What can moving images do for craft? And can we bring back crafts through films? These were some of the questions asked by actor and convenor, Suhasini Maniratnam to the panellists who formed the ‘think tank’ of the Crafts Film Festival organised by the Crafts Council of India in celebration of its Golden Jubilee.
The answers also seemed to emerge from Ahmedabad based-NGO ‘Aadhar’s evocative film, which unfolded a panorama of craft’s ‘lived reality.’ Stories of craft processes in rhythm with the seasons and colours of nature came to life touching on artisan’s lives and hands. Also part of the festival were twelve one-minute films capturing the essence of various crafts. These were part of the ‘Moving Art: Films on Craft’ a competition for young film-makers.
Aadhar’s films from its ‘Heritage Film Festival’ collection were curated by Avni Varia. They told stories of a whole gamut of crafts ranging from ‘Tana Bana,’ which gave a poetic, yet vivid overview of the traditional hand-woven textiles from Patan Patola to Jamdani, Sambhalpuri ikkat, north-eastern weaves and Varanasi’s incomparable brocades. ‘Chalto Phirto Devro’ was about the painted imagery of Rajasthan’s Phad art.
The moving ‘diyas’ illuminated the painted cloth as the story of Pabuji and Dev Narayan came to life. It was also the story of Kalyan Joshi, who is taking the craft forward through his training classes.
‘Mata Ni Pachedi’ depicted the painted narratives of the Mother Goddess done in natural dyes with the use of ‘kalam’ and mud block print, while ‘Evolving Tradition’ was a slick 11-minute documentary describing the preparation of the famous Athangudi tiles, which endure till today, in many old Tamil homes.
‘Of Whose Karma Shall I Sing My Own’ had the poignant beauty of Gond Art and the story of a proud people who are caught between their traditional lives and modernity.
‘Thatera’ brought back a time when brass vessels were custom made for everyone.
Wide range‘Moving Art: Films on Craft’ which formed part of the one-minute film competition also covered a wide range of crafts: from textiles to chikankari, lac bangles, cane weaving, basketry, pottery and more. ‘Pedana Kalamkari’ by Arun Bose won the first prize. The second prize was shared by ‘Kabir ke Julahe’ by Pankaja Sethi and Jagrit Seth’s ‘Idols of Kinnal’ while the third prize winner was Kavyayini’s ‘Fast Wold’. Moongil Thoattam’ by Karthick Annadurai and Kartikey Rai’s ‘Silent Threads’ got a special mention.
The questions posed by anchor Suhasini were: Can craft be repositioned in the contemporary milieu? Can the forms be revived and how cool is it for gen-next to be craft savvy in clothes and fashions? Can cinema fuel craft growth and can the power of mobile phones, i-pads and social media be brought in to spread awareness? The panellists Sashi Kumar, Bharat Bala, Rajiv Menon, Mukund Padmanabhan, Chetan Shah, Tehzeeb Katari and Sabita Radhakrishna came up with answers that covered many facets of craft. One suggestion seemed to find a resonance among all - that of the importance of craft education in schools as part of the curriculum to sensitise children towards our rich craft heritage.
