CharukalaCrafts Of Nizamabad

CHARUKALACLUSTER INITIATIVE AND

DOCUMENTATION

FACULTY GUIDES- MRS. LAKSHMI REDDY MR. G.C. REDDY MR. AVINASH RAIPALLY MR. RAJESH DOCUMENTATION GUIDE- MRS. LAKSHMI REDDY

DOCUMENTED BY- ANASUYA SINHA ANKITA KALHA DEEPIKA GURNANI HIMANSHU KANDPAL KRITIKA LADDHA MOHIT MAHAJAN NIMISHA GUPTA P. SAMANTHA RUPALI RAASHI PACHISIA

F&LA, SEMESTER -5 2007-2011,

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY, HYDERABAD

whose artistry, skill and their patience and cooperation, the entire learning process and data collection would not have been possible.

We would also like to mention our special thanks to our friends and classmates who provided the needed encouragement and helped us with their own small or big ways.

The cluster initiation and the craft documentation was successfully completed with much needed assistance and guidance of many. We would first like to thank Mr. K.S Pratap Singh, The Director and Mr. Rajesham, The Registrar, National Institute of Fashion Technology who ar-ranged the workshop and cluster initiative program under the IPR Government of India.

We would also like to thank DCH, who sponsored our program. Our sincere gratitude to the faculty guides of the project who were there to help us at every corner- Mrs. Lakshmi Reddy, Mr. G.Chiranjeevi Reddy, Mr. Satya Prakash, Mr. Sashi Kiran and also Mr. Rajesh for organizing the tour. We also thank our faculty guide Mr. Avinash Raipally for his selfless help and guidance all through the process of the data collection, compilation and documentation.

Next we would like to thank Sai Baba Mahila Society for their active participation in the project. Also, the various craftsmen of the 4 crafts,without

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

PREFACEThe history of Indian handicrafts is an old saga. There are a myriad of craft traditions. The crafts which flourished in Nizamabad are basically subject to the social, economic and regional factors. The present status of craft in Nizamabd owes much to the rich craft traditions of the past. Most of the crafts from the past continue to boom due to their utilitarian nature, their availability to the common people and popularity in domestic and foreign markets. Till date it is continuing to boom owing to the assimilating nature of Indian culture. Highly accommodative nature of the craftsmen to accept and use new ideas is also responsible for its boom.

These craftsmen, whether of Terracotta, Lambada Jewellery and clothing or Wooden Patchwork, create breath taking art forms which is a proof of the remarkable science and technique of the craft. These crafts reflect vibrant creativity, inventive genius and imagination of the craftsmen, who have tried to retain the original perception and core concept governing the lifestyle of their ethos.

There is a timeless quality in these craft objects, for they have evolved and continue to be made even today with the same sentiment.

CONTENTS PAGE NO.•ABOUT NIZAMABAD 1-9 •LAMBADA JEWELRY 11-29

•TERRACOTA 31-47 •WOODEN PATCHWORK 49-63

•CLOTH PATCHWORK 65-77

•CONCLUSION 79

AboutNizamabad

Nizamabad district is in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh state in India. Ni-zamabad won the corporation status. River Godavari passes through Nizamabad districtPopulation, Voters & Literacy detailsPopulation (Total) 23,45,685•Male 11,62,905•Female 11,82,780•Sex ratio (females /1000 males) 1017•Density of Population 295

ABOUT NIZAMABAD

Literacy (Total) 44.54% [10,44,788]•Male 55.29% [6,42,996]•Female 33.97% [4,01,792]

District Name Nizamabad•Total Area 7956 Sq.Kms. •Assembly Segments 091. Armoor2. Balkonda3. Banswada4. Bodhan5. Jukkal6. Kamareddy7. Nizamabad Rural8. Nizamabad Urban9. Yellareddy

Nizamabad map

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Parliamentary Segments : 02 1. Nizamabad 2. ZaheerabadRevenue Divisions : 03 1. Nizamabad 2. Kamareddy 3. Bodhan

Location (Degrees) Latitude (Northern :180 - 05’ & 190Longitude (Eastern) :770 - 40’ & 780 - 37’

Location of Nizamabad:Nizamabad is located 165 kms from Hyderabad, connecting to NH-7. The city is well connected to the National Highway. Nizamabad is connecting by rail on the Kachiguda, Secunderabad Nanded railway line. Rajiv Gandhi International airport, Samshabad is the nearest airport. Every 15 minutes there is a bus facil-ity between Hyderabad and Nizamabad.

Economy of Nizamabad District:Agriculture is the major activity for the economy of Nizamabad district. Agricul-ture crops in Nizamabad include paddy, maize, sugar crane, cotton and tobacco.

Boundaries for Nizamabad District:Karimanagar, Adilabad, Medak , Warangal districts are the neighbouring districts and is on the border of Maharashtra state and some portion of Karnataka.

Farming

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History

Nizamabad is a town situated in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. Formerly known as Indur or Indrapuri, it also serves as the financial headquarters of the Nizamabad district. It has many towns like Bodhan, Armuru, Kamareddy and Bainswada.In Bhodan town there is Nizam Sugar Factory. In early years it was the biggest in the Asian continent. Bodhan is a town with a mixture of people from many cultural and religious backgrounds, comprising primarily of Hindus and Muslims. Once it was the capital at the time of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty. In the 8th century, the city Indur or Indrapuri had been reigned by the Rashtrakutas. It derived its name from Nizam-ul-Mulk, the ruler of the Nizam state. Once the princely states of South India, Nizamabad is the biggest commercial and trading center of the district today. Earlier it had been under the sway of the Chalukya dynasty and then Tughlaq

dynasty, followed by the Nizam Kings. After attaining importance industrially and agriculturally, it has come into the glare of publicity. Being influenced by various dynasties,Nizamabad definitely boasts of a blend of cultures.

It is striving hard to achieve heights without compromising its rich culture and indigenousness..

Old temple in nizamabad

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Tourism

Sri Ram Sagar Project (Pochampad):-The Sree Ram Sagar Project, Pochampad one of the biggest irrigation project in the District with potential tourism development. The Dam site itself is located 55 Km from Nizamabad. The Project serves as water source to 5 Districts (Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Adilibad, warangal and Khammam) through its three canal.•Ali Sagar Project (Alisagar):-This place offers real hassle free environment to holiday makers. Located 13 KMs form the Nizamabad Town, it is an excellent picnic spot. The reservoir was built in 1930.The garden is maintained by the irrigation Department. Boating facility is available.•Lake Asok Sagar:- It has a neatly laid out garden, and a 18 ft (5.5 m) statue of Goddess Saraswati in the middle of the lake, just 7 km (4.3 mi) away from Nizamabad on the way to Basar. It is interesting to note that the lake and its facilities are named as Asok Sagar, to honor one Collector, Asok Kumar, who had

developed this.•Archaeological and Heritage Museum:- This museum was opened in October 2001. The District Archaeological Museum houses number of artifacts and antiquities representing the evolution of human civilisation right from Paleolithic to Vijaya Nagar Times (i.e. 16th A.D). The Museum is broadly divided into three sections, namely Archaeological Section, Sculptural gallery and Bronze and Decorative gallery.

Alisagar

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•Quilla Ramalayam :- Originally known as Indoor or Indrapuri, the city and fort were built by the Rashtrakutas. There is a 40 ft (12 m) high monolithic victory pillar built during the Rashtrakuta reign. The fort was occupied by Alauddin Khilji in 1311 A.D. and subse-quently went into the hands of the Bahmani Sultanate, the Qutb Shahi dynasty, and then the Asaf Jahi dynasty. The present fort reflects the Asaf Jahi style of architecture with spacious halls and a summer house

•Rudrur :-This village has a rice and sugercane research center. It has been working since 50 years and recently started agriculture polytechnic college here.

•Mallaram Forest:-Mallaram Forest is just 7 km (4.3 mi) away from Niza¬mabad. Ensconced in Sylvan surroundings it is the perfect place for eco-tourism. Forest treks, a pagoda and a view point tower are main attractions.

•Telangana University:-Started in Nizamabad city at Giriraj College, Dubba, Nizamabad and makeship office and classes have going in and the permanent site is coming near Dichpalli Highway from year 2006 to 2007.

Quilla ramalayan

Mallaram forest

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•Rock formations:-Armoor Road - Located on the highway, Armoor is a natural stopover for all traffic. The hillock of boulders is the result of natural weathering over millions of years. On top of hillock is the Navanatha Siddeswara temple.

•Domakonda Fort:- Domakonda is 4 km (2.5 mi) off the main highway and 15 km (9.3 mi) from Kamareddy. Domakonda was a Samsthanam under Qutubshahis and Asaf Jahis. The Reddy rulers of Domakonda Samsthanam built the fort in the 18th century at a sight where a fort existed earlier.

•Nizam Sagar Project:-Nizamsagar is the landmark of Nizamabad. This is the second biggest irrigation project built over River Manjira. The irrigation project covers large area and a boating unit. Garden and view-points were created with a view to attract tourists form different places.

Domakonda fort

Nizam sagar

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TRANSP0RTATIONThe nearest airports are at Hyderabad 162 km (101 mi) and Warangal 230 km (140 mi). Nizamabad is connected by rail to Hyderabad and Mumbai section, station code NZB.Nizamabad is well connected by road ways and has volvo service to Hyderabad and Mumbai.Bus service is one of the important methods of transportation in Nizamabad. Nizamabad is near the National Highway No. 7, which goes from Kanyakumari in the south to Varanasi in north India, and the new North South

Rail transportNIZAMABAD (Station Code : NZB) is a station located on the Kachiguda-Manmad section of Hyderabad(HYB) Division of South Central Railway(SCR). Nizamabad has rail connectivity with Manmad, Aurangabad, Nanded, Parbhani, Parli Vaijnath, latur, Osmanabad, Gangakhed, Mudkhed, Adilabad, Nagpur, Basar, Nizamabad, Nasik, Mumbai, Pune, Daund, Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Kadapa, Renigunta, Tirupati, Katpadi, Erode, Madurai and Kachiguda(HYB). Ajanta Express between Kachiguda and Manmad is the most prestigious train passing through this station. Earlier there used to ply Ellora Express exclusively between Manmad and Nizamabad. This train has been cancelled during Gauge Conversion Process. Nizamabad Railway Station

Bus service

Corridor of NHDP. National Highway No. 16 starts from Nizamabad and passes through Karimnagar to Jagadalpur in the state of Chhattisgarh.

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TOPOGRAPHYThe District is bounded on the North by Adilabad District, East by Karimnagar District, South by Medak district and West by Bidar District of Karnataka and Nanded district of Maharashtra. It lies between 18-5’ and 19’ of the Northern latitudes, 77-40’ and 78-37’ of the Eastern longitudes. As the District is situated at a considerable distance from the Sea coast, the climatic condi¬tion is tropical and temperature flactuations are high in the district. The Normal mean minimum temperature is 13.7’,and mean maximum is 39.9’C.

Heavy rainfall

Paddy field

.•Rainfall :-The normal rainfall in the district is 1036 mm, of which about 85% comes from South-west monsoon during the latter part of June to the end of October.The normal District Average rainfall during 2002 till the end of September 2002 is 515.20 mm.

AGRICULTURE:Paddy, Sugar-cane, Maize, Jowar, Cotton, Soyabean, Wheat, Sunflower and pulses are the main crops in the nizamabad district. Turmeric is also one of the important crops grown in the district and being cultivated in the areas of Armoor and Bheemgal Talukas.

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LamabadaJewellery

THE LAMBADA TRIBEThe Banjaras are known by 18 different names in different parts of India. In Andhra Pradesh they are called Lambada. The Banjaras are a nomadic people. They came to the Deccan following the invasion by the armies of Aurangzeb. According to some authorities, the actual Banjara lineage goes back to around 2000 years. They are said to be the descendants of the Roman gypsies of Europe who migrated to India through the rugged mountains of Afghanistan and finally settled down in Rajasthan.

As shown in the map, they migrated to India as well as some parts of Africa from Europe.The colourful stream of the Banjaras began to travel down South in the 14th century. Even though ages have passed, the Banjara women have kept them-selves strongly rooted to their culture. They are perhaps the most colorful and elaborate of any tribal group in India. Undoubtedly, their dress and jewelry sets them apart from all others.

Gypsies - Origin of Banjara Banjara Girls

Migration of Gypsies to India Banjaras of Andhra Pradesh- Lambadas

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LIFESTYLE

The language they use is known as “Ghormati” or “Banjaraboli”, related to Hindi, Rajasthani, Punjabi and Roma of the European gypsies, unintelligible to most outsiders. They have learnt different regional languages from parts of the country where they have settled. Their distinctive colorful clothing, jewelry and embroi-dery is also influenced by travelling around the world

Typical of nomads,the Banjaras maintain strong boundaries so that they can interact with surrounding people and yet retain their cultural integrity. Such boundaries include the separate villages called Tanda where the majority of the Banjaras still live today. They live in remote rural areas where they farm, raise and herd animals. Their religion is very different from the mainstream one.Their myths include their origin, traditional taboos and social structure.

IDENTITYThe Banjaras are treated as scheduled tribes in some states, scheduled castes in certain other states, denotified tribes in some states, and some sections of the Lambadas are even considered as belonging socially and economically forward classes in some states.For instance, in Andhra Pradesh, Lambadas in the Telangana region were only recently recognised as Schduled Tribes; earlier they were recognised as Denoti-fied Tribes.

A Lambani woman

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DIFFERENT CRAFTS OF BANJARA TRIBEThe Lambani women are well known for their embroidery work, which is highly appreciated throughout the world. They make their own embroidery work and stitch it to their clothes. A bag or ‘Batwa’ which forms an important part of the attire is also made by hand.

The tribal beauties also adorn themselves with beautifully hand crafted metal jewelry. Silver and Gold provide a display of wealth among the Banjaras. Inexpensive items like beads, shells and coins are identifying markers of the Banjara Tribe.They wear pretty silver anklets. Long silver earrings are also prominent, and patterned cowrie(shells) shells decorate their hair. Cowries are also worn on their wrists and ankles. The hundreds of cowries that the Banjara tribal women wear are very auspicious as they represent Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity. They also wear different types of jwelery to adorn their necks, nose, eyes, hair, hands, fingers and legs. Silver coins called ‘Wankiya’ are also extensively used for making jewellery.Traditionally Lambani woman wear ivory bangles, but now due to inavailabilty of ivory, plastic bangles are worn.The Banjara people are counted among the protected tribes of India.

Beautiful embroidery done by Banjaras

Anklet and Toe rings

Ear rings

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Fond of festivals and domestic celebrations, the Banjaras revel on occasions like the New Year which to them is ugadi celebrated with gaiety. They also celebrate holi and dasara festivals as community affairs when women go from house to house collecting donations for the feast, singing and dancing all the way. Family deities are worshipped on such occasions. Banjaras share some of the religious beliefs of the Hindus and consider Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati as their fam-ily deity. They save money over the years to go to worship the Lord of the Seven Hills whom they call Balaji.

FESTIVALS

WEDDING CEREMONYLiquor is distributed freely on the first day of the wedding when the bridegroom and his relatives are welcomed at the bride’s village. The welcome is ac-companied by offering paan-supari (betel leaves and nut) according to custom. A square silver ornament or bottu is tied round the neck of the bride.

The boy and girl exchange seven round balls made of rice, ghee (clarified butter) and sugar while a hundred pairs of eyes are focused on them and the assembled women giggle and make merry. The couple then hold hands and do seven rounds of grain pounding with pestles.

Banjaras celebrating Holi

Woman weeping on giving away her daughter

Traditional head cover worn during wedding

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LAMBADA JEWELERY

different types of jewelry like bead jewelry, filigree jewelry, tribal jewelry, lac jewelery etc.

IntroductionJewelry is an item of personal adornment, such as a necklace, ring or bracelet, which is worn by a person. Appreciated because of geometric or other patterns, or meaningful symbols. From the early times it has been regarded as a status symbol. The Indian subcontinent has the longest continuous legacy of jewelry making anywhere in the world.Jewelry has been a part of our culture since ages. Every state in the country specializes in

They make beautiful ornaments and belts that are embellished with shells, metal-mesh, coins, beads, chains. Silver tribal jewelry is very famous. It is a delightful collection of earrings, bracelets, bangles, armlets, anklets, hairpins and necklaces. These have a characteristic oxidized appearance. These oxidized metal accessories are often adorned with bunches of tiny silver bells and colorful stones.Tribal and folk jewelery is a popular metal jewelry made in silver and white metal and produced by the Lambadi people of Andhra Pradesh, todas of Nilgiri Hills and Kutchis from Gujrat.

The Banjara nomadic tribes of Rajasthan are known for their heavy jewelry.

THE CRAFT

An Antique ring

Coins used for making jewelery

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TRIBAL JEWELRY OF ANDHRA PRADESH

in the wide range of jewellery they make.The jewelry is skillfully made with lot of patience and every detail is taken care of manually with lot of respect towards the material and the craft. Each piece varies from each other giving equal importance and uniqueness to them.The final product is a breath taking output of all the hard work the craftsmen put in to make this master piece.

In Andhra Pradesh, the state of rich culture and heritage, there are many crafts which are losing their identity, value and importance. One such craft which we came across is lambada jewelery, hand crafted by the lambada tribes in the villages of Nizamabad a dis-trict in Andhra Pradesh. One of the most important metal used for making trib-al jewelry in here is silver. Silver is used in abun-dance and all tribal women uses silver jewelry with pride and honor.

The lambada people are very close to nature and are highly inspired by their surrounding. Keeping themselves away from the advancements of the world to keep their culture alive and distinct from others is one of the major reasons that this craft is still practised.The motifs, designs, forms and shapes of the jewelery are derived from the nature. The spirit and soul of the deep rooted tribal society is manifested in itself

ESSENCE OF THE CRAFTAnklets

Crafts women making jewelery

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HISTORY

everyone in the society unlike the tribal people who made jewelry just for them-selves.

As the banjara tribes entered Andhra Pradesh in the 14th century they settled in a place called Tandas, brought along with them this unique craft to the state which was later passed on to another caste called the Sunars.The Sunars were a group of people following same tradition, culture and life experi-ences who were very skilled in making jewelery using various metals. This caste started producing tribal jewelry for the upper caste people in pure silver. This gave the craft a boost which now was available for

EVOLUTION OF THE CRAFTThis craft originally made with pure silver, was used to create necklaces, earings, nose rings, bangles, anklets etc with very simple forms and designs which was possible at that time with limited skills and tools. Then extra accessories in silver were made for embellishing their clothes along with glass, beads, shells etc. slowly designs from natural motifs had transformed into simple geometrical shapes which had some reference to nature.

The Sunar Caste People

An Ear ring.

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The major shift noticed is that the lambada tribal people are no longer producing the jewelry.

With the change in the lifestyle of the society, the demand for tribal jewelry reduced and the cost of silver increasing, the craftsmen faced difficulty in meeting the ends, so to reduce the cost and other expenses related to the craft , the raw material was changed to German silver from silver. German silver having similar characteristics like silver ( physically and handling) was the best medium to be replaced with. Along with the metal they started using old coins when new coins were introduced and also to break the monotony.The tools being used have changed with new inventions taking place. For example first a kerosene burner was used for welding and now a nozzle gas burner is used.

Gas burner has replaced Kerosene Burner

German Silver as a replacement for silver

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THE VILLAGEThis beautiful craft evolved in the village of Vasaltana which is located 30 kms away from Nizamabad town. Holding around 150 yrs old of culture and heritage, this craft has survived and is carried on in this village by the Sunar caste. The entire village contributes to this craft as it is totally occupied by the Sunar caste, who have dedicated their lives to keep the craft alive. this craft is the only source of income for them and farm-ing is practiced but not commercially, only for personal consumption.

Vasaltana is a typical Indian village where you see lush green farms, muddy roads to small huts with villagers leading a very simple life. There are around 20 huts in the village and the population of 100 plus people out of which around 60 people are dedicated to this craft.the village which has its own school even comprises of educated people and the basic languages spoken are- Hindi, Telegu and Lambada.

Craftmen’s hut Farms in the village

Interiors of the villageTHE ENVIRONMENT

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The village comprises of equal men and women and their involvement in the craft is also equal. The work is divided between them for fast production. number of people involved are 50 to 60.•Basic work done by women ( involved making of basic pieces)•Men sit and join the pieces ( welding and polishing)

Though being away from advancements in the main city, the villagers have managed to stay connected to the outside world. Each house in the village has electricity connection but no telephone lines.The connectivity of the village with the main city is well defined with good roads. Modes of transportation- auto-rikshaws and buses. The mode of communication is through mobile phones as all major mobile networks are available.

•Women and men both go and sell the products.The villagers here have farming as another occupation, but they do not sell it commercially. It’s for personal use only. Main oc-cupation for income is jewelry making.

Woman talking on phone

Men do the welding Women selling the jewelry in nearby villages

ADVANCEMENT

THE CRAFTSMEN

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RAW MATERIALS Worn by the women of lambada tribes, it is a very heavy form of jewellery with intricate and detailed work. though it started with silver as its raw mate-rial, the increasing price of silver and decreasing de-mands led the craftsmen to use german silver as the basic raw material as it is cheaper and looks like silver

Nickel silver / German silver- metal alloy of copper with nickel and often but not always zinc. The usual formulation is 60% / 20% / 20% Copper/ Nickel / Zinc. It is named for its silvery appearance, but contains no elemental silver unless plated. Other common names for this alloy are German silver, Paktong, New Silver and Alpacca (or Alpaca).

German silver is got from Hyderabad, Imliband bus stand area,Begum Bazaar and Nizamabad city.Raw material shape- in form of wires, rods and blocks. For Silver etching nitric acid is used (1 part to 3 parts water). Add acid to water. This acid is bought from Nizamabad itself.Polishing material- Silver polish is used.

German silver wire in different diameter

Man Etching a piece of jewelery

Finished peice of jewelery

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Hammer- hathodaNose plier- jamburiPicker- savandiScissors- kainchiMould – sanchaCutting plier – kondiRod to rotate to make spring- shankli

Amount bought- depends on orders they get. Average of Rs. 1000 to Rs. 1500 spent per month. Whenever the need arises to buy the material, the crafts man comes to Hyderabad n buys accordingly.Cost of german silver per kgranges between Rs 800- Rs 1200 (different sizes available from 1 to 20, the numbers depicting various forms)

Hammer

Nose Plier Rod to make spring

INVESTMENT

TOOLS

Mould

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PROCESS

Step 1- Moulding the raw material into a spring(wire size- diameter- 1 mm) with the help of a rod called shankli.

During this step they pass the wire through loops in wooden blocks to hold it intact, then they put the wire around the shankli and use a lever to turn it around and this motion twirls the wire to form spring.

Step 2– With cutting plier (kondi) they cut at every turn of the spring and derive small rings.

Step 3- They use tweezers (savandi) to place the rings in the design required

Step 4- They use flux (sowagi) with aluminium (rava) to weld the parts together with the help of kerosene burner.

Step 2 Step 3

Step 4

Step 1

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3 minutes, this removes the black colour and gives a polished silver look.

Step 5- They prepare the base for the pattern ( as shown in picture) with the help of moulds.

Step 6- They again weld the two pieces.

Step 7- Here they weld a loop as it is an earring. The loop is a wire which is turned with hand or using a nose plier (jamburi).

Step 8 – They dip the jewelry piece in the acid and siver water solution for 2 to

Step 7 Step 8

TIME CONSUMPTIONThis type of jewelry is hand crafted and is time con-suming. Each piece of jewelry takes time according to the details and the size.

Step 5

Necklace: Time consumption about 7 days.Anklet: Time consumption about 5days.Ear rings: Time consumption about 2 days.

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MARKETING AND ECONOMY

have their own marketing techniques. One such technique is to talk in the language their customers talk in (Main customer- lambada tribe so they talk in lambada language.) As the craftsmen are catering just the local markets there is an NGO which is helping them to expand their market to the entire state. This NGO is Sai Baba Mahila society ( funded by central government) and is run by Mrs. Rajkumari.

Many steps are taken now by the government to sustain this nearly extinct craft in Andhra Pradesh by taking up initiative training programme. These programmes help the local craftsmen to get more knowledge about the craft in terms of designs, techniques, tools and skills.

Initiative training program- once by central govern-ment for 15 days . A head designer is appointed and is sent to the village to help the crafts men to learn new techniques and designs.

The craftsmen in this village are independent. There is no support provided by any bank or an NGO financially. They invest their own money at their own risk. No financial security is provided to encour-age them to boom this craft further. Their investment being from Rs.1500 to Rs.2000 per month earns them a profit of RS.2000 to Rs. 3000.Marketing is one aspect where these people are strong. They have sourced their own markets and A finished peice of jewelery

Mrs. Rajkumari

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Monday- DingalTuesday- DichpalliWednesday- They make the jewelryThursday- KamareddyFriday- LingampetSaturday – They make jewelry

Exhibition- The NGO invites then for the craft exhibi-

The participants are paid Rs.100 for first 15 days and Rs.50 per day for 4 months.This programme, till date has been done once in this village and it had a very positive effect and has been also very encouraging for the villagers.

The market they target- they go to market on their own and get the orders there. The NGO helps them to get orders from other places like Hyderabad and other districts.

The market they go to - Sunday- Gandhari

At Dichpalli, selling jewelry with other materials

Craftsmen with us

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tion. The NGO invited them for the exhibition, which are held all over the state, more in Hyderabad.

SWOT ANALYSISSTRENGTH

•Each piece of jewelry is hand crafted by a skilled craftsman.•The entire village stays as a family and makes jewelry to keep the craft alive.•Tools used in the process are very simple.•The cost of production is not very expensive.•German silver used gives the feel of silver . It is inexpensive.•Not much competition because a) Not many people are involved in the making of the craft. b) Different families in the village go to different markets to sell their product.

WEAKNESS

• Each piece takes a lot of time to finish as the entire process is manually done.• Production is more than the demand.• The jewelry made is very huge and heavy for common people to wear. • The younger generation of the craftsmen family doesn’t want to continue the craft as the income is very less.

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OPPURTUNITY

•Many NGOs have come forward to help develop the craft.•A lot of exhibitions are also held to make people aware of this craft.

THREATS

•The chemicals used for cleaning and polishing in the last stage are used without taking necessary precautions.•After treating the jewelry with chemicals the jewelry is not washed properly with water, this could be harmful for the people who wear it later.

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Terracotta

INTRODUCTIONTerracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta (Italian: “baked earth”, from the Latin terra cocta) is a clay-based unglazed ceramic. Its uses include vessels, water & waste water pipes and surface embellishment in building construction, along with sculpture. Terracotta gift articles such as ashtrays, flower-vases, coasters, tea sets, pottery, paper weights, and decorative animal figures are popular. The shapes are natural, simple but attractive and true to the material.

even by the same person, are called pottery; the choice of term depending on the type of object rather than the material. Plain unglazed pottery is often also called terracotta.

The term is also used to refer to items made out of this material and to its natu-ral, brownish orange color, which varies considerably. In archaeology and art history, “terracotta” is often used of objects not made on a potter’s wheel, such as figurines, where objects made on the wheel from the same material, possibly

Shaping the pot

Decorative pots

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The village we visited chanduru ,there every house in that village has a craft. Earlier the craft was only traditional, now they have learnt new things through a training tour in Bangalore. Every house works on a differnt type. All the craftsmen from the entire village go o sell together.

HISTORY

•Terracotta Temples are the pride of Bishnupur and are very famous.

•Tamil Nadu is famous for the huge terracotta figures of the Aiyanar Deity.

•Delhi and Jaipur are famous for Persian Blue Pottery. It is widely recognized as a traditional craft of Jaipur. Legend has it that blue pottery came to Jaipur in the early 19th century.

In ancient times, the first clay sculptures were dried (baked) in the sun after being formed. Later, they were placed in the ashes of open hearths to harden, and finally kilns were used, similar to those used for pottery today. However only after firing to high temperature would it be classed as a ceramic material. For centuries the craftsmen of this district have been making figurines having ritualistic conno-tations

The craftman

Ornamented horse made by Terracotta

•Terracotta Art is popular in India and Bankura District in West Bengal produces a variety of terracotta objects. •The Bankura horse is very famous.

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ABOUT THE PLACE•It is a small village called Chunduru, it has 30 houses with approximately 2-4 people working on terracotta craft.

•Terracotta craft is also called Kulugriti or Kumharpani in their local language.

•The village also has a small school, hospital, taining centre, a small market, electricity and telephone connection.

•The training centre is rented out to teach the terracotta craft. Mostly designers are invited by the government to give teaching classes to the crafts men and more advanced and new technology for making the products. The crafts men are paid a sum of Rs 100 per day.

•The new generation does not want to follow their parent footsteps and continue the craft, they go to school and college. There is schools in that village but no collage so the students mostly come to Nizamabad or Hyderabad for their higher studies.

School children

Chunduru village Craftsmen

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ABOUT THE TOOLS

potter’s wheel is used to mold, shape and spin the clay to make the pottery even.•Bucket of Water - The potter uses a bucket of water to keep his/her hands moist while shaping the clay on the wheel.

potter uses his hands to shape the clay into the preferred design.•Potter’s Fingers/Thumbs - The potter at times may use his/her fingers/thumbs to create designs, impressions or decorations on the pots before they are dried.•Potter’s Wheel - This wheel can be manually operated by hand, by stick or can be foot/pedal driven. Today some are run by electric motor. The

Generally pottery tools are divided into 3 major categories:•Shaping Tools •Cutting/Piercing Tools •Finishing Tools

SHAPING TOOLS•Potter’s Hands - The potter uses his hands to knead (press and squeeze) the clay so as to eliminate air bubbles thus making the clay soft, smooth and manageable to work with. In addition, while spinning on the potter’s wheel,

Potter’s thumb Potter’s wheel

Potter’s hand

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•Slip -Slip is a mixture of clay and water that is used as cement to join together two or more clay pieces when creating a new design.

CUTTING/PIERCING TOOLS•Blades/Edges/Knives - The potter may use these to make decorative designs or grooves on the pottery piece.

FINISHING TOOLS

•Kiln - A hot oven that is used to fire the pots after they are created and glazed so as to make them hard. •Glaze/Paints - Glazes /Paints are put on just before firing the pots to make them look fancier and more decorative and to make them harder and more durable.

•Paintbrushes - These are used for applying the glazes/paints.

•Piece of Thread - Also called the “Chounee”. This is used for cutting off the pottery piece from the potter’s wheel.

•Plastic Fork - Helps in making indents or other decorative designs on the item created. Plastic fork

Salpa

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Bhatti is a baking area, where they have used bricks to make a semi circular wall in which there is a hole. On one side of the hole they keep burning wood and on the other side the women put all the wet pots which are kept on unused or broken pots and they cover it first with hay and then put coal and ash on top. The heat from the burning wood reaches the pot through the hole and it doesn’t escape.

The whole pots are made at the end of the week all and are baked together.The weather should be hot for baking process.

•Sponge - This is used for smoothing the surface of the clay pot while spinning on the wheel just as masons do when smoothing semi-dried cement surfaces.

•Iron Pole - The potter uses this for cleaning excess sludge from his hands. •Cocoyea Stick - This is used by the potter for measuring so as to evenly attach one piece of pottery onto another. •Scraper - A hard piece of plastic, wood or bamboo

the pot. •Exacto Knife - This is used for creating designs on the pot while still leather hard.

Scraper

that is used for cleaning off any excess sludge from

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PROCESSRaw materials: The three main raw materials for preparing terracotta areAshes(5%), Red soil(25%), Normal mud(70%)

These are got from lake peddachuru which is less than a km away. They have to pay a sum of rs 700 per truck of red soil which is bought from the near by lake.A combination of three trucks of normal mud is mixed with one truck of red soil.

Steps to prepare the raw material-The Clay:1)The women take out the impurities and refine the material .The two kind of mud is first refined with hand by taking out all the impurities such as stones, stems, leaves etc.

2)They also soften it and make it wet. Now the mud is soften by adding water in it and then all those impurities are taken out which are very tiny and can t be taken out from dry mud.

3)First clay are softened by stamping on it for approx two hours-mud is made soft by stamping on again and again or by doughing. In this process also water is used.

Red soil Normal mud

Stamping

ter now uses his hands to shape the clay in the desired form and shape slowly and gently. Mostly for the neck of the pot his index finger and thumb is used and the rest of the fingers and palm is used for the body of the pot.

1) They use a potter’s wheel on which they slap on the mud and clay mixture in the centre and they rotate the wheel. The clay is stamped on the centre of the wheel in a regular quantity as per required by the potter.

2) They add little water to smoothen the material and put there hand in the centre of the mud mount and shape it using different hand curvature. The pot-

4)All the materials are mixed, moistened and stamped on to soften- As all the materials are mixed now the clay is stamped well and doughed well so as to make the raw material soft and easy to be used by the potter.

5 This part of the job is mostly done by the women of the house.

Steps of making a product or the craft:

Base is made by using palm

Rotating the wheel

Shaping using fingers

Finishing process

1) When the pots have dried to some extent they use a tool called Salpa to beat the pots. It is done by placing a stone block inside the pot to support it while beating and they potashes on the stone to prevent the semi solid pot from sticking to the stone. They do this to make the surface even. 2)Then they go to behind the house to the “bhatti” (furnace), the baking process takes one whole night and leave it there to dry for 7-10 days.3) They keep some 5 inches space between each. The space is kept so that when the baking process is complete some fumes come out, which indicates the completion of the process.

Beating with salpa

Giving the inner shape

3 )A plastic piece is used in the process of shaping and also to cut off the form the extra mound. When the pot is ready it is taken out from the potters wheel with a help of a blade, knife or a piece of thread very carefully so as to avoid it from breaking.

Shaping with plastic piece

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3)For packaging the products are put in boxes in between hay. The hay is kept so as to avoid the pots from breakage while delivering the pots from one place to another.

mixed with little clay in the centre of each pot .

2)They use oil paints and varnish. They also use wire for binding the additional ornaments. The pots are ornamented with various designs of terracotta pieces at-tached to them with wire.

Finishing after baking

1)To make the insides of the pot even the women put some water

Baking in the bhatti

Drying period

Painted pot

4) The baking process is not done in rainy season.Its done only in winters and summers. As in rainy season there is a lot of moisture in air which might be harmful for the pots.

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ABOUT THE CRAFTSMENThe crafts men have a very simple lifestyle. They just involve themselves in farming n pottery making. Women also take part in making craft besides do-ing their house duty. Farming plays an important role in their lively hood.Every house hold in the village practice different type of terracotta work. Some of the crafts men are educated but they and the new generation are very keen at get-ting educated yet continue with the same craft.Craftsmen are trained by the Ngo in learning new techniques and designs These people are taken by the Ngo to different exhibitions to learn other terracotta techniques of other terracotta crafts.Last exhibition attended by them was in Bangalore .They work on orders placed by Ngo and sell their products in market themselves.Craftsmen we accuired the information from-

About The CraftsmenName- Gulla Pandi MahenderAge 22Education – Degree passoutHe has been doing the craft for 5 years.He is who wants to opt for this craft in his career and wants that the people should be aware of this craft all over India.He attends lot of exhibitions and is eager to learn more and more about this craft.

Name- Ramalu Age 50Working with terracotta for 20 years.He is one of the old crafts men of that village and is highly experi-enced and skilled craftsmen.He wants the new gen-eration to be aware of this craft .

The craftsmen

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FINANCE AND ECONOMY•The NGO(Sai Baba Mahila Society) sends a letter to them and then decorative products are send to the NGO to supply to the cities. •They use three tractors yearly, for transportation of sand and mud.One tractor costs them 700rs.They only supply to Nizamabad. •When ever the work is completed they call the NGO.

•Prices vary according to design and size. Prices start at 50p (small size diyas) and go up to 120 rs.Decorative products are more expensive staring from Rs500.

• Whenever an exhibition or fair comes up, the NGO informs them.

•A standard pay of Rs 150 is given to them.

The training center

Diya stand Fancy pots Pots with wire work

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SWOT ANALYSISStrength

•People can be trained no particular skill is required:- People involved in this craft are not bound to any particular style or tradition. Anyone can learn the process and work.•Low level of investment:-The level of investment required is not much, the cost of clay, mud ,water is not much only the paints are costly in comparison to the rest of the raw materials. •Generation of self-employment in rural and urban areas:-This craft can be taught to anyone, and a large group of employment can be produced thereby in the rural and can also trigger employment in the urban areas. •No/less electricity utilized in production process:-This craft does not require the utilization of electricity.The process is completely based on hand work and heat.•Economic empowerment of rural:- As the craft can be taught to anyone and in-creases the level of employment it automatically increases the level of economy also. •Utilization of local resources:-All the raw materials required for the craft are locally available, where the craft is being flourished.•Eco-friendly:- All the raw material needed and the processes itself are not harmful.

Weakness

•Highly unorganized and widely dispersed:-The work is not at all organized be-tween the craftsmen. They work as individuals.

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•Lack of opportunity/unwillingness for adoption to: - a)Market oriented designs:- The designs on which they work are very old and not ones currently in demand. But recently they have started enforcing new designs but still they are scanty in number. b)Production diversification:- Till now there is no diversification in the production. But the production techniques vary from place to place according to different types of terracotta.c)Cross-culture innovation:-They lack a lot of cross-culture innovation.Lately the people are being taken to other places for exhibitions but still are not exposed to the innovations. d)Advanced technology:- No technology is involved till now but they can introduced it as scope is present.•Lack of exposure to different market segments:-The craft and craftsmen both are not exposed to the market well. They still lack interaction with the market.•Lack of enterprising and marketing skill:- The craftsmen lack entrepreneur skills as well as marketing skills. They are not well knowledged about the market. •Lack of proper branding of products resulting in duplication:- There is no patent on the style or work or on the craft. This prevents preservation of the tradition, techniques, originality etc. •Lack of awareness and measures for quality assurance:- The market,and public lack awareness regarding the originality as well as quality of the terracotta products. in many situations it is found that the people are not aware of the places where the work is being done or where the products are available.

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Opportunity • Availability of Manpower/Labour force:- In India manpower and labour force are available widely and this craft can be taught easily hence the manpower can be utilized for the establishment of the craft. • Ample scope of Government Schematic support for artisans under various schemes • High export potential:- The craft has high potential of exports. Craftsmen need to rise awareness about the craft among the people as well as in the market. •Availability of traditional skill :- People are are interested in keeping the traditional skills alive, only they need some support whether be it teaching new techniques or designs or marketing skills or financially may be.

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•Imitation by other States due to lack of patenting:- Innovations are different but mostly non-craft people learn the traditional methods and techniques and localize the art. This has to stopped by patenting the craft.•Frequent occurrence of natural calamity:-As large amount of the raw material consists of natural materials like clay and mud formed of soil, water, and can get affected if there is a natural calamity. Specially Nizamabad is a flood prone area.• Seasonal employment •High illiteracy rate to adjust with the charged scenario:- Most of the people are illiterate. The current generation is being educated but still the rate is below the margin. Among the current generation who are getting education are hardly interested in the craft. More over, the majority who working on the craft is not educated.

Threat

Wooden Patchwork

INTRODUCTION

finest quality of teak and other types of woods from which attractive wooden patchwork/marquetry products are made by trained and skillful craftsmen.Wood is also sourced from other parts of the country, mainly from Hyderabad.

Nizamabad is also famous for its excellence in making exotic handicrafts with a variety of designs and shapes. One such craft is Wooden Patchwork which has taken inspiration from foreign countries. It is also known as Marquetry.India is blessed with a vast number of tree species, most of which are deciduous and evergreen. Alpine forests and trees belonging to arid regions are also present. These trees are used extensively to manufacture wooden handicrafts.Mallaram forest in Nizamabad is known its

It is a craft which uses different colours and textures of the wood pieces which are joined adjacently or on top of one another.Many such products are today made and kept for sale in craft emporiums like Kalanjali and Lepakshi. Wooden Patchwork or Marquetry is one of the most unique wooden crafts renowned for its beauty and durability.This craft includes products such as idols, awards, mementos and even decorative panels having stories from the epics of India.

Wooden Patchwork of Nizamabad

A wall piece done in wooden patchwork

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ESSENCE OF THE CRAFT

Marquetry is the art of creating decorative designs and pictures by skillfully utilizing the grain, figure and colors of veneers, and sometimes other materials such as shell or ivory.Veneer refers to thin slices of wood. Veneer is obtained either by “peeling” the trunk of a tree or by slicing large rectangular blocks of wood known as flitches. Each slicing processes gives a very distinctive type of grain, depending upon the tree species.

It is amazing to see how the craftsmen cut out and join intricate pieces of wood to create an entity. It is wonderful to see how they make use of the different colours and textures of the wooden pieces to enhance the beauty of the product. The way they differentiate different parts such as the ornaments, clothes, background etc with use of the colours and textures of the woods alone, is worth mentioning as it requires a lot of concentration and experience.

HISTORYCraftsman joining different

pieces of wood

A wall panel done in Marquetry

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Thus, it is presumed that it didn’t take long for old world craftsmen to also start experimenting with designs formed from veneers.

While the exact origins of Marquetry or wooden patchwork are unknown, it is believed to have its inception in ancient Egypt where inlays were used in the palace of King Mausolus around 353 BC, located in modern day Turkey. In addition to this, hieroglyphs and paintings from Ancient Egypt indicate this craft.During this same time period, mosaic work was also widespread.

In the 14th Century marquetry or wooden patchwork was developed in Northern Italy and used as a method of decorating cathedrals. Over the next few centuries, marquetry schools were established in France, Germany and Holland. During the 16th to 18th Centuries much exquisite work was produced focused primarily on decorating furniture, especially for royalty.

A French table with Marquetry work

An Egyptian Wall Panel done in Marquetry

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Eventually, marquetry or wooden patchwork extended westward from Europe to America and beyond. Today, it is being used to create new and diverse artworks by a variety of artists around the world.In India, wooden patchwork or marquetry is a non-traditional handicraft. This craft was approved by the Government of AP as a Handicraft 20 years back. It was started 30 years back by Mr. Pendem Raghu in Nizamabad. Pendem Raghu is a wood sculptor specializing in wooden carving. He began wooden patchwork as a means to earn money and express his creativity in a different way. Other reasons why he began this craft was that his earlier profession, wood carving was common, non-profitable, time consuming and a competitive field. He started the craft in Nizamabad, as he is born and brought up in this place and also due to the availability of different wood in the nearby forest.As the years passed by, wooden patchwork started popularizing and the demand increased. Mr. Raghu started an organization which steadily grew, and today has 60 workers.

Mr. Pendem Raghu

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EVOLUTION OF CRAFT IN NIZAMABADEarlier in the start of the organization, no machinery and different raw materials were used.The wood was knife cut and slowly the cutting process changed to jigsaw and circular saw techniques.. Other requirements used were some cheap clear sticky tape, PVA glue and a base-board. These are still used along with other materials such as Fevicol and MDF as a base. To finish the piece, sand-paper or wire wool, possibly with a sanding block, was used earlier. With evolution, Disk Sanding machine and other such machines are being used now.

Either ordinary varnish, special varnishes, modern polyurethane -oil or water based- good waxes and even the technique of french polish are different methods used to seal and finish the piece. These are being used today as well, especially ordinary varnish.

Jigsaw machine replaced knife for cutting the wood.

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LOCATION AND ORGANIZATIONThe organization where wooden patch-work in Nizamabad is done is called Shilpakala Nilayam Training Center. It is 2-3km away from the Nizamabad Railway Station.Address- Boigally, Weekly Market Nizamabad 503001 .It is sponsored by The Office of Develop-ment Commissioner (Handicrafts) Government of India. The organization is run by Mr Raghu.The entire workplace is divided into various sections carrying out different works besides wooden patchwork, such as sticker printing and pasting, screen printing etc.

CRAFTSMENThere are 60 Craftsmen working under the organization presently. Both men and women are involved in the working process. They are employed based on their skill and their training. It isn’t a family craft like most traditional handicrafts are. Before being employed, the craftsmen are trained for 20 days. This training process is aided by the Government. Wages of the workers vary according to their experience in the field. A new craftsman gets Rs. 3000 per month, whereas the most experienced get Rs. 8000 per month.

The address of the workshop

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RAW MATERIALS

8. Sonam 9. Sheesham

•Many types of wood are used due to their dif-ferent textures and colours. They are sourced from all over India.

Some kinds are –1. Battakalam-2. Durshan3. Thumakatte4. Peddiga5. Neelgiri 6. Teak 7. Pachchabattakalam

10. Thalapuru

The thickness ranges from 3 to 12 mm.

•Fevicol is used for the joining of the pieces.

•Forfinishingtheysprayvarnish.

•DucoPaintsareusedforpainting.

•Black Gel pen is used for outlining.

Teak wood

Duco Paints

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•SprayPainting:Spraypaintingisatechniquewhereadevicespraysacoatingofvarnishthroughtheairontoasurface.Thisisdoneforprotectionandaglossyfinish.

•Paintbrushandpen:Theyalsousedifferentsizesofpaintbrushes andblackgelpenforpaintingofedgesandalsominute details

Cuttingtools•JigsawMachine: It uses a thin blade which moves up and down rapidly and cuts out intricate pieces of wood. Finishing tools•Sandingmachine: It is a spinning circular disk with an abrasive cloth used for smoothening the surface of the woodpieces,andalsolevelingthefinalproductsurface. •Filer:Aroughandasmoothfileareusedtocorrectanyirregularitiesandsmoothenthe edges of wood pieces.

Disc sanding machine

Spraypainting

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TOOLS

PROCESSStep 1-The craftsmen se-lects their wood pieces based on the right combi-nation of grain, color, and texture needed to create the impression they want to achieve.

Step 2-Depending on the type of cut used on the tree to produce the wood piece, and the color of the wood itself, the appearance of the wood piece may vary greatly in both grain and color.

Step 3-A pattern is chosen and each individual piece should be drawn and then cut out in paper.

Step 4-Each paper element is glued onto the relative wood.

Step 5-The individual wood pieces that will make up the design or picture are cut out using the jigsaw machine.

Step 6-If each piece of the design is to be cut seperately then fitted together it requires very accurate cutting. It also requires very accurate drawings. Any inac-curacy in the drawing will automatically result in an inaccuracy in the cutting.

Selection of wood Drawing done on wood

Joining of different peices

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given with black gel pen or Duco paints.

Step 10-The final finishing process is to spray paint var-nish on the product for protection and a glossy finish.

Step 11-Incase it has to be made into a ‘mandap’ for god, it has some cylindrical pillars and additional fea-tures which are made with wood on a lathe machine.

Step 7-Following this, the pieces are assembled and then are glued together with Fevicol and the completed design is mounted onto a rigid base.

Step 8-Then it is leveled on the disk sanding machine. And edges are smoothened and irregularities are corrected using a filer.

Step 9-Details such as intricate motifs, patterns, outline, edges and features are

Joined peices to form an entity

Leveling on disk sanding machine Finished Product

Step 12-Such separate parts are stuck together using fevicol to form a complete structure.

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MARKETING•Main Market today is individual customers and sometimes craft emporiums who place an order.•Earlier main market was exhibitions, fares and craft emporiums like Lepakshi and Kalanjali. •Tourists and art collectors are also important buyers for these product.•New designs are in demand but the essence of the craft is an important factor that the cus-tomers look for. •The types of products and designs are

•Products are mainly sold in Andhra Pradesh in all the districts.•The are also sold in Maharashtra- 5 districts and Karnataka- 2 districts•Delivery depends district location and quality•Can be delivered by any means (water, air, road)

determined by the place of market.They also have a small shop in the workshop premises.

DELIVERY

Shop in the workshop premises

SWOT ANALYSISStrengths-

•Intricacy level is high•Easy to make complicated products.•It is not a time consuming process. •Waste pieces of wood can also be incorporated in the design, so there are no wastage.•Reusability of material is possible.•Mass production is possible in this craft.•Market is vast and there is high contact with outside.•The craftsmen are educated so they can follow instructions easily.•Not much physical strength required.

Opportunities-

•There is a lot of scope in the market for wooden crafts as it is a fusion of tradi-tional and contemporary styles. •Today, many organizations want products in bulk. This craft has the ability to mass produce and has opportunity to provide to such organizations.

Weakness

•Only two dimensional forms can be made.•The machines such as jig saw blade is not safe and accidents can occur.•A lot of precision is required as the pieces have to fit into each other, so if any of the measurements go wrong the entire process has to be repeated. •The saw dust obtained when cutting and filing the wood, can be harmful for the workers. •Without a base the pieces might get separated with time

Threat

•Wooden patchwork/ marquetry is very similar to inlay work. So inlay craft is competition to this craft.(Inlay is the process of fitting a wood pattern into a negative of the same shape, cut of out of a background base.)•Sticker print and screen print on the wood is being mass produced by the same organization, which is threatening the traditional craft of wooden patchwork. •The wooden patchwork is losing its essence as a handicraft due to usage of too many machines. •The depleting forests are a threat to the continuity of this craft.•This craft in Nizamabad will soon become nonexistent as it is not a family craft and there is no one to pass the skill to.

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INTRODUCTIONThe lambada’s way of living is quite thrill-ing and full of adventures. What are equally colorful are their costumes. A banjara wom-en’s mode of dressing is regarded to be the most colorful as well as elaborate amongst all the tribal communities in India. A woman of banjara tribe is accustomed to the costume ”ghaghra and choli ( blouse)”. Ghaghra is a skirt made of red, black and white cotton embellished with pieces of mir-rored glass that are embroidered on it.

is fastened with traditional stitches, the odhani (mantle) which covers the head is quite long enough thus draping down their backs almost going as long as their feet. It is accessorized with bone bangles and anklets.

Their love for ornaments from time to time adopts quite absurd proportions and jewels become there integral part of their body.

Womens with ghaghra and choli

Lambada accessories

There is a band of material around the waist that strengthens the skirt and

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HISTORY

It is amazing to know how the people, 2000 years ago had an eye for the color schemes, the arrangement of the motifs and utilization of different materials to come up with a unique design for their clothes.The color combinations, natural motifs and ac-cessories made from shells, beads and metal, together make this craft quite exquisite. The Lambada people were always influenced by the nature and the environment, so the colors used by them for their dresses have relevance with nature, like- pink for flowers ,blue for sky etc.

As the lambada tribe is a nomadic tribe, roam-ing from one place to another, they took care of everything they needed - food, shelter and clothing. They did farming for their own food, made temporary tents to live and stitched their own clothes.Finding cloth pieces from place to place they had wandered, their dresses were very color-ful and stitched different colored pieces to-gether with different stitches. Using only few colours like red, black and white to stitch their garments, new colors where introduced to add in more aesthetic value. The women usematerials available then like mirrors, shells

Lambada women

Patch work with shells and beads

to stitch their own clothes withcotton cloth etc.

Essence of the craft

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EVOLUTIONThese dresses which are a combination of different pieces of colored cloth stitched together is now a traditional attire for the Lambada women worn only on special occasions. These dresses are still stitched by them and for themselves. They do not commercialize this craft. This craft gave a whole new path for normal people who are not Lamabada to learn this craft and make their living. Other than clothes

isnalso used as the price of other fabrics is high. The beads and mirrors are now plastic too.

Pillow cover

Plastic beads

The raw materials are different too. Firstly only cotton cloth was used for the dresses as they used to travel a lot in hot regions, but now synthetic cloth

cloth patch work is used for making other things like pillow covers, ta-ble mats etc. The essence of the craft is present but the product obtained has changed.

Different motifs and designs are incorporated which are more modern and have less relevance to the nature, to cater a market which is now demanding for the same. Machines are also used for giving the final touches to the products made. Major stitches are only done by hand. However, the Lambada tribe still follows the tradition of making their traditional dresses with their own hand and not using machine for any purpose.

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CRAFT TODAYIn the interiors of Nizamabad there is a little village called Verni, a place so colourful not because of the environment but of its colourful craft, called Cloth Patch Work. Cloth patch work is a form of needle-work, where small pieces of cloth are sewn together, to make an attractive design. The village is a hub of all the artisans working and sustaining this craft in the state over the years. The craft being centuries old has still a place in the market due to the intricate stitches,colour combinations and accessories used to decorate the cloth. In thisembroidery is done, apart from

Intricate stiches

Verni village

The village is small and comprises of 20 houses with a population of 70 people. The village has a lively environment and is rich in its culture. It is a tribal village and the tribe living here is the LAMBADA. Their lifestyle of living is very sim-

THE VILLAGE

particular village which is 50 kms from the city,cloth patch work.

ple and they believe in eating what they get in and around the village and farms, like rice, cereals, veg-etables etc. They also raise poultry and goats and at times use them as their food.The village infrastructure is not as developed as other villages we visited. Electricity is provided but no landline connection. The only mode of new age communication is cell phones. Auto rickshaws and buses are the different ways to reach the village.

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THE CRAFTSMEN•As an average, out of 100, about 40 members work on embroidery all together in the village. For their transportation they use scooters and buses.This craft is majorly done by women of the village. Men also do this craft after they are done with farm-ing. Men do this craft in September till May when it is off season for farming.•Only manual machines are used for final touch of the product.The NGO and the craftswomen are work-ing the patchwork for 2 years. This NGO is the only source of order to the craftsmen in the village.The NGO supports them with designs, material and training programme to enhance their ability in the craft. A training is provided to them for 15 days in which designers come to the village and teach them contemporary designs and patterns. For example, the designers make 1 design and the craftswomen repli-cate the same designs. These people get Rs-50 per day for a 4 months training programme and Rs 100 per day for a 15 day course.•It is a full time craft which is done by the population of the village. The women do it all time and the men join during rainy season as farming in that season is difficult in that region. The head craftsman of the craft is Mr. Dhanu. He is the one who motivates everyone and gives proper guidelines to the crafts women.

Mr. Dhanu

Head craftswoman

Craftswomen

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PROCESS

patch.

STEP 5:This patch is then pasted with fevicol on a base cloth according to the design.

STEP 2:A design is made on a paper which is used as a stencil.

STEP 3:The stencil is then traced on a piece of cloth.

STEP 4:The cloth is then cut as per the design and used as a

This craft has various processes depending on the different products worked on. One such process is described in detail. In here the craftsmen is making a pillow cover where in cloth patch work method is used.

STEP 1:A design is selected.

Cutting of the cloth Placing different pieces together

Stencil of the design

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TYPES OF STITCHES

There are a number of stitches that they use. The craftmen have their own tribal names for each type of stitch. All stitches are done manually and only finishing touches are given by the machine which is again manual. This craft needs a lot of patience and skill for the perfect look.

Rela

Bela Katta Pasadi

Phula Vendiya

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TYPES OF RAW MATERIALS

The different types of raw materials used by the craftswomen for the clotch patch work are as follows:•BEADS (coloured,metal, shining)•THREADS•MIRRORS•SHELLS

Colourful Beads

Shining BeadsSea ShellsSmall Mirrors

Coloured ThreadsMetal Beads

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MARKET AND ECONOMYThis craft had a very less demand which was taken care by an NGO named SAI BABA MAHILA SOCIETY.

There is no financial support given to the craftsmen for this craft. They are financially supported by the Agro bank for the farming they do.

their own traditional clothes where they use patch work. They buy the raw materials and cloth for their own traditional wear from the nearby Tuesday market of the village.1 pow(1/4 kg ) of each colour patch(cloth) is bought and stitched together to make their own garment. They only make their wedding dresses. Generally, very bright colours are used for their dresses.

They are paid Rs.120 per day to work on this craft by the NGO for all the orders they place to them.

Bag made by cloth patch work

The NGO head

Apart from commercializing their craft and the projects, they work and stitch

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SWOT ANALYSISStrength

•A lot of variations and options are available to make new products making each one different in their own way.•New materials are being used to enhance the final look of the product.•Age old techniques are still prevailing and producing fine and traditional products.•The colour combinations used are very bright and attractive gaining interest of the viewer.•The motifs used are age old and inspired by nature - the signature look of the craft.•The metal accessories that are stitched on to the cloths are unique and are not seen in any other craft, making this craft unique.•The entire product is hand crafted and every detail is taken care of by skilled craftsmen

Weakness

•The market is demanding for modern designs, has changed the original craft designs which are more intricate and nature inspired.•The bold patterns and cuts are the signature look of the craft which makes it difficult for a common man to make it a part of their wardrobe.•The skills required for the craft are difficult to learn and it takes a lot of experience and practice to master it.•The entire product is hand crafted so it is time consuming.

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Opportunity

•The NGO supporting them is giving them a lot of new inputs on the new methods and designs.•Many craft exhibitions are taking place giving the craftsmen a new platform to reach to customers.•Many training programmes are held to improve the skills and to enrich the craftsmen with craft related information.

Threat

•The industrial products are more attractive and lesser in price, giving this craft a tough competition.•The demand of this craft has reduced in the past few years. This has stopped the younger generation to learn and practice the craft•The modern designs that are now made are over powering the old motifs and designs which are the signature look of the craft.

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CONCLUSION

ornaments them with beads, mirrors, embroidery and lambada jewels, to complete their traditional clothing- a formidable attire. Wooden patchwork craft includes joining of different coloured wood pieces artistically like a jigsaw puzzle to form a magnificent entity. These crafts mainly take inspiration from gods and goddesses and flora and fauna. For us, it was an eye opener and an amazing experience to look into the lives of the craftsmen and understand them. The interaction with the living habits of the people, and the folk customs helped us understand the uniqueness and

The overall experience of the cluster initiative created awareness among us about the hidden crafts of Nizamabad. The craftsmen have a unique state-ment through which they communicate with the outside world. Their ability to create magic with clay, metal, thread and cloth, and wood is astonishing. Terracotta craft is being practiced for ages. In this clay and mud are shaped and baked to form a beautiful product like a decorative piece or a utensil.Lambada Jewellery craft involves twisting, turning and heating of metal wire into intricate and bold designs for a stunning piece of jewellery Lambada Cloth work mixes and matches different coloured cloth pieces and

the characteristic features of the four crafts.

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