Pallava stone crafts, Mahabalipuram, Tamil-Nadu :
Ugly blocks of grey granite. Over 25 days, Bhaskaran and his band of sculptors cut, chisel, bevel, and polish away like artists have done more than 1300 years before. The end product is distinctive looking sculptures with a rounded form and exaggerated features. From here the statues were exported and became popular in south-east Asia where till this time has a major influence on the architecture. The craft is in decline.
Bidri artwork,
Bidar, Karnataka:
A struggling 14th-century craft, stunning in its uniqueness is in decline. The process is complex and is being pursued by Mohammad Abdul Rauf and Rashid Qadri. This art is believed to have originated in Persia. For 3 generations Rauf’s family is proudly creating pieces not found anywhere in the world.
Jaali, Sri-Nagar,
Jammu, and Kashmir:
Intrinsically trellised geometry-heavy jaalis line the balconies and the windows of traditional homes. The history goes back to the 14th century. This artwork also needs to be preserved.
Nanda,
Mm Sri-Nagar, Jammu, and Kashmir:
The story of Nanda is remarkable. First devices around the 11th century to make a thick covering to keep horses warm in cold winter, the art emerged. Dyed sheep wool was applied to the embroidery patterns to create beautiful throws and shawls. Arifa almost singlehandedly revived Nanda. The work takes 2 weeks to complete. The final product is unparalleled in quality and lasts generations.
Phad paintings,
Shahpura, Rajasthan:
Vijay Joshi's ancestors after listening to priest in temples came upon the idea of drawing them on a long scroll in a sequential manner. That is how Phad is read as a methodological story through pictures. Nowadays, we have smaller pieces. The Joshi family still uses red, indigo stones to make the five colours featuring in the paintings. It is a painstaking process and takes months to make.
Rogan,
Nirona, Gujarat:
The exact process is a trade secret guarded fiercely for more than 350 years. In this woods outside the village of Nirona, Khatri oversees the process of boiling down castor oil - a precise process that turns it into a thick gel, he then mixes it with natural dyes to create a palette of vivid colours. Mixing them in his palm, he uses a metal stick to delicately stretch the gelatinous paint onto fabric, creating beautiful in half, then folds the fabric over to create a mirror image to complete it. The resulting product is beautiful, painstakingly made and incredibly coveted. This became popular when our Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted it to President Barrack Obama.
Kharad craft,
Kutch, Gujarat:
The Kharad rugs and tapestries even now use the same hand powered charkha. It is only the dhana family which uses the Kharad. A Kharad lasts several generations of the family.
Sitalpati mats,
Assam:
These mats are made from murta seeds. Sitalpati stays cool even on toasty weather. Deforestation and loss of wetland make the raw materials scrubs.
Pitala Macha,
Orissa:
In a temple town, 170 km away from Puri, Pratik Maharana and his cousins stick tiny rings of brass standing in the 4 different parts of a fish's body together in a vertical weave using a thin brass wire. The labour and the math-intensive process takes 2 days and is done exclusively by hands. The furnished product is a brass fish which can move about and thrust its tails as if they were flesh and blood.
Chamba Rumal,
Himachal Pradesh:
The pahadi crafts of making a handspun muslin handkerchief with 2 faced embroidery whose once considered fit for royalty. A handful of women has preserved this art from start to finish from one pair of hands and so the stitch is consistent. It takes about 3 months to complete the process.
