nation that has had to destroy the whole planet, we would have to destroy many planets, which is why he turned crafts into a symbol of independence,” explained Vandana Shiva, a bio-diversity expert from Navdaniya.
I felt forlorn that the importance of this sector has always been casually neglected and never been taken seriously.
On the topic of extremely rare and almost extinct art-forms, I came across a sanjhi artisan named Ram Soni. His art-pieces were mind-blowing, and I usually do not go to the extreme of using a raw adjective like that for anything. The art sketches are formed by intricate scissor-cuts to create elaborate patterns. His family, according to him, has been employing the craft for 350 years. Originally from Mathura, he resides currently in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. The highly skilled artisan had received a national award in 2002 and regularly conducts workshops and participates in exhibitions.
“I am from Maharashtra and am a warli artist. Warli art is a traditional tribal art-form. The warli paintings are made on mud walls with the help of white paste. This white paste is a mixture of grounded rice and water, and gum is used as a binding on the same. We usually show village scenes to make them relatable. The background is done with cow dung and then the painting is implemented,” a yet another unique craft’s practitioner shared.
An elderly but extremely experienced artisan described his organisation, “Our NGO, Jawala Leather Association, has been working for the past 40 years. We’re still somehow keeping it alive. Our handicrafts are entirely made of leather.”
Shiva had casually said, in a conversation with Jaitly, which I had the good chance to hear, that any person — an environmentalist, a health conscious enthusiast/expert, anyone who is concerned about livelihood — should and must be a part of exhibitions like these, and I most sincerely agreed.