Gaatha

Hampi (Karnataka), the seat of the famed Vijayanagara Empire was the capital of the last big empire in Southern India, covering several states. The empire reigned supreme under Krishnadevaraya, the Emperor. Today, the ruins of Hampi of the 14th Century lies scattered in about 26 sq. km area, amidst giant boulders and vegetation.

Strewn over a large area (about nine square miles) the ruins at Hampi offers to the tourist a remainder of the greatest land in the whole world. Every rock, every path and every monument at Hampi speaks the same language; a language of glory and beauty.

In this dry, rocky area, reside the Lambanis, dressed in their colourful embroidered dresses strewn with mirrors, coins and shells.

Lambanis, elsewhere known as “Banjaras”, who originally came from Marwar are semi-nomadic people who reside mostly in Southern and Middle India. As with many tribal groups, especially those with a nomadic heritage, there is a modern tendency to either isolate or assimilate. The Banjara women, however, are holding steadfast to their ancient mode of dress, which is perhaps the most colorful and elaborate of any tribal group in India. The Lambani women practice a unique mirror and embroidery craft, which they mostly use for making their own traditional dresses or for giving to their daughters for their weddings.

The Lambani embroidery is an amalgam of pattern darning, mirror work, cross stitch, and overlaid and quilting stitches with borders of “Kangura” patchwork appliqué, done on loosely woven dark blue or red handloom base fabric.

Lambani embroidery is commonly mistaken as Kutchi (Kachhi) embroidery because of mirror work, but shells and coins are unique to this type of embroidery. Also, the stitches used are different.

The 14 types of stitches used in Lambani embroidery are Kilan, Vele, Bakkya, Maki, Suryakanti Maki, Kans, Tera Dora, Kaudi, Relo, Gadri, Bhuriya, Pote, Jollya, Nakra. Products made with such embroidery have wonderful textures and a bohemian style, making them very popular with tourists.

Feather stitch and blanket stitch, two of the stitches used in Lambani embroidery

A distinctive design range is its revival and use of local mud-resist handloom fabric, and the mirrors, shells and white ornamental trims that are a traditional part of Lambani as well as the Irikil saris of Dharwad-Hubli and other local fabrics.

There are 13 colours that are mostly used in Lambani embroidery, out of which; red and blue are most common. The base cloth used is either cotton khadi or power loom fabric and is also dyed locally, thus working in harmony with the local small scale industry. Although most of the fabric is dyed using chemical colours, vegetable dyes made from Kattha, Rathanjot, Chawal Kudi, Pomegranate peel etc are gaining popularity.

Some of the villages around Hampi, where this craft is practiced are Kadirampur, Mariyammanahalli, Sitaram Tanda, Kamalapur, Keri Tanda.

Lambani embroidery has now reached all over the world with the export of bed sheets and cushion covers in subtle colours but the heavily embroidered bags in flamboyant colours remain are a favourite among tourists.

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Banjaras, coins, Hampi, Karnataka, Lambani embroidery, Mirror work, shells

The Pithora paintings trail back long into history and find their roots in the cave paintings, thousands of years old. This is the most prevalent and characteristic art tradition of the Rathwa community, who live in the region bordering Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh states in India. While the styles vary with every Bhil group, they hold a deep social relevance.

Pithora paintings are characterized by the seven horses representing the seven hills that surround the area where the Rathwas reside. This is enclosed within a rectangular fence in the painting that defines this geographical area. This rectangle usually extends up to the Arabian Sea in the west, Bharuch in south and Indore in north and east. The wavy line depicting the river Narmada cuts through the painting.

Things like fields, trees, farms, wild life, birds, sun and moon are present in their relative positions in the map along with people and their ancestors. Even modern elements like railway tracks, aeroplanes, and computers feature in the paintings, thus making the Pithora paintings a real description of the world of Rathwa tribe.

Pithora painting has various connotations. One meaning attached to the Pithora Paintings is the idea of a map. This tradition is supposed to have started in the 11th century, when Bharuch was a centre for traders from the North.

The roads connecting Bharuch and nearby areas were difficult and even dangerous, so the tribes created a new profession for themselves – escorting Indian and foreign traders through this region in exchange for silver coins. To ensure that the area remains mysterious and their livelihood stays safe, the leader of the tribe made a map full of codes. Thus, the seven hills became represented by seven horses and the mouth of river Narmada by two tigers. The leader also ordered the escorts to make the same painting in their houses. The people who showed loyalty by painting the map at their home came to be known as “Rathwas” while those who disagreed, were called “Talavis”. The Rathwas then got rights to climb and dwell atop the seven hills. This practice went on till 1812 A.D. till the British rulers put a stop to it. Then the act of making Pithora painting became a ritual and Pithora became the god of Rathwa tribe.

(Another story, which is as old as time itself, is narrated at the end of this post)

Pithora paintings are sometimes considered very sacred. The Rathwas consult the village Tantrik (witch doctor) to heal illnesses and undo bad omens. If a wish made to “Baba Pithora” is granted, a Pithora painting has to be made in the main wall of the house, in consultation with the Tantrik.

It takes days to prepare for the final painting and the process and rules for the same are well defined. The wall is covered in cow dung or mud first and after prayers, the painting starts on a Tuesday and ends by Wednesday. The painting is made by Pithora painters, or “Lakhadas” and the family members residing in the house are not allowed to paint. The completion of the painting is accompanied with song, dance and celebration.

There are at least 50 varieties of Pithoras with the smallest measuring one and a half feet and the largest 145×10 feet. Originally started as a code, became a sacred space and now being sold, although very infrequently, as pieces of art, the Pithora painting makers have managed to keep its essence and unique style alive while evolving with the changing environment.

……………….~……………….
The Story of Baba Pithora
……………….~……………….

After much rejoicing, a grand wedding ceremony was arranged and Pithora wed Pithori with much aplomb. All the gods and goddesses attended the wedding. They arrived on horses and elephants. Hence Pithora painting has gods arriving on horses along with Pithora and Pithori.

Pithora is considered as god by Rathawa tribe because he identified his father right after seeing him for the first time.

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Chota Udepur, gujarat, Indra, Lakhadas, Madhya Pradesh, Paintings, Pithora, Rathwa community, Tribal

For generations, women residing in the villages of Punjab, India have woven the khes as a part of the trousseau that they take to their future home. With bold, harmonic and imaginative colour patterns, it is requisite as a coverlet while sleeping.

Khes is a floor spread and bed covering that is traditionally made of cotton. The thinner ones are used as bed coverings in winter and the thicker ones are used in place of shawls during winters. It is a household craft and is mostly woven by the women folk for their daughters, as an article for dowry.

According to his­torians, weaving is traditionally thought to have developed from mat making which have simple geometric patterns, sometimes braided and sometimes just coiled. Impressions of evi­dently similar coiled mats are found on the bases of pottery vessels from the Indus sites as early as Neolithic times. These recurring designs give fresh evidence of the remarkable survival of cultural patterns in Punjab. Khes was evolved centuries ago during the Mughal period to meet the demand of a cot­ton blanket.

Before the import of ma­chine made goods from Britain and Europe in the mid nineteenth century, small scale cotton industries in Gambat, Hala, Nasarpur, Thatta and Karachi, all in Pakistan, were known for their hand looms. Hand spinning was prac­ticed and the thicker phulkari fabrics, khes are living examples of it.

Cotton as we know has been grown in abun­dance in the plains of Sindh and Punjab for centuries and the climate has dictated the use of light weight cotton textiles for summers and the thicker ones for winters. Cotton was used in almost everything from clothes to furnishing items and thus formed an intrinsic part of the life in this region.

Khes continues to be woven with traditional geometric patterns on a pit loom using twill or plain weave.  The main field is filled with small repeating patterns, usually a diamond, a triangle or a polyhedron enclosed within a square. The end borders are white and combine a number of narrow and broad stripes in complex permu­tations of the forms seen in the field.

Khes are generally woven in sets of four pairs, end to end and then stitched together to produce the requisite width. A khes with two panels joined measures about 2 metres in length ad 1.5 metres in width. The most pop­ular colours are deep yellow, red, black, blue and green (white being regarded as neutral).

‘The spinning wheel with gold nuts spins colours in my life.
But whenever I see it it reminds me of you and makes me cry’.
Women during the evening sit together and spin while singing songs.

Khes weaving is originally a household craft, exclusively done by women and it has very little commercial value. A girl is taught to weave by an elder woman of the household. This is done so that the tradition does not die out and she can carry it forth. The women refuse to sell khes due to their sentimental attachment with it. Khes is therefore largely unknown to the outside world.

Khes is one of the few household arti­cles to have survived the rapid transformation that twentieth century has brought to the vil­lages of India. The bride’s mother takes extra care in weaving the khes right from the beginning till the end as the dowry will be a life long possession of the daughter who will carry it to her husband’s house in a sinduk. She also nourishes her daughter who is one day taken by the suitor along with the khes. It is therefore com­pared to the daughter and the love that the mother shares for both. Khes is thus, sym­bolically infused with life.

Craft clusters~Kharar, Mansa, Sangrur (Punjab, INDIA)
Text by Poornima Garg
Photographs by Shweta Moterao

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Cotton, Khes, Punjab, Textile, Weaving

In the dark of the night, loud beats of the drum and cries of the war horn fill the sweltering air, while glowing kings and demons fight across the flickering light.

As early as the twelfth century, the art of puppetry flourished in Andhra Pradesh, narrating stories of divinity, sometimes taking the divine dimensions itself. Stories from the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were performed and went on for several nights.

The puppet shows had something for everyone - divine epics for the devout; and comic relief for the distracted. Puppetry is still practiced today, especially during festival occasions, although not many puppeteers practice this art nowadays.

Leather shadow puppetry of Andhra Pradesh is known as Tholu Bommalata, (Tholu – leather, Bommalata – puppet dance). Two other kinds of shadow puppetry are practiced in Andhra Pradesh, the Sutram Bommalata (String puppets) and the Koyya Bommalata (Wooden puppets). The leather puppets, because of their transparency and jewel like glow, are most popular.

Madhavapatnam, near Kakinada, DCPalli in Nellore district, Nimmala Kunta in Anantapur district and Narasaraopet in Guntur district are the main centers for leather puppets.

Craftsman~ V. Shankar (Nimmalakunta, Andhra Pradesh)

The leather puppet, which was traditionally crafted from deer skin, is made from goat hide now. After a two week long process of cleaning, the skin becomes translucent and ready for the artwork. As with most crafts, in the painting of leather too, chemical colours are replacing natural ones. Different characters have their designated colours, for example, blue for Rama and Krishna, green Anjaneya, yellow for rishis and so on.

But apart from the translucency and vivid colours, what gives these puppets their brilliance, is the perforated designs drawn on the characters to depict jewellery. Once surrounded by colour and viewed against the light, they look like glowing jewels.

The sizes of the main characters range from 4’ x 1½’ to 6’ x 2½’. Smaller puppets, around 1’ in height, are also made, for supporting characters as well as for selling to tourists. Some of the characters are made in three different sizes for a sense of perspective as well as prominence. As the character is shown to move away, a smaller puppet replaces the larger one and vice versa. Each puppet is controlled by one person with the help of a bamboo stick attached to the back and the performer also sings for the character he manipulates. The movements of the puppets are very intricate, with the larger puppets having up to 13 different movable body joints. Fight scenes make the most of such complex movements and also keep up the tempo of the performance. Fables from Ramayana and Mahabharata that remain popular include tales of Lava Kusha, Keechaka Vadha and Rama Ravana Yuddham.

Today, the puppeteers have diversified into different products using the same craft; as puppet shows are not a mainstream medium of entertainment anymore. The transparency and durability of the material makes it perfect for lampshades and screens, enlivening any dull, grey room.

The puppet theatre is evolving with time, with epics getting interwoven with popular myths and tales. Performances that would go on for 6 nights for Ramayana and 18 nights for Mahabharata are now reduced to just an hour’s show. Bright electrical lighting has replaced mild earthen lamps but the magical glow of the characters and their phantasmagorical narratives still transport the audience to the surreal world of divine sagas.

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Andhra Pradesh, Charmakari, Gaatha, Gaatha handicrafts, Leather, Puppets, Ramayana and Mahabharata

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Embroidery, Hodka Bijori, Kachh, Rabari community

Think of Gujarat and vibrant images flash across the mind… the exhilarating Garba, decorated camels in the great Rann and everyone clothed in colourful embroideries. Gujarat can be called one of the biggest contributors to the image of India as a colourful country.

There are not one or two, but up to 16 different types of embroideries known in Gujarat, each belonging to a different community. All of these communities have their own, unique style of embroidery, different motifs, patterns that give them a visual identity. Even a person’s social status can be identified through the embroidery he or she wears.

From the geometric Kharek to the intricate Suf and to the thorn bush inspired Rabari, the identity of every Kutchhi person is woven in the stitches of these embroideries. Things seen in daily lives; flowers and bushes, peacocks and camels, women doing household chores and men tending to cattle, all these are inspirations for these beautiful designs.

Kutchhi women embroider everything from garments to wall hangings, toran, bed covers, bags and even camel decorations. Mirror-work, which is a characteristic identity of Gujarat, is thought to be originated with the use of naturally occurring mica found in the deserts. It is used so much now that mirror glass is specially manufactured for this purpose in local towns such as Kapadvanj in Gujarat.

Beautifully clashing colours, combinations that a trained designer would be apprehensive to use, are arranged in effortless harmony by the women, for whom embroidery is just another part of their daily chores. The women have been stitching their own garments and decorating them with embroideries for centuries and have mastered the skills of colour and compositions. Traditionally, embroideries were largely meant for personal use and dowry or gifts, but now these embroideries are bringing in colour and whimsy into our homogeneous mass produced urban marketplace.

These intense, contrasting colours and reflective mirrors give a breath of life to the barren arid environment of Kutchh. To think of it, they also add a greatly needed spice to our cloned silhouettes existing in concrete mazes.

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Embroidery, gujarat, Handicraft, Kachh, rabari

A busy morning as I rush to work, crossing busy streets and crowded pavements, I am inundated with a multitude of sights, sounds and smells. I can smell fresh samosas and automobile exhaust in one breath. But one sweet fragrance that greets me at every little pause is that of the incense. The purifying aroma is everywhere – the corner pan shop, the tea stall, in the taxis, under a tree, at a temple, in big showrooms, malls and swanky offices; welcoming the bright new day.

The aggarbatti is essentially a thin bamboo stick coated with a paste that burns to give out a fragrance.
The paste consists of charcoal and saw dust for combustion, fragrant powder, such as sandalwood, jasmine, saffron etc for the fragrance and a natural gum for binding the ingredients together.

Before applying the paste, the sticks may be dipped in a bright colour to give a contrast. The stick is covered with the paste by rolling with hands against a flat surface. Dexterous hands roll up to six or seven thousand aggarbattis a day, each one individually, with a speed that would leave the onlooker perplexed. After coating, the aggarbattis must be dried very slowly or they will not light properly.

What may seem like a simple perfume stick is actually a resultant of our ancient ritual practice of the Yagya. In the Vedic period, some 3,500 years before, the followers of Hinduism performed a fire ritual called Yagya, along with offering certain substances to deities.

This is the mantra that is recited while offering “dhoop” to the deities

Vanaspati sod-bhooto Gandhaadhyo gandh Uttam:,
Aadhreyya: Sarv-deyvaanaan Dhoop-a-yam Pratigrihyataam.

It is believed that the fumigation of the specific substances in the Yagya along with the sound of certain Mantras help in achieving physical, psychological and spiritual benefits. The steam and smoke produced in a yagya ensure that the aroma travels far and lingers on for a considerable amount of time.

Incense or “dhoop” is also part of the 16 essential offerings during certain Hindu rituals. From monasteries in Japan to churches in Rome to temples in India, the incense spreads its fragrance in many places of worship. The incense is also used as an aid to meditation as its aroma is believed to have a calming effect on the mind. Today, incense sticks are available in many different scents and elaborate packaging, but in essence, this handicraft of aggarbatti remains a fragrant reminder of our age old rituals.

A number of NGOs are working towards providing financial independence to women with the help of this handicraft. At many places, aggarbatti making is a cottage industry, where women take the material from a collection centre, work at home and bring the finished aggarbattis to those centres. This way, they are able to earn an income for themselves without neglecting their household duties.

The price of incense may be Rs. 10 for fifty sticks or Rs. 50 for ten, but the amount of skill that goes into its making remains the same. Each stick has the hand imprint of the woman who rolls twenty sticks a minute, thousands a day, to support her family.

Whether to create a sweet, perfumed ambience for relaxation or as an offering to god during a yagya, the incense stick permeates our lives as it permeates the atmosphere with its soft fragrance. Remember, it is not just a room freshener, but a glimpse of our ancient ritual traditions packed in this dainty little aggarbatti.

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Aggarbatti, bamboo, fragrance, Handmade, incense stick, religious

“Godhuli”… long shadows of dusk, a cloud of dust covering the orange horizon and the sounds of tinkering bells, announcing that the cattle is returning home.

Our villages have always had a strong relationship with animals, be it for farming or cattle raising. There are festivals especially for animals, such as Govardhan Puja, or Camel races, cattle fairs, special decoration for cattle as well as some crafts which are made just for the purpose of decorating or identifying cattle, such as embroidered decorations for camels, foot jewellery and tattoos. One such craft which originated with cattle rearing is the craft of metal bells, or “Ghantadi”, as known locally in Kutchh, Gujarat (India).

The craft is believed to be over a thousand years old, originated in Sindh, (currently in Pakistan). These bells were used to identify cattle. They were tied around the cattle’s neck so the owner would know of their whereabouts.

The makers of these bells are from the Lohar caste in Kutch and according to some of them, their families have been making bells for as far back as they can trace their ancestry.

There are thirteen sizes of bells and they are customized for different animals. A goat would have a small bell with a high pitched sound, while a cow would have a larger one with a deeper note. Even in the same size, the bells are customized with different sounds, or notes, to differentiate between cattle belonging to different owners. In each size, upto five or six different notes can be made.

The bell is made of iron and coated primarily with copper, along with a few other metals. They are made from scrap iron sheets which are repeatedly beaten to join together and to give them the required shape. The metal parts are neatly joined by expert hands by a locking system without any kind of welding.

Then they are coated with powdered copper with the help of mud paste and then heated in a furnace to fix the powdered copper on the surface of the bells. Once cooled and ready, a wooden piece is attached to the centre of the bell for that characteristic sound which is beautifully sonorous. Denting of the bell to get the perfect pitch is also done by hand, by repeated beating with a hammer. It  takes a lot of expertise and very careful and sensitive use of sound as well as touch.

Bell making in Kutch is a wonderfully sustainable craft as the raw material is metal scrap which is purchased from junk yards and the only use of energy is in the furnace for preparing them. Even the waste generated is miniscule, comprising of small metal scrap and burnt mud.

Nowadays, this craft is gaining popularity as decorative items not just because they have a beautiful sound, but also because those sounds remind us of being close to the earth, the villages and our roots.

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Decorative, gujarat, Kutch, Metal, Nirona

Bright colourful clothes, beautiful large eyes, nimble limbs dancing in front of an enthralled audience… this is not a dancer performing, but the puppet moving with the deft fingers of the puppeteer.

Kathputli is an ancient and one of the most popular performing arts of Rajasthan, a state in western India. The word “kathputli” derives from “kaath” or wood and “putli” or toy.

Socially, puppet players from a caste group are attached through the “jajmani system” to other castes. Traditionally, it was a system of patronage supported by kings and well-off families. The patrons would look after the artists in return for the artists singing praises of the patrons’ ancestors. Thus the artists, or Bhats, became genealogists.

These artists preferred to move out of their village and travel to places like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal and are even believed to have reached Burma and Ceylon.

Among various stories performed at a Kathputli show, the most well known one is a story about the king Amar Singh Rathode of Rajasthan, who lived around the time of Shahjahan. It was originally a story of fifty-two kathputlis so long and episodic, that it was almost never narrated in full. The theme would remain the same, with some comic humour added to convey serious issues. There was no fixed time limit for a show. Every show would be a unique and effervescent interaction between the puppeteers and the audience.

This was a narrative they carried with them. Once a show was done, they packed up and left to find a new audience.

The puppet show comprises of a tent, or tambudi which may be made with seven bamboo poles or with two lightweight cots put up lengthwise. The backdrop, front and decorative curtains are supported on this frame. The puppeteers are concealed behind this arrangement. The puppet consists of three parts – the head and shoulders made of wood, the hands and torso which are stuffed with cotton and covered with the character’s garment and the string. Legs are not designed in traditional puppets, with a few exceptions.

The sounds for the performance are taken care of by two instruments – the dholak, or hand drum and the boli / shrutti. This is a musical instrument made of two thin and small bamboo strips which have a reed in between and produces a sharp sound by blowing air in and out on it. The sound of the boli is the speech of the puppets and the drummer translates this for the audience.

Today, the cast has been reduced to seven. Many new characters are born and music is replacing the traditional boli / shrutti and dholak sounds of this narrative. These days the puppeteers sell the puppets for money as infrequent performances cannot sustain them.

Yet, the word puppetry still has a strong association with the Kathputli of Rajasthan and it remains a vibrant form of entertainment across all ages and geographical boundaries.

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Puppets, Rajasthan, storytelling, Wood