Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

HANDICRAFTS

Karigiri in Tamil Nadu (South Arcot dis-

trict) specialises in pottery of highly artistic

shapes, original colours and glazes and at-

tractive ornamentation.

Goan pottery has a charm and style of

its own. The products include domestic

ware - attractive water and flower pots -

and a wide range of sculpture like figures -

man and woman, mother with child etc.

FILIGREE AND SILVER WARE

Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh is noted

for its silver filigree work, ash-trays, ciga-

rette cases, boxes etc and perfume contain-

ers in the shape of a peacock, parrot or fish.

Rajkot, Porbunder, Kutch and Mandvi in

Gujarat are famous for their silver work.

Items produced are vases, trays, jewellery

boxes, powder boxes, etc.

Rajasthan produces a wide range of sil-

ver jewellery - necklaces, pendants, ear

studs, carvings, etc. Nathdwara is an im-

portant centre for enamelled silver jewel-

lery. Imitation and costume jewellery is

also made in Rajasthan.

PAPIER-MACHE

A craft technique that involves building

up layers of pasted paper, which is then

baked or left to harden — used for trays,

decorative objects, and even furniture, it is

often painted, lacquered, or decorated with

mother of pearl.

The technique of making papier-mache

began in the orient and reached Europe

sometime in the 18th century.

This craft is engaged in by artisans in

Patna and other parts of Bihar. Masks used

in the Chhau dance are the main item of pro-

duction, while figures of different kinds of

birds for decorative purposes are also made.

Kashmir is known for its papier-mache

work. The most frequently used

hazarana

(thousand) pattern seeks to display every

conceivable flower. Other floral patterns

include the chinar leaf, iris, Persian rose,

almond and cherry blossom, while bird

forms are the kingfisher and bulbul. Pure

gold is still used in gold leaf or line.

In Madhya Pradesh important centres of

this art are Gwalior, Ujjain and Indore. Prod-

ucts include human figures, birds, animals,

deities, etc. Jaipur specialises in toys and

exquisite birds.

In Orissa, artisans in Marapur and

Subarnapur (near Cuttack) and Barpali,

Chikati "and Parlakhemedi (Ganjam) pro-

duce folk toys with detachable limbs like

nodding tigers and elephants, old men and

women with comic faces as well as charac-

ters from mythology.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Miraj in Maharashtra is an important

centre for the manufacture of musical string

instruments

the

Tampura,

Sitar,

Dilruba, Sarangi, Bhajani Veena and Etal.

The tribals in the north-eastern state of

Meghalaya are known for their love of musi-

cal instruments - dhak, kora, shehnai, turi or

brass trumpet. They have now taken to the

guitar. A guitar making unit at Sohryugkham

makes guitars worth Rs.6000 annually.

Rajasthan has a rich variety of folk

music and musical instruments. The impor-

tant ones still used are the rawanhatha, an

instrument of the violin family played with a

bow, the jantar of the harp family, the Sindhi

sarangi, a string instrument, and the satara,

consisting of two flutes played simultane-

ously and made of bored wood.

Uttar Pradesh is the most important

centre for the manufacture and export of

musical instruments. The production covers

all traditional musical instruments as well

as certain string Western instruments.

Mysore in Karnataka is also known for

making instrument especially the 'veena'.

Kerala is famous for making certain mu-

sical instruments like mridangam, naga-

swaram, veena, sruti box, etc.

LEATHER

The manufacture of leather articles is

carried out all over Rajasthan. Shoes meant

for rural use have bold patterns in bright col-

ours. For city people and tourists there are

the

boat-shaped

slip-on

shoes

called

mojvis

made mostly in Jodhpur and Jaipur,

which are delicately embroidered and fin-

ished.

In Lucknow, Hyderabad (A.P.) and

other places embroidered shoes are very

popular. In Tamil Nadu, Kanpur, etc. shoe-

making is a major industry.

Many decorative articles in leather have

come up in Shantiniketan, Bolpur (W. Ben-

gal).

Semi-leather seats are also made using

wooden or bamboo frames and legs. As

their use in this country is limited they are

mostly exported.

Artistic handmade leather goods made

in Bengal with geometrical, floral and figu-

rative motifs are attractive. The product

range covers handbags, wallets, cushion

covers, etc. Batik work in leather is also

popular. Delhi leather workers make tradi-

tional decorative

jootis

(shoes).

( V . R . )