HORN CRAFT OF WEST BENGAL

HORN CRAFT OF WEST BENGAL

GUIDED BY

MR. JYOTINDRA JAINMS. ANUSHREE KUMAR

DOCUMENTATED BY

ABHISHEK DEANANDITA RAOMANSI GUPTA

RISHIKA SALECHASRIVIDYA DEVADAS

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF CRAFTS & DESIGN

Text Srividya Devadas Photographs RIshika Salecha and Srividya Devadas

All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Designed by Mansi gupta Edited by Anandita Rao

Crafts have evolved immensely in India. Horn craft is a craft pursued in the states of West Bengal, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.

Our journey represents the sum of the special knowledge which we gained from a small family. A family with of a man, woman, two daughters and a grandmother, sustaining life with minimal resources yet filled with an utmost welcoming attitude.

There were a number of unknown and unnoticed things and actions such as that the products had a major influence by nature. This craft is a classic example of how the waste of one industry provides raw material for another industry. The horn waste is used as a fertiliser in the fields.

The simplicity with which the products were formed and the basic logical thought processes were eye openers .It made the simple act of looking an endless pleasure.

This craft documentation captures the story of an animal by-product turning into an aesthetic object.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We profusely thank Srimati & Sri Panchanan Das &his family for giving us their precious time and

sharing all their knowledge on horn craft and making us feel at home with their love and affection.

We also would like to thank Mrs. Somita Chandra, Director at Madhusudan Nagar Craft Centre,

Midnapore, for her constant guidance towards documenting the craft throughout our stay and to

those people who made our trip sustainable; our family and friends.

CONTENTS

The state of West Bengal

The craft destination- Narayanchowk

About IICD

Introduction to Horn

Artisan- Mr. Panchanan Das

Craft Cluster- New Chanchala Wood and Horn Industry

Raw Material

Processes- Spoon, Comb, Sculpture

Varieties of Horn

Difference Between Cow Horn and Buffalo Horn

Tools

Buying and Selling Strategy

Our Experience

ABOUT IICD

IICD is a unique institution that is synergizing

traditional knowledge and skills with contemporary

needs to evolve methodologies that are relevant to

modern India.

It is an innovative, first of its kind Institute set up by

the Government of Rajasthan, to develop human

resources for the craft sector.

The central idea of the Institute is to evolve a

sustained programme of growth and development

for both crafts sector and craftsmen in an integrated

manner, i.e. to generate requisite knowledge, to

upgrade relevant skills

*as downloaded from googleimages.com

THE STATE OF WEST BENGAL

The state of west Bengal has had a very important role in Indian history. Politically as

the seat of the British raj this had tumultuous effect on Indian psyche. Bengal was birth

place to various mystics and social reformers, crafts, poets & intellects.

With children being brought up reciting the poems of Rabindranath Tagore, one can

see the influence of art in their lives. Festivals such as durga puja ,kali puja ,saraswati

puja and many more are celebrated with great enthusiasm and zest in this state .the

bengalis have a close relation with hilsa fish a definite delicacy smoked variety & sweet

mouthing like sandesh ,rasgullah,mishit dahi etc .

Bengal renaissance had wide spread social consequences throughout India - abolition

of sati, legalisation of Hindu widow remarriage act, the start of English education,

gradual raising of marriageable age for girls are all milestones in the countrys growth

as a civilised nation. With breathe taking architecture monuments like Victoria memorial,

Howrah Bridge, shanti niketan are known all over the world.

*as downloaded from googleimages.com

THE CRAFT DESTINATION- NARAYANCHOWK

Situated by the river Kosai, the village of Narayanchowk is home to the horn craft in

West Bengal. With no boundary walls in the neighbourhood and small ponds beside

every house, this place is worth getting engaged with.

The village, well connected with dusty kachcha roads, is 82 kilometre away from the

capital city of Kolkata.

When looked around, vast expanses of rice plantation, vegetable and flower fields fall

into view. The kachcha roads are followed by bamboo bushes on each side of the path

forming canopies for every time one would lift the eyes.

The village still retains the essence of mud houses sustained by vertical bamboo

framework. Not exceeding the number of storeys by three, the slant roofs are made with

terracatta tiles, to discontinue the flow of water inside the house during rainy season. It

is hard to show the back to this wonderful place on earth.

INTRODUCTION TO HORN

Horn is an external part of animals like cows, buffaloes,goats ,rhinoceros ,deers. Horns

are growths that protrude from the skulls of some animals. They are made up of two

components, first is bone and the second is keratin.

The bone is the centre, or core, of the horn and is fused to the bone of the skull. The

bone core is covered by a resilient sheath (protective covering) made of keratin. Horns

are the permanent part of the animal, which means the horns an animal is born with are

the same horns it has its entire life.

Horns do not branch out, but instead end only in one point on each side of the animals

head. Depending on the species of the animals, horns might be found on both males

and females, or males only. Horns are used for determination of age in various species

depending on the number of rings observed on the horn.

In horn craft animals like cows and buffaloes are dehorned. Buffalo horns are also

said to be found fallen in forests which are also put to use. Domesticated animals are

dehorned so as to not harm themselves or others.

ARTISAN- MR PANCHANAN DAS

Living in Narayanchowk in a two storey

house with his wife two daughters and mother,

Mr.Panchanan Das has carried down the

tradition of making horn products from his

forefathers .Having passed 12th standard and

being able to read English, his aspirations still

were to create his products in horn.

A quarter portion of the ground floor of his

abode is his workshop having two other men

working for him, he learned techniques of

creating products in horn from his father having

the income of Rs. 150 to 200 per day and

monthly production of Rs.4000.

Previously he had more labour to work with

but eventually they departed in search of

government jobs. He has skill to produce

products but not enough labour due to which

he cannot participate in big fairs. His products

are sold through NGOs, private middle men

and the government.

A problem of dying availability of raw material

is being experienced due to export .Also the

quality has said to degrade as people learn little

and start their own practice. Mr.Panchanan

Das is client oriented and also does various

other explorations of his own. He takes up

orders of designers. His products are very

much influenced by nature.

He has experience of working with jig saw,

turning lathe even though he doesnt have one

in his workshop. He is associated with the West

Bengal Industrial Training Center under the

DIC . Mr.Panchanan Das is a very hardworking

person and is always willing to work with new

technologies and designs.

CRAFT CLUSTER- NEW CHANCHALA WOOD AND HORN INDUSTRY

Another cluster we visited a little far away from

Mr.Panchanan Dass house was of Mr.Tarun

Singha- New Chanchala Horn and Wood

Industry. This cluster comprised of families

working together including the women of the

families in the cluster. It is very market oriented

with a business minded approach.

They are not completely loyal to the material of

horn and hence make products with mixture of

wood, seashell, coconut shell and horn. This

cluster has the availability of machines like

grinders, jig-saw, circular cutting saw, turning

lathe, generator for electricity thus making their

work faster and easier.

They make products like key chains, spoons,

small bird sculptures, coasters, knives, bowls,

combs, etc. But not all these products would

be completely made of horn; they are usually

in combination with wood or coconut shells.

Inlay of sea shells &wood in horn is also found.

In ten days of Delhi Trade Fair they earn 4-5

lakhs. They have good exposure in the market

and are seen in many big fairs.

A spoon serving of theirs in whole sale would be

Rs.150 & a single piece in fair would be Rs.200.

Small bird sculpture would cost Rs.300-400

.And whistle key chains worth Rs.25. Each

labourer ought to make 35-50 key chains a day.

RAW MATERIAL

Buffalo horn is said to be sourced from places

like Orissa, Assam,Madras and Bihar . It is also

sold in sialdah and raja bazaar in Kolkata. Horns

have now started to be coloured in blue, black &

red with acid colours available from raja bazaar

in Kolkata. It seems most of the horn products

are made from buffalo horns and less from cow

horns.

It is brought in unit of kilograms varying from the

range of Rs.40/kg to Rs.200/kg rising in quality;

the maximum weight of horn is 3 kg in damp

conditions horn tends to get spoilt.

CHARACTERISTICS OF HORN:

Horn in its form is three dimensional as it

commences from the skull it is broad and with

the growth it narrows to its ends .The broader

portion is hollow ,light whereas the narrow

portion is solid ,heavier and used for expensive

decorative items .

Horn can be bent and carved to a very flexible

shape or form; it is tightly bound with even

grains. It emulates the smell of burnt hair while

heating due to keratin.

Horns are found mainly in shades of grey and

black. Though white horns are available, they

are rare and expensive. Horns exported from

Australia are found in different colours and

textures.

PROCESSES

The solid portion of the horn is chopped off.

The horn is then cut into two halves, vertically or horizontally as per requirement..

It is then heated by the naturally available fuel, which is lit by a kerosene lamp. to keep the flame kindled, a manual fan is used.

The heated horn is then pressed according to the required product. The horn is kept in between a wooden die so that it does not get spoilt. If the horn is flattened, the slant edges are chopped off with a saw.

The horn is then dampened to make it soft. Therefore the rainy season acts as a favourable time of the year.

The horn is then filed one stage before drying. This is the basic preparation of the material horn to be made into any product.

PROCESS OF MAKING A SPOON

The round portion is kept in a wooden block die which is kept under pressure to give it a concave shape.

The handle of the spoon is pressured downwards so as to keep it in the same position of the joint is a straight aligned line.

The flattened horn piece is then marked with a wooden template and then cut with a saw.

The detailed curvatures of the spoon are given while grinding.

The design is drawn with a marker. Mostly the images resemble the animals around and are inspired with the local environment.

The image is carved out with the grinder. The outline of the form is achived in this process.

A grinder with lesser thickness is used to carve out the finer details aof the image.

The object is then polished with super-X polish to obtain the desired glossy surface.

Often this sort of pattern is carved out with a v-shaped chisel. One tooth is used a pivot while the other revolves to carve the pattern.

PROCESS OF MAKING A COMB

Looking at the flattened horn pieces, the design of the comb is drawn to minimise wastage. Traditionally, horn craft started with making combs because it is a very good material for the scalp.

The teeth cutting machine is used yo carve out the teed on the comb. It has different sandstones of gauge 16, 18, 22, 24 to carve out teeth of different thickness.

The combs are polished. The teeth are slanted towards the end to facilitate smooth movement of hair.

PROCESS OF MAKING A SCULPTURE- ELEPHANT

Looking at the available horn piece, the design of the sculpture is drawn.

The broad details are carved out with a saw.

The sculpture is then ground to carve out the contours.

The holes for the eye are drilled manually.

The eyes are made of plastic fibre. Traditionally the eyes were made of ivory but since it has been banned, nowadays plastic fibre has fallen into use.

The finer details are carved out with the sandstone grinder. The eye is then fitted into the drilled eyehole with the aid of fevi quick.

Horn turnings are filled i the depressions on the surface of the sculpture to be coated with kali powder for colour.

The sculpture is then polished to obtain a shiny surface.

VARIETIES OF HORN

Animal horn can be identified by its characteristics and the place it belongs to:

Maharashtra The horn found here is long, expensive and has a finished texture.

Madras The horn found here has the best finish and texture. Bihar The horn found here is small, thin and is well finished.

Assam and Orissa The horn found in these regions is cheap and has a very rough.

BUFFALO HORN

It is flat in shape.

It is rough.

It is longer and straight.

It has more of solid portion.

It is mostly blackish and greyish.

In India, it costs Rs. 100-200/kg.

COW HORN

It is round in shape.

It is smooth.

It is short in size and curved.

It has more of hollow portion.

It is whitish, brownish and greyish.

In India, it costs of Rs.40-120/kg.

If imported, it costs Rs.400-200/kg.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COW HORN AND BUFFALO HORN

BUFFALO HORNCOW HORN

TOOLS

Grinding machine

Cotton bob for polishing with super X Red, Black and White

Tongs sandasi

Hand drill, pillar drill

Zig saw

Freight saw

Round tip chisel golansan

V-shaped chisel

Hammer hatudi

Pressing machine

Wooden dyes

Kerosene lamp lampo

Round tip filer (medium size)

BUYING AND SELLING STARTEGY

The products made by Mr.Panchanan Das and by the cluster of Mr.Tarun Singha are sold

in district fairs. Fairs conducted in Kolkata are also a medium .They even get exposed to all

India government fair.

Pragati maidan trade fair in Delhi known all over the world also is a platform for sales. The

horn products are also exported to countries abroad like Australia, Japan, and America.

Rich merchants also make orders for horn products.

The best period of sales takes place between the months of September and March as many

fairs are organised all over the country.

During the rest of the months, the artisans work for export houses on demand. In fairs, the

products are sold in retail which gives the artisans a good margin of profit.

From left- Rishika Salecha, Anandita Rao, Srividya devavdas Mrs. Somita chandra, Mansi Gupta and Abhishek De

OUR EXPERIENCE

The three weeks had us realise and learn a lot of things .

With the most compassionate and selfless people we were made to understand the passion

for craft, encouraging us to create products with our heart and soul we learned lessons

every day, each day forming an experience to be remembered.

Thanking all the people through our journey with their good wishes we move forward.