Handicrafts of India

अभिनन्दन from Gaatha

Gaatha project was originally conjured only for researching and documenting the rapid erosion of Indian craft clusters and heritage. However, we soon learnt from the artisans themselves that need was not to do research alone, but to restore ‘pride and serious commercial opportunity’ in their ecosystem. Today Gaatha thus aims to bring the lost respect and wealth back to these beautiful and aesthetically rich Indian handicraft clusters. These researches are important because just like Industrial goods sell on ‘features’, crafts sell on the processes / stories / heritage that go into making them.

We should give crafts a fair chance, someone is right now merrily making something for us, singing a folk song, in a humble house, deep inside India.

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Story of Indian crafts and craftsmen
  • About Us
    • Who we are
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      • Research & Archive
      • Consultancy & Design
      • Curation & Commerce
    • Be a part
    • Contact Us
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    • Know Your Native (INDIAN TRIBE)
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Crafted with Love

14Oct

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Gaatha brings to you, traditional handicrafts and the culture behind them, directly from the very home of the Indian artisan.
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gaatha.handicrafts

Shop | Handmade treasures from the heart of India
Discover | Woven narratives through craft documentation

"His bulb is the moon in a dark blue sky. The otla "His bulb is the moon in a dark blue sky.
The otla is an earthy mountain,
and the white in between a quiet lake."
~
This is a weaver’s house, where Indianness is still alive. Imagination and skill extend beyond the loom and flow into every corner of life. The character of the house is so distinct that it becomes a landmark. Today, in urban settings where flats look the same, we have lost the outer personality of our homes. What remains is often just a house number.  #rural_love #indianarchitecture #gaatha #carpetweaving #vernaculararchitecture
For decades, these threads have held the beads tog For decades, these threads have held the beads together, allowing each motif to tell its own story. This traditional beadwork from Saurashtra carries a quiet charm and coexists beautifully with modern spaces. Add a subtle, enduring charm to your home with this one-of-a-kind handcrafted piece.
~
https://shop.gaatha.com/buy-antique-indian-textile-art
~
#antique #beadart #walldecor #gaatha #tribalart
Most Indians grew up loving me. I am wholesome, qu Most Indians grew up loving me.
I am wholesome, quick to prepare, and open to endless variations, toor dal, moong dal, or chana dal.
You can always add a twist with different spices and vegetables.
Potato and onion are perhaps my favourites.
I am khichdi.  I am not just loved by locals. Travellers who came to India embraced me too.
They played with my flavours, added their own touches, and I welcomed the change.  For ages, I lived life the same way. Then one day, the British invited me on a journey.
They said, “Kitchari, come with us to Britain.”  Britain? I had never imagined travelling abroad.
Still, I crossed the seas and reached Britain.
I met new people and discovered new tastes.
Eggs and fish were added to me. I remembered that even Mughal king Aurangzeb once added fish and boiled eggs to me and called it Alamgiri Khichdi.
I was always open to change.
The real twist came with my name.  Soon Khichdi became Kitchari, and finally, I turned into kedgeree, with the “d” staying silent.  #gaatha #storytelling #indianculture #etymology #indianfoodlovers
They can fit into any story and make it engaging. They can fit into any story and make it engaging. An age-old leather craft technique brings characters from our favourite folklores to life. These lively puppets parade straight into your space, creating an orchestra of illuminating colours and flawless gestures.
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https://shop.gaatha.com/buy-tradition-leather-puppets-from-andhra-pradesh  #wallart #interiorstyling #folkart #gaatha #mythology
Explore original old prints. Defined by subtle col Explore original old prints. Defined by subtle colours and soft features, these pieces bring a quiet Indian charm to interiors. They are not merely artworks but windows to another time, recalling the walls of humble homes where such prints were once displayed and decorated with garlands.
~
https://shop.gaatha.com/indian-antique-prints  --
#antique #indianprints #gaatha #nostalgia
Nowadays, the current generation considers me cool Nowadays, the current generation considers me cool.
I’m sure many of them believe I was born in the mind of a Western fashion designer.  But my journey began long ago, when humble handloom weavers wove thick, coarse, and durable fabric here in India, near Bombay, what we now call Mumbai. There was a small port village known as Dongri, and locally, the fabric was called Dungri.  Just like fabric from Banaras is called Banarasi, and fabric from Maheshwar is called Maheshwari, this fabric took its name from its place.  The British authorities admired my durability and practicality. They turned me into a uniform for port workers, adding a few pockets in the front to hold tools and other necessary objects.  The real twist in my life came after the Second World War. I stepped out of the ports and onto the streets, becoming popular as everyday fashion. My name, too, evolved with time, transforming from Dungri to Dungaree.   So next time you buy me, remember to give a little credit to Dongri too, my birthplace.  #gaatha #storytelling #indianculture #dungarees #etymology
They also play with the five elements and give bir They also play with the five elements and give birth to a pot.
These pots breathe in their own style and live for others.
They are so important that from birth, to marriage, to death, ceremonies remain incomplete without them.  Not only humans, even the gods have valued the earthen pot.  An ancient story tells us that when Lord Shiva was to be married, all the Devas and Asuras assembled at Mount Kailasa for the ceremony. Soon, the need arose for vessels to be used in the rituals. A Brahmin was asked to make them and prayed for the necessary materials. Lord Vishnu offered his Sudarshana Chakra to serve as the potter’s wheel, Mount Mandara was fixed beneath it as a pivot, Adi Kurma, the cosmic tortoise, became the scraper, and rain clouds provided the water. Using these divine tools, Kulalaka shaped the pots and presented them to Maheshwara for the marriage.  From that moment onward, his descendants came to be known as Kumbhakara, the makers of water pots. Since then, Kumhar has continued to serve society through this sacred craft, perhaps one of the oldest living traditions of human civilization.
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Read more - https://gaatha.org/  #craftdocumentation #clayart #bastar #teracotta #gaatha
This papier-mâché form allows Madhubani art to f This papier-mâché form allows Madhubani art to flow naturally over curves and contours. The result is a sculptural narrative that is vivid, tactile, and deeply Indian. 
These Madhubani papier-mâché toys are so charming that anyone can instantly fall in love with them.
~
Buy here - https://shop.gaatha.com/madhubani-paper-mache-toys
~
#papermache #madhubani #indiantoys #gaatha #tabledecor
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