Gaatha

FINAL PROJECT

Gaatha- a tale of craftsFocus: Nirona, Kutch

Student Name: Nupur Patel

Student ID: 201214006

Guide: Prof. Binita Desai

Master in Design (Communication Design)

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology

Feedback Sheet

Acknowledgement

The completion of this project has been possible because of the guidance and assistance of many people. I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the following

Professor Binita Desai, my faculty guide, for making this project pos-sible. Her guidance and support instilled in me the confidence that I re-quired for carrying out the project.

Professor Vishvajit Pandya and Professor Madhumita Mazumdar for their insightful guidance that helped the project take shape.

The artisans and villagers of Nirona, whose help during the research and shoot were invaluable. I value their dedicated efforts.

My family, for their unconditional and continual moral support.

Last but not the least, friends, colleagues and juniors for their advice and help during the course of the project.

Gaatha – Focus: Nirona, KutchNupur Patel | 201214006 | M Des | 2014

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Index

1. Introduction 52. Project brief 8 3. Design process 3.1 Project conceptualization 11 3.2 Field work 3.2.1 Copper Bell Making 14 3.2.2 Rogan 19 3.2.3 Lacquer Wood work 24 3.2.4 Leather Work 28 3.2.5 Shawl weaving 33 3.3 Secondary research 37 3.4 Understanding 384. Project implementation 4.1 Selection of medium 40 4.2 Pre-production 4.2.1 Plot 41 4.2.2 Script 46 4.2.3 Storyboard 47 4.3 Production 4.3.1 Filming 48 4.3.2 Lighting 49 4.3.3 Audio 49 4.4 Post-production

4.4.1 Editing 50 4.4.2 Music 50 4.4.3 Voice Over 50 4.4.4. Test screening 515. Conclusion 526. Bibliography 537. Reference 548. Appendix 55


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Introduction

Crafts form an integral part of any culture or tradition around the world. They reflect the cultural ambience and the ethos of the region. The village of Nirona, Kachchh is home to five different crafts namely Rogan art, copper bell making, lacquer work, leather work and weaving. A handful of artisanal families are engaged in practising these crafts.

These crafts developed out of the necessity to fulfil everyday needs of the people living in a particular region or village. The artisan gave shape to the materials available in the nature to fulfil these needs. The crafts evolved out of being a product of use, then were ornamented and given an aesthetic appeal to it by the artisan. The artefacts that were made were instrumental in expressing the individuality of the artisan and the way of life of the people.

Although craft is a form of commodity for the artisan and the patrons, it is made with a specific cultural, ritualistic or utility context, which differentiates the craft, from machine made goods. The personaliza-tion, imperfections imparted because of the handwork and use of local tools and skills are the factors that help to differentiate “craft” from a commodity. The input of handwork and the time invested by the arti-san, impart values to a craft, which a machine – made mass produced product can never achieve. The idea is not to consider craft as only a ritualistic or cultural product, but also a utilitarian product that has cer-


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crafts. Industrialisation brought with it mass-produced goods, which suddenly flooded the market. These goods were cheaper and eas-ily available. The local market for the crafts gradually started declin-ing and the artisans were left with few buyers. The revenue generated from the crafts was not sufficient to sustain a livelihood and many artisans turned towards other occupations. A drastic decline was seen in the number of artisans for many crafts. Some regions were fortunate enough to sustain the crafts while some were not. The actual form and meaning attached with these crafts did alter with time.

The urban market brought with it different needs and requirements. Depending on the demands of the urban market, the utility and func-tion of the artefact were altered so that it could find relevance in the global market. The specific cultural, ritualistic or utility context of these crafts is also altered according to the demography of the market. Changes were made in the raw materials. What once used to be sourced from the surroundings is now bought by the artisans from cities at a higher price. The natural colors that were used before are now rapidly being replaced by synthetic colors, which are cheaper, brighter and eas-ily available. These colors are not always eco-friendly as their natural counterparts. The artisans have long forgotten the tedious processes that were employed to procure the raw materials and are satisfied with the cheaper materials that are available in the market. Usage of such materials has affected the quality of the artefact.

When the artisan targeted the bigger urban market, his client base

tain background to its elements, material, forms and use.

In the Indian context, crafts have been both for personal use and an expression fulfilment and economic activity. The production activity of the artisans was not aimed at creating products on competitive lines, but to maintain a community life, of a region or village in a holistic way. A barter system was maintained in the village. The craftsmen pro-duced the artefacts for other communities in exchange for either raw material or other goods. The communities shared a healthy and sym-biotic relationship. The artisan was well aware about the socio-cultural requirements of his patrons and produced the artefacts keeping these demands in mind. Most of these artisans are poor as well as illiterate in terms society standards of education. Nevertheless, they are highly skilled and ‘well educated’ in terms of long and rich experience. The knowledge of creating the artefacts was passed down on to the young-er generations by the artisan. In this manner, the craft legacy was car-ried forward.

In present times, the crafts have seen quite a lot of changes. The artisan doubts the legacy he is carrying forward as the crafts are not generating the kind of revenue that would help him sustain a livelihood. The craft sector is faced with many problems that weren’t seen when the crafts were contained within a particular region or village.

With time, as the physical boundaries between regions started dimin-ishing due to globalisation, various transformations were seen in the


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ture and heritage. The crafts, which were at one point of time flourish-ing, are now gradually declining. There is a need to sensitize the people about the growing issues seen in the craft sector of the village.

increased substantially for a temporary period of time. The speed at which he was producing artefacts was increased as well. The artisans seem to have sense at which the artefact is required in the and the speed at which the demand will diminish and the craft will exit the market. What the market fails to understand is that the crafts require a specific amount of time for each process. And increasing the speed of any of these processes affects the quality of the artefact. This speed is a monster in the artisans’ way of life.

Even though commercialising the artefact did provide temporary mar-ket for the artefact, the artisan is unable to meet the rapidly changing demands of his urban clients. The clients belong to a different socio-cultural group. Their aesthetics are different from that of the patrons for whom the artisan used to produce before. These needs too keep on changing rapidly and the artisan is then unable to keep pace with their demands.

Globalisation has linked regions, but the artisan is still geographical-ly and culturally apart from the client, to be able to understand their social, cultural and aesthetic needs. The strong community linkages, which had once insulated the crafts, have vanished over time. Even though the artefact has crossed the threshold of the artisans’ home, it is now left as a mere priced object put up for sale in craft stores. The holistic way of life that prevailed in Nirona, is slowly diminishing. There has been a drastic decline in the number of artisans practising crafts. By losing artisans we are losing invaluable assets of our rich cul-


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Project Brief

The project is based on the premise that Indian arts and crafts are declining. There is a need to preserve them. In the present times of modernization and globalisation, crafts cannot be sustained in their original form and changes as per the needs of the market are inevita-ble. The craft tradition is either lost or it re-emerges in a different form and meaning.

The project attempts to show the current situation of the artisans and the crafts, for people to see and understand the various transforma-tions each of these crafts have undergone over time.


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Design Process

3.1 Project conceptualization

At the onset of the project, the idea of working on the craft traditions of Gujarat seemed challenging. While doing the preliminary research, I found that there are quite few crafts on the verge of extinction. One of them was the traditional craft of Rogan, which is practised in Nirona, Kachchh. The practise is confined to only one family in the village. The question that arose was how does a craft reach this stage of extinction. What are the factors that contribute to this situation? Visit to the field revealed that other than Rogan, there are four more crafts, which are facing declination in the number of artisans. These crafts were copper bell making, lacquer work, leatherwork and weaving. For the project, I decided to study and do research on each of these crafts. Nirona would serve as model for study of a craft cluster. It could act as an ideal site to study how crafts evolve over the years and what leads to the declination in the number of artisans practising these crafts.

3.2 Field work

The information obtained through various books, articles and blogs on the Internet only focused on what the craft is, who practises the craft, the process followed and tools and materials used. This information was written only about three crafts, Rogan, copper bell making and


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each artisan. The interview allowed for each craft to tell its own nar-rative

Recordings were made in the form of text, photographs and video for better understanding of the subject. Based on the goal to be achieved, a questionnaire was prepared for each artisan.

1. Social conditions a. Demographic data of the craftsmanName:Age:Gender:Religion:Which Caste do you belong to?Caste distribution in the village:What did the members of your caste originally do?Mother tongue:Marital status:

2. Family compositiona. Type of family: Joint/Nuclear/Extendedb. Number of family members: Male- Female- Age- Age-c. Relation to the craftsman of each member

Lacquer work. The craft of Rogan was brought into focus because of the fact that only on family remained and that it was on the verge of extinction. Information about the remaining two crafts of leatherwork and weaving was quite less.

Further information about the communities practising the craft and the reasons for the declination in the number of artisans had to be collected from the field. The aim of the field work was to briefly un-derstand the production process for each craft, the tools and materials required, the demography of the people and the change that each craft has undergone over the years.

The following methods were employed to perform the research.Participant observation: since I spent ample amount of time with each artisanal family, I was able to observe and record my observations

Audio/video taped interviews of the artisans and few family members

Review of articles, written about the existing issue, in reference books, blogs and websites.

Field data archived through photo documentation and by maintaining a journal.

Based on the goal to be achieved, a questionnaire was prepared for the interview of artisans. The format of asking the questions differed for


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b. Why did you join the craft business? Did you join because it was less investment?c. How many generations have been practicing the craft?d. Who taught you this craft?e. At what age did you start doing the craftf. Number of family members practicing the craftg. What have you planned for your children’s future? h. What do they want to do in the future?i. Cite the reason for the above.

7. Health Condition: Do you suffer from any health problems due to the craft you practice?

8. Tools and raw materials requireda. The major tools and equipment requiredb. What are these tools made up of Earlier: Present:c. The number of tools you haved. Where do you source these tools from? Do you make it your self ?e. Have you made any tools yourself ? A replica or a new tool?f. Process of making the toolsg. The major raw materials requiredh. How do you source the raw material?

3. Education Statusa. What languages you speak/write:b. Education: (knowledge/literacy)

4. Incomea. Total income of the familyb. Number of earning membersc. Sources of family income(other than the craft)d. Total income/ annual consistencye. Migration to different places during the year for work.

5. Living conditionsa. Type of house : Own/Rentedb. Condition of the house: Kaccha/pukka/semi-pukka Earlier: Present:c. Specify the condition of the work shed: Conjusted/suffi cient/spacious Earlier: Present:d. Water and drainage system in the villagee. Understand the use of space in the house of a craftsmanf. Do you own a vehicle? (If yes, which one?)

6. Economic conditiona. The year you started practicing the craft


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iveness when Designers make changes to the craft?m. Role of the craft in the various festivals and occasions of the village.

11. Product and marketinga. Types of product and the market for them Earlier: Present:b. How do you sell your productc. How do you cost the product?d. Do you export the product? (if yes, advantages of exporting)e. Do you sell via NGO’s or any other organization (if yes, state the name and the reason for selling through them)f. Do you face any exploitation from the middleman?(what is the nature of exploitation?)g. Method of publicityh. Demand of the product Earlier: Present:i. Would you like to expand your craft production?j. Are there any obstacles in doing so?k. Is there any government support for the craft?l. What is the function of the product depending on the target audience? Internal audience/external market Earlier: Present:

Earlier: Present:i. The cost of the tools and raw materials?

9. Activity wise gender participationa. Who deals with the designing/visualizing/building (different aspects of the craft)?b. Who sources the raw materials and tools?c. Role of the women of the family in the craft10. Craft productiona. Origin and features of the craft Who started this craft and when What was the purpose/significance behind starting this craft?b. Significance of the designs used in the craftc. Role of the craft in the weddings and festivals of the villaged. Time taken to produce one piece of the crafte. Number of craftsmen required to produce one piecef. Are there any design changes seen over the years. Why?g. What is the role of outsiders in the production and marketing of the craft?h. Is the help you get from them periodic/regular/irregular?i. Do they help only in designing or marketing or both?j. Do you think that by changing the design the market for the craft has increased?k. Have any designers suggested changes in the product designs?l. And do you think that the craft lose its identity and distinct


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m. What has affected the sales in the craft? If the answer is industrialization: how have machine made goods affected the craft production?

12. How handcrafted goods are different from machine made mass-produced goods. Your views.

13. The reasons for decline in the crafts.

14. The steps that you are taking to spread the craft.

15. How is the inter-community relationship in the village?a. Which caste is considered to be of higher statusb. Is there any caste based differentiation observed?c. Are the families given homes in the village based on the caste they belong to?

16. What is the significance of the craft in your life as a crafts man?17. Do you think your customers understand the value of these crafts.

Craft distribution in the village


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COPPER BELL MAKING


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Case study: Copper Bell Making

Live-stock rearing has been a major occupation of communities like Maldharis, Bharvads and Rabaris(pastoral communities). The copper metal bells have long adorned the necks of cattles, camels, sheep and goats which graze in Kachchh’s arid plains. These bells were used to identify cattle and signify the status of the animal in the herd.

In Nirona the family of Husen Siddiq Luhar is practising the craft. His two sons, Umar Husen and Salim Husen assist him in the craft.The family belongs to the Muslim community of Luhars who migrated to Kachchh from Sindh Pakistan. Their ancestors brought with them the artful craft of copper bell making. These bells were made for the local pastoral communities of Maldharis, Bharvads and Rabaris, who would tie the bells around the necks of their cattle when they were left to graze in the arid plains of the desert. Each bell had a unique sound to

it which would help the shepherd recognize his cattle.

Over the years, the local market for these bells started declining. The region Kachchh faced long stretches of drought. Many pastoral com-munities migrated annually towards south of Gujarat, in search of grasslands. Quite a few had to sell their cattle as they could no longer afford to buy the fodder from the cities for their animals. This led to the decrease in local consumption of the copper bells. The remaining communities sold their cattle and turned towards other occupations. This inadvertently led to the decline in number of artisans who also turned towards other professions. These traditional metal bells were handcrafted by Luhar artisans in 28 bell making units in Nirona,Bhuj, Nakhatrana and Ratadia. Today, the production is limited only to the two villages of Zura and Nirona.

Husen Sidiq Luhar who is sixty five years old has been practising the craft since fifty years now. He was fifteen years old when he joined the practise. Having learnt the techniques and processes form his father and grandfather, he passed on this knowledge to his sons in a similar manner. Having attained formal education till the fourth standard, he is able to read and write in Gujarati and Hindi, but is more comfortable in speaking in the Kachchhi language.

There are eight members in his family out of which four are males and four are females. The male members are involved in the preparatory work of shaping the bells. The women of the family also play an im-


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portant role in the production process. It is their task to coat the bells in a mixture of powdered copper and brass before they are fired in the furnace. It can be said that the bell making process requires equal family inputs.

The shaping of the bell is carried out in a semi-pukka shed attached to the house. The artisan stores all his tools, raw materials and unfinished artefacts in this small shed. It also doubles up as the display room where the artisan can sell his goods to the tourists which come annu-ally during the Rann utsav. Rest of the work is done in the veranda of his house.

The tools that the artisan requires are designed and created by him as per the need of the hour. He believes that the tools bought from the market aren’t long lasting and sometimes do not serve the purpose.

The tools that Husen Sidiq uses are made of iron and last for quite a long time. There is wide range of tools that the artisan uses. Out of these the hammer and the cutter are the most important tools which are designed in various sizes and shapes.

The bells are referred by their sizes that range from 0-13, with size 0 being the smallest and size 13 being the largest. Natural resources used for copper bell making are mud, wood and water. Mud is easily avail-able at Zura village; and water is not required in much quantum; bell makers have reported scarcity of good quality wood as the charcoal makers destroy large portions. Scrap pieces of iron and copper are the major raw materials requires for the craft which are sourced from cities like Bhuj or Junagadh. The cost of scrap iron ranges from Rs 24 to Rs 30 per kilogram. Depending on the size of the bell, the raw material is consumed. The bells are referred by their sizes that range from 0-13, with size 0 being the smallest and size 13 being the largest. The size


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tioned that, despite of these problems, the artisans have to depend on the NGOs, because they are important source of selling the artefact. They cannot only depend on the limited tourist market which fluctu-ates every year.

The costing of the product is done depending on the client. The prices vary from minimum of 25 Rupees to 1500 depending on the size. If the buyer is a foreign national, he/she will be charged more as com-pared to the Indian buyers. The rates for the NGOs are different too. In the past, when the patrons were local communities, word- of- mouth was the only way of publicity. But, for the modern market, the artisans have come with visiting cards, brochures and websites which have been designed for them by various designers who visit their village. Changes have been made to the design of the bells. What was once tied around

ranges from 2 cm to 30 cm. The number of small bells made in one kilogram of scrap iron is more compared to the number of large bells. Only the head of the herd wears the heavy tehra( size13) bell. The need and demand of the largest bell is low compared to the other sizes. The time taken to produce one bell also depends on the size of the bell.

In the past designs were etched on each bell to make it look more decorative. A lot of time was consumed in the etching a process and gradually as the number of buyers declined the process was stopped. In the past, the pastoral communities gave importance to their cattle and decorative bells were preferred, as they increased the beauty of their prized possession.

In the current time, the situation has changed. The Luhar family pro-duces a wide range of products for the urban market. They sell these goods during the tourist season of December to March and later through various NGOs. They are not able to attend many government exhibitions as the cost of putting up a stall cannot be afforded by the family. Salim Husen, who has worked with various NGOs over the years, was quite open about the fact that NGOs exploit the artisans by buying the artefacts at a cheaper rate and then selling them at a higher price. The artisans tend to make a marginal profit out of this transaction. The government releases various schemes for the benefit of the artisans, which most of them are not aware about. Instead of creating awareness amongst the artisan about these schemes, some of the NGOs, keep the information to themselves. Salim Sidiq, also men-


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dholan hathodi (hammer).

For the next step, kado is inserted in to the crown of the bell. Once the bell is shaped, women dip it in a solution of earth and water. They cover the wet bell with a mixture of powdered brass and copper.The bell, with its powdered coat, is wrapped in a pancake of local clay and cotton and placed in the kiln to bake.

After it is accurately baked, the cotton is peeled away and any excess clay is rubbed off. A ringer or lar, made from the wood of the Keerda, is attached inside the Kado. The artisan then hammers the bell till the right sound eminates. As the metal used in these bells is mostly waste tin and iron, this crea-tive industry is a good example of recycling with aesthetics and utility.

the necks of the cattle is now produced as home decoration objects. The function of the product has been changed according to the change in the market.

Salim Sidiq also brought to light the competition the craft faces from mass produced bells. The consumer sometimes isn’t able make out the difference between these two types of bells and ends up buying the cheaper machine made bell. Based on his previous experiences, he told that, many consumers do not value the craft. For them the artefact is just a bell and they do not understand the time and effort his family puts into producing one bell. These bells are their source of livelihood. And when their craft does not receive appreciation, the artisans are left disheartened.

Production process:

The copper bells are made with the collective work and skill of the family. The artisan, shape the bells out of carefully-selected iron sheets. The thickness of the sheet used depends on the type of bell to be made.

First, strips of a bell are made by shaping the rectangular strips of iron into a hollow cylindrical. The iron strips are skilfully interlocked together without any kind of welding. A circular shape called the topli is then cut using the parkar (compass) kapani (cutter). The cylindri-cal body is then topped with a semi-circular hollow crown using the


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ROGAN


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It is practiced by the Khattri family in Nirona. The Khattris belong to a muslim community of artisans who migrated to Kachchh from Sindh, Pakistan. The craft has been practiced in the family for eight genera-tions. The joint family comprises of nineteen family members out of which eleven are male, six are females and two are children. Out of the nineteen family members, there are six members who practice the craft, of which one is a female. Rogan is predominantly practiced only by the male members of the community. The women help with the task of preparing the castor paste or Rogan.

Abdul Gafoor Khattri, his three sons and uncle Arab Hasan Khattri are the only members practising the craft. For the purpose of my research, I interviewed Sumer Khattri. Aged 33, Sumer Khattri has been practis-ing the craft since the age of twelve. He was thought the techniques of the craft by his elder brother. He has received formal education till the sixth standard and is well versed in Kachchhi, Hindi and Gujarati.The family lives in a pukka house near the entrance of the village. The artisans have converted the main room of the house in to work area, where they put up their products for display for the tourists and visi-tors. The work space is congested for five artisans to work at the same time.

The major raw materials required for the craft are castor oil, synthetic colors and short iron rod. The castor oil used to be procured from the surroundings owing to the huge cultivation of castor in the region. The colors used before were naturally extracted form various minerals and

Case study: Rogan

Rogan, the rare art of oil-based painting on cloth, is a centuries old craft tradition. A local legend has it that this art came into India from the Afridis, originating in Syria; the route it followed wound through Persia, Afghanistan and Pakistan and then to India. The craft was concentrated in the Northwestern parts of India, and was practiced mainly by the Muslim descendants of the Afridis. It was found that in Pakistan where it was practised in Lahore and Peshawar, linseed oil was used. The artefact produced came to be known as Afridi lac cloth or Peshawar Lac cloth.

Feliccia Yacopina has stated in her book, Thread lines Pakistan that Af-ridi lac cloth was sold in the bazaars of Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi where it was known as ‘Khosi’ from the word ‘Khosai’(the dress of the Afridi women).


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stones. The process of extracting these colors has been forgotten over time. The artisans prefer to buy synthetic colors which are brighter, cheaper and easily available. The most important tool is the kalam( iron rod or stylus), without which the patterns will not unfold on the cloth. Each artisan has his personalised stylus which he gets made from the Lohars according to his need. The production cost is quite low as the synthetic colors used are quite cheap and the castor oil that is bought costs Rs. 500- 600 per kilogram. The cost of the artefacts starts from Rs500 and can go up to Rs 12,000 depending on the artefact.

Traditionally, it was used to decorate the ghaghra, odhna, jhablo, dara-jo of a bride and the dowry products like pillowcases, quilts and bed sheets. The patterns that the artisans created were specific to the com-munity for whom it was being made. Sumer Khattri explained that in the past, the Ahirs were the major patrons of the craft. A lot of influence of their designs is seen on the craft. In the past, Rogan was a cheaper substitute for embroidery. The local communities preferred to

buy Rogan work because at a glance, it gives a texture which is visually similar to embroidery and it took less time than embroidery. With the advent of cheaper mass produced synthetic goods, the local market for Rogan declined and many artisan gave the practise to join other oc-cupations that would help sustain a livelihood. Only one Khattri fam-ily remained in India who continued to practise the craft. Earlier, the craft was practiced in Vadodara (Baroda), Patan, Chowbhari and the Khavada districts of Gujarat and in Nasik, Maharashtra.

When asked about how their craft is different from machine made goods, Sumer Khattri replied that art is in the imperfections that are imparted to the handmade artefact. These imperfections cannot be seen in machine made objects.

Sumer Khattri further explained that, the craft did not generate enough revenue to sustain their family. Changes were made to the design of the craft to target a different market by Abdul Gafoor Khattri. The patterns were made more intricate and delicate as compared to the


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viewing the artisan who practised leather work, Khetsingh Punja, I had noticed that he created a few designs which incorporated elements from other crafts like bells and lacquer work. On questioning him about why Rogan was not used, he explained that it is quite difficult to afford one piece of Rogan and the cost of production of his craft would increase.

The family does not work with NGOs as they believe that then the focus does not remain on the artisan as the NGO tries to build its own brand value. The artisan is not paid according to the level of work he has done and the middleman tends to make most of the profits. They prefer to directly interact with their clients, because that way they seem to earn more and the value for the craft is not lost.

Even though the Gujarat government is taking active interest, the art has not received sufficient support from the central government. Sum-er Khattri, Abdul Khattri are both National award winners while Arab Khattri is State award winner. As national award winners, the artisans are entitled to foreign trips to showcase their art. They still haven’t received any notification from the government regarding this. Khattri says that these trips would have provided an international platform to the art which would have given a boost to their talent. The fam-ily majorly depends word-of- mouth publicity but has also developed visiting cards, brochures and website for their craft to market it in the urban market. Other than the tourist market, the artisans also visit vari-ous governement exhibitions. The cost of setting up stalls at these

previous designs which were thick and blunt. A new artefact called the Kalpavruksh or the tree of life was introduced. This design had a major Persian influence on it explains Khattri. While Geometric pat-terns are his perennial favourite, motifs such as ‘The Tree of Life’ and Moghul paisleys that find expression in cushion covers, bedspreads, kurtas, curtains, table cloths, wall hangings, folders, paintings, purses , dress material and saris have also been experimented by the artisans.

The art was unique and coupled with the fact that only one family remained in India which practises the craft, the value for the art did increase substantially. The family started targeting the elite urban con-sumers for the craft. Subsequently, the rates of the artefacts increased to a level that local patrons are unable to afford Rogan. While inter-

kalpavrukhsa (the tree of life)


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Using a wooden/steel stick or pen, craftsmen extract a fine thread from the residue, which is then painted on the cloth to be decorated. Artisans place a small amount of this paint paste into their palm. At room temperature, the paint is carefully twisted into motifs and images using a metal rod that never comes in contact with the fabric. Next, the artisan folds his designs into a blank fabric, thereby printing its mirror image

exhibitions has to be paid by the artisan, which can range from 10 to 15 thousand. This cost cannot be afforded by the artisans every time.

Production Process:

A number of ingredients were used during the entire process of Rogan like castor oil, kerosene, oil and dyes. The method used traditionally for preparation of Rogan paste was a tedious process. Rogan took a long time at each successive step in order to have a desirable result. The process was handled only by skilled artisan and was carried out on the outskirts of the village, as it emits bad odour which affects the lungs. Castor oil is boiled for almost twelve hours, depending on the qual-ity of the oil and cast into cold water. A solid gelatinous residue is produced which is then mixed with natural or synthetic colors. These colors are then stored in earthen pots or plastic boxes with water to retain their malleability.


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LACQUER WORK


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Case study: Lacquer work

The craft of lacquer work or Vadakaam has been in practiced by the semi-nomadic Vadha community since centuries. The Vadhas tradition-ally moved and worked, as per the needs and requirements, throughout the villages bordering the Great Rann of Kachchh.

They collected wood, natural stones and colors from the forests which were then used to create colored wooden furniture and household ac-cessories like chamcha(Spoons) and ladles, chakla – belan (board and rolling pin), Charpoy(bedsteads),bajot(stools), gotani(furniture legs). These artefacts were then bartered with the local communities.The craft of lacquer work used to be practiced in quite a few villages in Kachchh, but the number of artisans is depleting rapidly due to the current social scenario.

In Nirona, there are two families remaining which practice this craft. One is that of Bachaya Bhai Vadha and other is that of Mala Bhai Vadha. Each family consists of ten- twelve family members out of which only four male members practice the craft. Vekhayabhai learnt the craft from his father, Bachaya Bhai, who still

helps in the craft Though he is partially blind and quite old, he can pre-cisely cut the wood into proper shape without faltering once. Years of experience have inculcated this talent in each of these artisans.

Families of both, Mala Kaka and Bachayabhai live in the same com-pound in semi-pukka houses. Mala Kaka passed away in 2013 and now his son, Lalji Vadha carries the legacy forward. All the craft work is done in the middle of the compound. The craft is carried out primarily by the male members of the community. The female members help in polishing the artefact. They also create soft toys which are embroidered or beaded and sold with the lacquer products to the tourists. When a tourist/potential buyer visits the artisan, the female members display the toys and artefacts in the veranda. The scene reminds one of a crafts bazaar, with the artisan making the product in front of you and the women setting up the display.

Vekhayabhai, the artisan I interviewed for the research explained to me the story of the craft and its present condition. Vekhayabhai has not received any formal education and has been practicing the craft since the age of ten. The literacy rate in the family is quite low. He is well versed with Kachchhi and Gujarati and owing to the rising number of tourists, his Hindi has improved as well. In the past, the Vadhas used to move around the villages of Kachchh , doing the work as the de-mand was. Now, they have permanently settled in specific villages and have adopted the ways and customs of the communities they came in contact with.


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In case of raw materials, they majorly require wood, lac and colors which are either natural or synthetic. The process of extracting natu-ral colors is almost forgotten and the artisan prefers to buy synthetic colors as they are cheap and easily available Bhuj. The wood used to be collected form the forests. But due to the rules of the forest depart-ment and the deforestation, it has become impossible to cut trees. The wood now has to be bought from the market. What was once available free of cost is acquired at a high price now. The lac which was collected from the forests too, is now bought from Ahmedabad and Bhuj.

Like the other artisans, the Vadhas are dependent on the uncertain tourist market for sales. As the demand for wooden objects declined due to the advent of cheaper machine made goods, the number of local buyers declined for the craft. Vekhayabhai explained that there are a few local buyers, but the number has gone down drastically over the few years. People prefer to buy steel and plastic utensils which are more durable.

Other than the tourist market, the family is dependent on the NGOs for sale during the off-season. They are aware about the fact that the middleman charges them more and sells their product at a higher price. To overcome this problem, they sell products of lower quality to these people.

The living condition of the Vadha family, is not as good as compared to that of the other craftsmen. They live in single room houses and have one common water connection for all. Some of the male members are addicted to alcohol and tobacco. These members have lost interest in the craft. The money they earn per day is spent on their addictions. The major source for his family is the craft. But when they are in dire need of money, they take up odd jobs of collecting honey and wood from the forests and repairing the furniture if the local communities. The major tools required for the craft are the lathe, axes and cutters to shape the wood. The lathes that are used for the craft are fixed in to the ground and cannot be carried around.


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A major part of the process of making lacquer-ware is done on a man-ual lathe. Babool wood, which is found locally, is mostly used for the products.Once the wood is cut into basic forms, each piece is indi-vidually put on the lathe and smoothened using carving tools.The lathe is manually powered using a stick and rope arrangement. A rope is wound around the object to be worked on and is pulled with the help of a stick attached to it.This generates a rotating motion on the object, which can then be ma-nipulated by the artisan. The lac which is mixed with synthetic colors is pressed against the fast rotating object on the lathe. The lacquer melts with the heat generated due to friction and sticks to the surface of the wood, thus giving the object its colour.

The artisan has a characteristic pattern of mixing colors. This inter-esting effect is achieved by first transferring stripes of color from an unpolished lacquered stick and then pushing the colors into each other on the lathe. This creates the peculiar kaleidoscopic design with vivid colors. Next, the metal and wooden tools, are used to smoothen the coating. Finally, the piece is given a glossy polish with groundnut oil.

Unlike the other artisans, Vekhayabhai was not able to afford the ad-vertising machinery that others have employed and seems to depend on word of mouth for publicity for his craft. As the local market has diminished over the years, the artisans depend on the tourist market for seasonal sales. Depending on the market, new products and designs have also been introduced by the artisan.The uncertainty of sales and the task of meeting the ever-changing demands of the market has left the artisan uncertain about his legacy.

Production process

Lac has been used in Indian craft since centuries. The Certeria Lacta, an insect indigenous to Kachchh as well as other parts of India, secretes a resin to protect it and the eggs. This resin, called lac, is collected from babul trees, heated and mixed with groundnut oil and color to form a thick decorative wood coating known as Lacquer


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LEATHER WORK


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Case Study: Leather work

The Dalit Meghwals of Rajasthan migrated to Kachchh, bringing an artful leather craft with them. The trade was kept alive by a partner-ship with nomadic pastoralists, the Maldharis. When a Maldhari cattle died, the Meghwals converted the raw hides into leather. The work was tough and the meghwals who lived on the outskirts of the village, treated and washed the hide, taking eighteen labor intensive days to cure the hide. Kachchhi leather was so well treated and durable that it could hold water. The leather craft was traditionally used to make har-nesses for camels and horses, musical instruments, storage containers and mojdis(footwear).

The Punja family in Nirona has practiced this craft for generations. The craft is also an important supplement to the income from farming for these communities in Hodko, Bhirandiyaro, Dhordo, Sumrasar and

many other villages in Kachchh.

Khetsingh PunjaNajar, has been practising the artful leather craft since seventeen years. The Punjas belong to the scheduled caste of Vankars. The ‘Vankars’ of Kutch are Meghwal migrants who came from Ra-jasthan six centuries ago. With years of practise, Khetsingh has mas-tered the techniques and processes of the craft and can create beautiful leather artefacts with simple and basic tools. The craft has been passed on from one generation to another. Looking at the current condition of the craft, he is unsure whether the younger generation of the family would want to join the practice.

The family house was once placed on the outskirts of the village. As the craft required association with hides and leather, the artisans were placed on the outskirts. Over the years, houses have been built around their house due to the growing population of the village.

The craft at one point in time, used to be the only source of income for the family. But due to changing circumstances and the problems that the craft faces, they have turned to agriculture. It is only Khetsingh’s love and passion towards the craft that has kept the legacy alive in the family. Khetsingh’s elder brother, who was involved in the craft earlier had to stop practising due to shoulder injury. The task of keeping the craft alive depends only on Khetsingh.

After receiving formal education till the twelfth standard, Khetsingh


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In the past, the artisans used to cure the cattle hide. A social stigma was attached to the practice of working with animal hide. With time, the artisan gradually started buying the leather from cities. The process of curing the hide was soon forgotten. Khetsingh explained that his grandfather and father used to cure the hide and the use of leather bought from the cities started when he took over the craft. The price of the leather keeps on rising every day, making the cost of production quite high for the artisan. Each meter of leather costs Rs.30 and a kilo-gram of leather would cost Rs. 600. The selling price of the products is quite less as compared to the production cost. He makes marginal profit out of his sales. The other raw materials required for the craft are threads which cost him Rs 150- Rs 200 per kilogram and cotton which costs Rs. 45 per meter. The cost of these materials is minimal as compared to the cost of the leather. The leather is also required in larger quantities compared to these.

At one point, Khetsingh employed 10-20 workers who helped him in the craft. These workers were paid on daily bases. With the rise in cost of living, these workers started demanding 200-250 Rs per day which could not be afforded by the artisan. The production cost is more com-

joined his father in the craft business and has been practising the craft ever since. The artisan who had majorly produced leather footwear for the local communities has now started producing modern forms of products like keychains, penholders, files, photo frames and so on. These products are targeted towards a different audience.

The local market for the craft had declined and he felt the need to target a different market in order to sustain his craft. He was able to get new ideas for the designs when he visited cities for craft exhibi-tions. He has now started making phone covers and tablet covers for the urban client. The idea for the making this change came from one of his visits to the cities when one buyer gave him the suggestion of producing these covers as there was a huge demand for them. The re-quirement for such products is negligible in the village.


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borders of leather goods. The craftsmen either leave the leather in its natural colour, or dye it with stainers in shades of brown or sometimes even bright colors like yellows, blues and reds. Using punches of a range of shapes and sizes; from geometric shapes like circles, triangles, squares, ovals and rectangles, to shapes like leaf, heart, moon and stars, the craftsmen make holes in the leather for a reverse appliqué tech-nique or a lace like effect. With carefully composed, concentric or lin-ear geometrical patterns, they play with colors that are visible through the punched holes. Working with simple punches and hammers, an amazing variety of geometric patterns are created by the craftsmen giv-

pared to the amount of sales the artisan makes. Khetsingh slowly had to let go of these workers.

Over the years, variation has also been seen in the tools and techniques. In the past different shapes were cut out using a singular blade or cutter. Now, the artisan uses different cutters which can cut different shapes in the leather. These cutters are easily available in Bhuj and Ahmedabad. They save a lot of time in the process of making the artefact.

Emerging, cheaper factory-made products in the local market have caused the local value chain to become fragmented. The artisan is now dependent on external markets for both raw material and trade. Fluctuating market prices and their inability to reach the right clientele has left the artisan with large stocks and very few buyers with no one to help them understand and bridge the gap between them and the market.

Production processThe main techniques of leather craftsmanship in Kachchh are Jari Kaam and Torni kaam. In Jari Kaam, a silver and golden thread is used to sew various design and motifs on leather goods. Traditionally Jari kaam was used to decorate saddles. The same work is also transferred on to the modern products like shoes, bags and other accessories.In the Torni work technique, the coarse yarns are used to create colorful patterns on various leather items. It is mainly used to decorate the

An old artefact made by the artisans father


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ing the surface a playful, vibrant character giving the product elegance, not generally associated with the ruggedness of thick leather. With a little less pressure on the same punches, sometimes the craftsmen set a low relief to the surface, to create textured patterns. As the leather weathers, the punch engraved relief area becomes darker.The pieces of leather are hand stitched by passing thick thread through small slits made with a stitching awl. Craftsmen have also started using sewing machines to assemble the pieces together, thereby adding ef-ficiency to the traditional craft.


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t

SHAWL WEAVING


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two children. Dhanjibhai and his brother Shivjibhai are the two master craftsmen in the family. Weaving is primarily a man’s job. However it always begins with the women. The female members of the family are responsible for creating the thread for the warp. Dhanjibhai’s mother and wife are involved in this process. The children of the family are learning the techniques of the craft and help in preparing the bobbins, which are installed on the loom. The knowledge of the techniques is passed down from one generation to another. Dhanji Bhai, explains that it takes a lot of time to understanding the working of the loom. But once that technique is understood, weaving shawls is an easy task for the artisan.

Case study: Weaving

Weavers are an important part of community life in any village. The ‘Vankars’ or the weavers of Kutch are Meghwal migrants who came from Rajasthan six centuries ago. Among the Meghwals, the Mahesh-wari and Marwada sub-castes were involved in weaving and leather work. While the Maheshwaris have gradually transitioned to other jobs, the Marwada weave on to this day.

The local art of weaving provided for the identity and needs of many communities in the region. Among these, their alliance with the no-madic, sheep herding community of the rabaris is well known. The weavers depended on the rabaris for woollen fleece from sheep and in exchange weaved for them. The weavers also shared a rapport with Ahirs, a Hindu herding clan, for whom they weaved colourful pat-terned shawls or dhablos in exchange for cotton grown in their fields. The designs woven using colorful threads by the weavers were specific to the communities who wore them. The craft is an important part of the customs of the Rabari community. It was and is still used as a part of their marriage customs and rituals

Vankar Dhanjibhai, aged 39, has been practising the craft since the age of twenty. Dhanjibhai has received formal education till the tenth standard. He is well versed in Kachchhi, gujarati and Hindi. The craft has been practised in the family for three generations now. Out of the twelve members of the family, six are males, four are females and


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After the 2001 earthquake, the family was allotted three frame looms by the government. The artisans have also designed a portable loom on which they give demonstrations during exhibitions. Dhanjibhai ex-plains that this helps them to connect with the client who is not aware about the time and effort they put into the craft. The client is able to appreciate the craft more when they see working of the loom them-selves. The yarn used to be prepared from the rawmaterials the artisans received from the Rabaris and Ahirs.

Today, departing from traditional raw materials, the family now uses silk, rayon, and acrylic yarn in their textiles bought from Ludhiana, Ra-jasthan and Ahmedabad. The change in the threads has brought about a change in the quality .The shawl that used to be made before used to be coarse and thick. Adhering to the demands of the urban market, the changes made in the raw material have caused the shawls to become thinner and soft. A new range of stoles was introduced which made use of brighter hues of thread. The patterns were also changed. The intricacy and the delicacy of the patterns were increased. The time re-quired to produce each shawl depends on the level of intricacy of the pattern. A simple shawl that involves only weaving can take about two days to create and at least 5-6 shawls of the same model will be weaved each time, making a minimum weaving stint last for at least 10 to 12 days. Shawls with intricate designs can take months on end.

In the 1960’s, cheaper mill made cloth flooded the market and the local market declined. The weavers were forced to look for external clients

The craft is the only source of income for the family. They are not involved in any other work. The artisams are dependent on the tourist market for sales. Other than that, they go to exhibitions when they are invited either by the government or NGOs. The craft has benefited the most from the geographical indication (GI) mark that it has re-ceived from the government. The Kachchh Weavers’ Association was founded in order to apply for the GI, the Geographical Indications Act with the World Trade Organization, for the Kachchh shawl. Receiving the GI designation has been a step towards protecting a craft which has been significantly damaged by power loom imitations. As compared to the other crafts of the village, the income generated from weaving is quite consistent and the artisans can’t be said to be flourishing, but are satisfied with their craft.

The major tools and materials required for the craft are the loom and the yarn. The vankar family traditionally used to work on the pit looms, where the artisan has to sit in a pit for long hours and handle the loom.

The GI (Geographical Indication) mark that has been given to the craft by the Indian government


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Production process

The production process requires equal inputs of the family members. The women first make the warp for the loom through many days pro-cess. The warp thread is prepared putting together a bundle of exactly 1600 threads of 50 meters each that will be used to create a 39inch width shawl. It takes the women around six hours of work for about two days to finish the job.

The weft yarn is then prepared by rolling on to small bobbins from the hanks. It is then laid on the loom, where the long thread, tana, intersects with bana, the shorter one, hence weaving here is called ‘tana bana‘. In Kutch, two types of shuttle looms are in use, a pit loom, which is on ground level and a shuttle loom that is slightly more struc-tured. The work done in the loom depends on the result one is aim-ing for. For colour variations thread fit into the loom is varied, bigger fabrics means more threads. For intricate patterns on the fabric, time consuming hand weaving that could last for a fortnight or more is required. The weaver will handpick the warp in the weft with patterns from his memory. Any error in weaving or threads splitting will mean starting the process over.

and shift their practices to fit the demand of larger markets. Dhanjib-hai believes that as compared to the power loom cloth the handloom shawls are better in design and quality. But the local communities now prefer to buy the machine made shawls as they are cheap and eas-ily available. The production process of the power loom units works around the clock, while the weavers can only work for a specific amount of time every day. It takes almost two days to create shawls sometimes. In the same amount of time the power loom can produce quite a lot of shawls of varied designs. The power loom sector has cast a shadow on this craft and many artisans have turned towards other occupations. The artisans now work as daily wage workers in agricultural fields. The artisans were unable to sustain a livelihood through weaving and were forced to look for other occupations.

He explains that the people who appreciate the craft are sole reason behind the artisan being able to save his craft. Those who understand the value of the handwork done in the craft will prefer to buy the craft over power loom imitations. But the number of such people is quite less in present times.


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“ craftsmanship grew from the village communities, its joys and bur-dens, the change of seasons, the memories filled with song and verse, legends, myths and local romances, form the core and substance of their daily existence…. They wove a rough and forceful art” [3]

The crafts evolved out of the needs and demands of the local commu-nities. The artisans gave shapes to the materials available in the nature to fulfil these needs. These products were then ornamented and given an aesthetic appeal to it. The designs were also specific to the commu-nities for whom the artefact was being made. A symbiotic relationship was maintained, where the artisan provided the artefact in exchange for raw materials or other goods.

These community linkages were damaged because of industrialisation and globalisation. The cheaper mass produced goods have cast a shad-ow on the crafts of the village. With the local communities preferring to buy these cheaper goods, the artisans were left with no other option than to change design of the craft or watch their legacy fade away as the revenue generated by them was not sufficient to sustain a liveli-hood. In the modern scenario, if there were no commercialisation, the local crafts would simply die out.

“Commercialisation, though it may lead to substantial changes in the appearance and uses of the craft products in comparison with those previously made for local use, may in some ceased also help to keep alive moribund crafts or revive half-forgotten old techniques or even

3.3 Secondary research

“Most artisans are poor as well as illiterate. Nevertheless, they are high-ly skilled andwell ‘educated’ in terms of their long and rich experience.” – S Bal-aram[1]

The knowledge that each artisan has about the techniques and pro-cesses of the crafts is invaluable. This knowledge is passed down from one generation to another like ancestral legacy. We think of crafts-manship ordinarily as the ability to skilfully manipulate the tools and materials of craft or trade. But true craftsmanship is much more than this. The real essential element in it is not manual skill or dexterity, but the knowledge stored in the minds of the artisan which gives the craft its identity. This knowledge enables him to understand and overcome the constantly arising difficulties, which grow out of variations in the tools, materials and the condition under which the work must be done.

“It is rightly said when an artisan dies, thousand libraries are burnt” – S Balaram [2]

All crafted objects are an extension of the personality of the artisan. Kamaladevi Chattopadhaya, who was instrumental in salvaging the In-dian crafts from the twin onslaughts of colonialism and consumerism, defines this symbiotic relationship


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in many cases, whereas previously an overlap between the two--way of life and livelihood--had established a sustainable environment for the safeguarding of local culture. One without the other results in the pro-jection of pale shadows of the original versions of human creativity whether dance, music or traditional craftsmanship.” [5]

3.4 Understanding

The crafts had developed out of the necessity to fulfil the needs of the local communities in Nirona. The artefacts made were instrumental in expressing the individuality of the artisan and the way of life of the people.

Over the years, the crafts faced competition from the mass produced machine made goods which were cheaper and easily available. The local artisans owing to the penetration of these industrial goods and their substitution for locally produced artefacts, are gradually driven out of business. In the process, their numbers declined substantially, the qual-ity of the work deteriorated.

For the sake of sustenance, the traditional crafts of the village went through many transformations. The target audience for the artefacts was changed. Design changes were made in each of the crafts. Either the utility or the authenticity of the artefacts was changed in order to service the demands of the urban market. The craft traditions have re-

whole crafts which have disappeared in the past.” [4]

The increased contact and communication with the urban market may also bring the artisans in touch with tourists or middleman who pro-vide an alternative outlet for their declining crafts. This circumstance may sometimes blow a new life in to the dying craft.

Initially the production for the market may be quite profitable, as the novelty of the products attracts more and more new customers how-ever the market is soon satiated. The needs and demands of the urban clientele keep changing rapidly. Consequently, demand and profitability of the craft soon decline. The growing market brings with it additional producers who do not understand the aesthetics of the craft. To satisfy their needs, the artisan has to increase the production and thus lower the quality of his craft. As the quality and attractiveness of the wares deteriorates, the market shrinks further. A viscious cycle is started due to commercialisation. In the past, when the artisans produced for the local communities and remained in isolation, the craft practices flour-ished. But, in modern times, the commercialized artefacts have gradu-ally lost their individuality and reflect the needs and demands of the urban market.

“As a result of the escalating pace of change, many of these traditional forms of art, dance, ancient theatre and music are disappearing from India’s cultural landscape. (2) This has resulted in the devaluing of the dance form from a way of life to a mere income-generating practice


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Even though the artisans commercialized their artefacts they are un-able to market the craft in the urban market, and then sell the product through the middleman. The artefacts are bought cheap and sold at higher price in the market by him. The artisan is unable to get the mon-etary value for his work and effort. The middleman makes the most out of this interaction between the artisan and urban clientele.

The artefacts that were created had a certain value and meaning attached to them. Some crafts were part of traditional rituals and customs. Com-mercialization of these artefacts altered the meanings attached to each craft. The artefact now, remains as a mere priced product in the urban market. The holistic way of life that existed when the communities lived in isolation, has been destroyed. As the communities developed in isolation, there was no rush of new materials. What emerged was a complex relationship between the people and handcrafted objects, in-fluenced by the particular food production system, religion, culture and social organizations which were inter-related. The designs that were generated in the minds of the artisan which reflected an entire cul-tural ethos are now dictated by the urban market. Unable to cope with this change many artisans have stopped practicing the craft and have turned towards other occupations.

emerged in a new form and a different set of problems.

In the past, when there were artisans and consumers, the artisan was in direct contact with the consumer, being familiar with their aesthetic and socio-cultural requirements. The artisan used to interact with the client on a regular basis and in this process of interaction, design evolved. The artisan never had to depend on external sources to understand the aesthetic requirements of his client. But in the case of the urban clien-tele, the artisan is unable to understand their socio-cultural demands. Even though globalization has bridged boundaries, the artisan fails to understand the requirements of a client who is geographically apart from them. The needs and requirements of the urban market keep changing rapidly and the artisan is not able to keep up with the pace of this change and the craft suffers.

Commercialization brought with it changes in raw materials and tech-niques of the craft. The materials which were sourced from the nature are now bought buy the artisans from cities. The natural colors that are were used for crafts like Rogan and lacquer work is replaced by syn-thetic colors which are not always ecofriendly like the natural colors. The traditional yarn used for the weaving has now been replaced by silk, rayon and cotton to suit the aesthetic requirements of the urban clientele. The leather is now being bought by the artisan from cities at a high price instead of being cured and treated by him. These changes in the raw materials have inadvertently affected the quality of the product.


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Product Implementation

4.1 Selection of medium The project attempts to show the current situation of the artisans and the crafts, for people to see and understand the various transforma-tions each of these crafts have undergone over time. “A picture speaks a thousand words”The message that was to be communicated had to be conveyed in such a way that the target audience was able to understand and witness the transformations of each craft. The target audience comprises of the potential protectors of crafts, who could be the government, designers or art/craft collectors and the general audience. The medium of film was selected for the project. The genre of docu-mentary film was chosen as it produces a visual document of a particu-lar event. I wanted to show the conditions of each craft and artisan as IT IS. The documentary would help to capture the emotions of each artisan while they were working and their living conditions. It would also bring to light the entire process of production for each craft. On being able to see the tools and techniques the artisan employs to cre-ate each artefact, which is their source of livelihood, and the transfor-mation from an artefact to a mere priced object that the crafts have undergone, the audience will be able to better understand the value of these crafts for the artisan. The holistic way of life that prevailed in vil-lages before, is being lost. With it we are gradually losing our crafts and


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down on the carpet. Lost in his world, he spreads a piece of cloth on his legs and pins it down tactfully to his jeans. He pulls a small circu-lar blue box close to him and picks up a thin steel rod from top of it. This, he proudly explains, is the only tool required to do the painting. Just one simple Steel rod is all it takes to create a breathtaking artifact. He opens the box which is the container for the Rogan paste which acts as the paint required for the painting. The colorful dollops of Ro-gan paste are kept submerged in water. And then the process begins. The rod is dipped in to the small ball of yellow Rogan and pulled out quickly. He quickly applies this paste on his palm and with swift strokes the paste is stretched and made loose with the rod. He places one hand below the cloth and with the other hand he begins to apply the paste on it. The hand beneath the cloth gives direction to the paste which is be-ing applied and slowly the design starts taking shape. Within minutes the design is completed which he proudly displays to the awestruck visitors. He shows the other pieces of artwork created by his family, the most beautiful being that of the kalpvruksh or the tree of life. The tree did actually give a new life to the dying craft of Rogan.

In a house nearby, a young girl who is getting married in a few days is arguing with her mother regarding her bridal trousseau. The old grand-mother remembers her the bygone days when the brides of the village were dressed up in clothes on which Rogan work was done. Rogan back then was a cheap alternative to embroidery but has seen a lot of changes over the years. Affording a piece of Rogan art for a villager is quite impossible. We are to blame as well, she says. We were the ones

artisans. The documentary could play a pivotal role in creating social awareness about the issue at hand. 4.2 Pre-production

4.2.1 Central Story

Based on the theme to be shown in the film, I wrote a narrative which tells the tale of each craft.

GAATHAThe tiny village of Nirona is slowly waking from its deep slumber. The sun is about to rise. A new day is about to begin and who knows what stories it might bring with it today. Lights have been lit in a few houses. The women are setting up the chullah to heat up the water. The cows are getting restless; the bells tied around their necks are music to the ears. The men take the cattle out for grazing passing through the narrow and dusty lanes of the village which are witness to five unique crafts. The sun has risen and so have the villagers and here begins the story of this village in the house of a craftsman.

The artisan, Sumer Khattri, is the younger brother of the master arti-san, Gafurbhai Khattri. The family of nineteen people lives in a small household with eight of the family members doing the art. The work-shed which also acts as their shop is a small area where Sumerbhai is getting ready to demonstrate the craft to interested visitors. He sits


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artisan who has been practicing the art of copper bell making since the age of three. “I left school and joined my father in this craft because we weren’t able to afford it”, he says as he tidies his work place. He learnt the craft from his forefathers. The craft was not an option for them; it was the only source of livelihood for the family and still is.” He sits in his regular place, surrounded by his tools and materials. “The younger generation of my family is being trained but it depends upon them I they want to join or not. If they don’t the craft will end there”, he states as he readies himself for the demonstration.

He takes up a piece of iron picks up a hammer and there begins the loud process of beating the piece into shape. His collection of tools is quite large with different types and sizes of hammers, cutters, geo-metric tools. He continues to hammer, the sound resonating loudly in his small shed. His hands which were once soft have now been scarred and hardened but they still possess the strength required to continu-ously beat pieces of iron throughout the day. The bell making process which looks simple to the eye at first is quite tricky and takes a lot of effort to produce one small bell. Each bell that Hussain bhai makes has a distinct sound to it. No two bells that he makes can have the same sound to it. He explains, in the olden times this helped the Maldharis identify their cattle around whose neck the bell was tied, when they were left to graze in the forest alone. He hammers at the bell until he feels that the right resonance has been achieved. In a nearby house lives a Maldhari tribesman, who once used to be a regular customer of Hus-sain Bhai. The bells made by the artisans used to adorn the necks of his

who opted to buy cheaper machine made clothes instead of Rogan. Which lead to the decline in the number of artisans.

Here begins the tale of the captivating and extremely rare Rogan art. Having Persian origins, this art was used only to decorate the brides of the village with garments like the ghaghra, odhna, jhable, darajo and as dowry products like pillowcases, quilts and bed sheets. But due to the competition the craft faced from machine made and screen printed gar-ments, gradually the local demand for Rogan subsided, which eventual-ly led to the drastic decrease in the number of artisans leaving only one surviving family. The craft was on the verge of extinction. Gafurbhai Khattri decided to bring about design changes to the craft and he initi-ated the “tree of life” paintings which intensified the level of intricacy of the craft. The craft started getting recognition and slowly attained the status of an art form. The lives of the artisans revolve around mak-ing these artifacts throughout the year and then selling them during the tourist season of December to February. The number of tourists that might visit each year is uncertain. This season can sometimes be a complete failure if the tourists don’t come to Kutch. Their whole stock of artifacts which they create throughout the years doesn’t get to see light outside the cupboard in which they are stored. It’s a matter of luck for this family and that of others as well. Sometimes the craft sells and sometimes it doesn’t.

As the lanes wind further into the village, in a house, resides a copper bell maker. Hussain Siddiq Luhaar is an energetic sixty five year old


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they are directly able to sell their wares. The need of doing other jobs during the off season is not felt anymore.”

The tinkling sound of the bell slowly fades away and the dusty lanes carry you forward towards the house of the third craftsman. Vekhaya Bhai Vadha is part of the handful of families from Kutch’s semi-no-madic Vadha community who are practicing the craft of lacquer wood work. The artisan is a huge man with a thick moustache and intimidat-ing demeanor. Watching such a huge man at work on a small lathe is quite fascinating. Working with precision and patience the craftsman produces colorful artifacts that are useful in the kitchen. Vekhaya bhai gets a piece of wood and fixes it on the lathe and starts carving the wood with help of his chisels. He wraps the string of his bow around the piece of wood and secures the wood with his foot. With his right hand, he pulls the bow back and forth to turn the wood. With his left hand, he holds a chisel to the wood as it turns. And with varying de-grees of pressure he gives the piece of wood the desired shape. After this he again turns the carved wood and applies a piece of lacquer on it. The friction causes the lac to melt against the wood coating it in color. The first color is applied as base and the he applies different colors which he rubs off, marbles it or engraves it.

The craft which was initiated to beautify objects that are used by wom-en daily in the household does not find many buyers in the village itself. The kitchens of a few houses are proof to that. Steel utensils decorate the shelves in these kitchens. The utensils like ladle, which are used for

cattle. The sound which resonated was clear and helped him identify his cattle. He says, “The forests in Kutch have rapidly decreased due to frequent droughts. No forests were left for the cattle to graze in. We gradually had to sell off our cattle because after a point of time it became difficult to afford the fodder which had to be brought in from Bhuj. This led to the decrease in customers for the bell maker.” The hammering sound has stopped, bringing us back the small shed. The artisan’s daughter is holding up a copper bell which has freshly come out of the Bhatti (furnace) where it had been placed with the other iron bells with a coating of copper, zinc oxide and other materi-als and an upper coating of mud. The most important step of giving the bell its distinct sound is still remaining. Hussain Bhai is getting rest-less to hold the bell and start working again. He takes the bell, chooses his hammer and the hammering begins again and doesn’t stop until he feels right note has been touched.

Because of the decline in local audience, the family of bell makers had to turn to newer markets to sustain their livelihood and had to diversify their products. These copper bells now adorn the houses of people in the city in the form of wind chimes or items of house decoration or as musical instruments. The artisan had never felt the need to market their product before because the audience was local. The middleman initially helped the family in marketing the craft but slowly he started exploiting them. The wares were purchased at a lower price and sold at a higher price in the urban market. But he says, “The situation is a bit different nowadays. Because of the Rann Utsav, tourists visit their village and


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ing orders at his workers to bring out the best leather that they have. The worker brings out a long roll of camel hide. This is the leather which Khetsingh buys. The price of this leather is quite high for a sim-ple villager like Khetsingh. With the price of leather increasing day by day it becomes difficult for artisans like Khetsingh to be able to afford such leather, says the dealer. Khetsingh has finished punching holes in to the leather and is now pasting colorful pieces of cloth on the back side of these holes to make the artifact more colorful. In a matter of minutes a colorful photo frame is created. There different product which range from keychains, photoframes, chappals, boxes, mirrors, comb holders which are displayed in one corner of the room. This basic utility objects have been beautified to cater to the urban market as the local market had gradually decreased because of the competi-tion from cheaper goods and high cost of raw material. He says, “ at one point I used to employ 20-25 workers who used to create these artifacts for me. But with changing times, he is now not able to afford the wages as the cost of raw material is high and has had to let them go”. The artisan seems disappointed because of the current state of his craft, but hasn’t lost the will to continue doing this craft. “this is what we have been doing and we will do” , he explains.

The wind and dust keep rising in the village, and leads you towards a small house which is almost on the outskirts of the village. This is the house of the shawl weavers. Vankar Dhamji Bhai explains, “Over 600 years ago, the Meghwal community from Rajasthan migrated to Kachchh , bringing with them the art of handloom weaving. Tradi-

stirring the food, are found in varied materials, ranging from plastic to steel or wood. But one rarely finds a lacquer work utensil in the collec-tion.

He says,” we lack the exposure to stable markets. The artisans have abandoned the local market and now produce primarily for the limited seasonal tourist market and tourist markets. Our dependence on the tourist market is a source of vulnerability because the market fluctu-ates depending on the tourist flow and time of the year. Even though our craft has great potential to reach different markets we are not able to do it.”

The colorful lacquer work table top spins its way to the next house, that of the leather worker, Khet Singh Punja. The Punja family has been practicing this craft since seven generations. Like the other houses of craftsmen, Khetsinh has turned one room of his house into a work-shed and display room. He has fixed spot in the room where he sits and does his work, which is right in front of the entrance. Right now, he is about to begin his demonstration of the craft. He has a wide range of punching tools which are used to make different types of holes in the leather. These tools which look the same from afar leave a distinct mark on the leather. He picks up a small piece of leather, picks up a punch and starts making holes of different shapes and pattern on it. The design is all in his head, he says, as he meticulously hammers the punches on the leather. This process goes on for quite some time. Meanwhile, in the faraway city of Ahmedabad, a leather dealer is shout-


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to an end in this tiny village. Tomorrow, another day will rise bring-ing in new visitors to their village. Their craft will get to see one more beautiful day tomorrow. The artisans heave a sigh of relief.

tionally, weavers used hand spun yarn provided by Rabaris, a nomadic community of sheep and goat herders. Weaving was a local art which provided Kachchh communities with blankets, cloth, and traditional dress. The value of Kachchh handlooms exceeds aesthetic appeal; its value is created by the hands of skilled artisans who weave their tradi-tion and way of life into each piece”.

He sits at his loom and like all the other craftsmen of the village starts to give a demonstration of how the loom works. Over the loud sound that the loom emulates he continues with his tale of the craft, “Many natural disasters have denigrated Kachchh livelihoods. The steady ero-sion of the region’s primary productive assets has resulted in an in-creasing dependence on craft as livelihood. With the mass-production of synthetic fabrics in the 1960s, the local markets for woven cloth decreased dramatically. This dependence coupled with limited access to raw materials and markets forced artisans to look for new markets and attempt to reinvent traditions-old skills to sustain the craft as a livelihood. Many weavers left their craft to work as factory laborers. Those who remained are engaged in the craft and face continued chal-lenges that threaten their livelihood’s sustainability. Today, Kachchh ’s handloom sector stands at a crucial stage. Either the weaving sector will make a dramatic shift or it will wither away”.

The wind blows against the door of the house. The sun is about to set, the craftsmen of the village are setting down their tools and equipment to take sip of hot tea in the comfort of their house. Another day comes


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4.2.2 Script

It is impossible to envision a film without a script, as the script is the base for what appears onscreen. The script evolved from the day I started writing it until I finished editing the documentary. Developing the narration of the film proved to be a difficult task as there were no interviews in the film and issue was to be narrated.


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4.2.3 Storyboard

A storyboard is a graphic representation of how the film will unfold, shot by shot. The story board helped in setting up a plan for produc-tion, including all the shots that I would need, the order that they’ll be laid out, and how the visuals will interact with the script. This was really useful when I was filming the documentary, as it ensured that I wouldn’t forget any shots. It also came in handy during editing, as it served as a nice guide for me to piece the video together according to my vision


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4.3 Production

4.3.1 FilmingDocumentary Film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. This reality should be supported by data and the visuals in the film. The film showed the process of creation of each craft. I decided not to convey the message through the interviews of the artisans as it ham-pered the flow of the visuals. The interviews were not incorporated in the film, but the information collected through them was narrated through a voice over.

A documentary requires good visual evidence to back the message that is to be conveyed. After my final shoot, I had 14 hours of video foot-age which included establishing shots of the region, homes and work areas of the artisans, interviews of the artisan, the artisan at work, bus journey towards the village and shots of the artefacts being sold through craft stores.

It was quite challenging to film on the site. I had to be alert at all times. Many shots were unexpected and taken on the spot. It was nec-essary to reach the location at the right time, else I would have missed some important footage.

The audio and light, especially indoors, were the two critical aspects during the shoot which had to kept in mind at all times. While filming,


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Focus technique Manual focus Auto focus Depth of field

White Balance Custom

4.3.2 Lighting

Lighting is a crucial part of film making. For a few crafts the shoot was done indoors, where the lighting was low. For this purpose, I had carried sheets of thermocol to use as diffusers. Most of the time, I worked with the natural light. Major part of the shoot was finished in the morning when the light was not bright and harsh.

4.3.3 Audio A good shot can be spoiled by unwanted noises. For most of the crafts, distinct sounds were made by the tools that the artisan used to create the artefact. It was necessary to record this audio perfectly. Any exter-nal noise was avoided as much as possible.

I had to move the camera at all times, to capture the artisan making the artefact from different angles. Before starting the shoot, I made a list of different angles and different location that could be shot during that day. The footage was reviewed each night for any errors or missing shots. So that these shots could be captured again, the next day.The technical aspects which were adopted while filming

Camera shots Establishing shots Long shots Mid shot Close up

Camera angles Eye level low levelhigh angletop levelbottom level

Camera movement Pan Point of view Zoom


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ward. The narration was to be done such that it did not sound judge-mental and it did not over emphasize on words. It had to be flat and monotonous.

The first recording was done with a female voice which was later dis-carded as there was a lot emphasis put on various words. This was not required. The second recording was done with a male voice, which was more flat as compared to the female voice. The only problem felt was that there was a low whistling sound that was heard for the words end-ing with ‘S’. The sound that was recorded was edited on Sound Forge to reduce these sounds as much as possible.

The final recording was then cut in to parts and placed on the video in Final Cut Pro.

4.4.3 Music

Music is the soul of a documentary film. Good music can help main-tain the emotion and drive the narration forward. At the start of the film where I introduce the audience to the region of Kachchh, I want-ed to use music which was specific to the land. Searching for a good quality and relevant background music was not easy and I listened to numerous scores before I finalised the music to be used. In the beginning, I decided to use the instrumental music of jodia pava (twin flutes). In the middle section, where I explain each craft, I used a similar kind of tune from flutes. Towards the end of the

4.4 Post-production

4.4.1 Editing

The editing process started with viewing the footage from the begin-ning and improvising the storyboard based on the additional shots that were taken during the shoot. The video was transferred on the timeline in the video editing software, final cut pro. All the shots which were out of focus and the ones which were not required were deleted. A rough cut of the film was created which extended time slot I had chosen for the documentary. To tighten the footage, further shots were deleted in such a way that the structure of the film wouldn’t be disrupted. There were some shots which were not working with flow of the film. How-ever difficult they were to obtain, these shots were removed.

After the video was projected on the screen, it was noticed that quite a few shots needed some color correction. Either the exposure was too much or too low, the colors looked subdued for some shots. Fortu-nately Final cut pro provides a range of tools and filters to enhance the video. Even though the process was time consuming, the final quality of the video looked better than the one before the editing.

4.4.2 Voice dubbing

As there were no interviews of artisans in the film, the message had to be conveyed through a voice over. The voiceover carries the story for-


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film, where I want the audience to feel and understand the transforma-tion the crafts have undergone, a slow remorseful track was used to bring out the seriousness of the topic.

4.4.4 Test screening

In order to test how effective the film was in terms of communicating the central idea and film aesthetics, a test screening was done. The film was reviewed by my colleagues, juniors and friends. I made note of the suggestions given to me during the screening. -Mostly everybody correctly interpreted the message of the movie.-Some viewers remarked about the sound jumps caused because of the background music.-There were quite a few variations in the voice level and quality of the voice over.-For some scenes, the voice over did not make sense for the viewer. That could have been placed in a more meaningful manner.-Everybody found all the crafts appealing and some of them liked the last sequence, which brought out an emotion of sorrow for the crafts in them.-The folk music that was used at the beginning set the stage for the region that was being shown.

Changes according to the critiques were subsequently made to the film.


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it is today. To a greater extent the message of the film was conveyed. Nevertheless, I fully understand that this work can yet be enhanced and taken a level higher.

5 Conclusion

The project was an effort to design a communication product using the learnings from the past two years, viz. videography, photography, ethnography, writing skills.

The final product is a documentation of the reality of the five crafts of Nirona, which brings to light the general problem faced by many crafts of our country. It also brings focus on the point that no craft can remain in isolation and with time the craft tradition is either lost or it re-emerges in a different form. This transformation or change is inevi-table and is also one of the reasons for the decline in the number of artisans. The contribution of the artisan to the craft sector is invaluable and the loss of each artisan is unbearable for the crafts.

The product is not targeted towards craft lovers only; it is also targeted towards the government, people working in the craft sector, students, tourists, consumers of the craft and any person who can be potential protector of the crafts.

The project helped me understand the culture and traditions of the people and the value of the crafts for the artisans. and the local com-munities for whom it is made.

Months of persistance is what it took for the film to unfold the way


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6 Bibliography

[1] & [2], Balaram S, Thinking Design, SAGE India, 2010[3] Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya Papers, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library cited in Reena Nanda, Kamaladevi Chattopadhaya: A biography, Oxford University Press, 2002, P. 126.[4] Cohen Erik, The commercialisation of ehtnic crafts, Journal of De-sign history, Vol 2, No 2/3 (1989), P. 161-168.[5] Srinivasan Shubha, Preservation of India’s Intangible Cultural Her-itage: The Case of Chhau Dance,MARG, volume 65, Number 1 (2013)


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7 Reference

Handmade in India By Aditi RanjanShifting sands by Archana ShahThreads of identity By Judy FraterEames India Report By Charles and Ray EamesThe commercialization of ethnic crafts: Eric Cohen (Journal of De-sign History, vol 2)Thinking Design By S Balaram (1998 NID)Designing Freedom By Poonam Bir Kasturi (Design Issues, volume 21, number 4, Autumn 2005)Craft Verses consumerism By Vijaya Ramaswamy (India International Centre Quarterly, vol 29,no.2)Crafts council of India

Websiteshttp://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/handicraft.htm#txthttp://www.craftrevival.org/http://www.craftroots.org/http://gaatha.com/rogan-art-kutch-gujarat/Handloom and Handicrafts of Gujarat | Mapin Publishing-http://www.mapinpub.in/bookinfo.php?id=213&catid=24


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8 Appendix

The storyboard that was visualized before going to film the documen-tary has been attached here

Gaatha

Documents

Transcript of Gaatha