Sargaalaya, the arts and crafts village at Iringal, wears a festive look. The hillocks that speck the campus are decked with lights and the growing crowd is in tune with the holiday spirit. But the focus is on 140 craftsmen and women who have converged here from across the country to showcase and sell their traditional art and craft. Sargotsav also features artistes feted by the Ministry of Textiles for keeping their tradition alive. Gond artists from Madhya Pradesh showcase their works, so too exponents of Madhubani from Bihar.
The craftspeople share many stories — of villages that keep traditional arts alive, of certain crafts that has been their identity for generations dying with them and also of blending the classic with the contemporary to give the old a new life. At Sargotsav, a work of art worth lakhs sits alongside a hand-strung neckpiece worth just a few hundreds.
The every-day and the exquisite are on display — knick-knacks of jute, coconut fibre and shells, metal and glass showpieces, hand-made jewellery… Here is a snapshot from Sargotsav that is on till December 30.
Gond paintings
Two trees spring out of the limbs of two lovers. They intertwine and embrace and burst into boughs and leaves. “The lovers belonged to different castes and invited death in the face of resistance. They are watched over by Shiva and Parvati,” explains Gond artist Ram Singh Urveti.
Every Gond painting, says Ram Singh, tells a story and are slices of their life. The tree, says Ram Singh, is a constant in his works. He cannot imagine a canvas without one.
Art is passed down generations, he says. From the walls of their homes those like Ram Singh have transported the art onto the canvas. Quite a few Gond painters are exhibiting their works at Sargotsav. Though each Gond painting portrays a common way of life, each artist leaves his or her signature. A trademark of Gond painting is the intricate repetitive motifs in it. Ram Singh uses a miniature arrow in his works while his wife opts for a wide-mouthed ‘v’ with a dot in the middle. “Connoisseurs as far as in London identity my paintings looking at the motif,” he says.
The artist has taken his works around the world and has been to Kozhikode many times too. “With every painting, we are selling a story. We are telling people about our tradition. There will never be a painting which looks like another,” he adds. Ram Singh’s works are priced per square feet and each square foot comes for Rs. 3,000.
Madhubani paintings
Episodes from life to death, big and small, are painstakingly painted by Asha Jha in her award-winning tapestry. She learnt the intricacies of Madhubani painting from her mother and though she has passed on the skill to her daughter, Asha wonders if the active engagement with the traditional art will end with her. A link between generations, Asha in the meanwhile, took Madhubani off walls and canvases to fabric. From simple designs on dupattas and stylish ones on the neckline of kurtas to the elaborate ones on the saris, Asha has given an every-day purpose to Madhubani. Her meticulous recreation of life events in a tapestry replete with local sayings won her a certificate of appreciation from the Ministry of Textiles. “Now when I go for exhibitions, I see it’s duplicates,” she laments.
The colours for traditional Madhubani paintings are natural. When Asha transports traditional images on to textiles, she uses fabric paint. “The intricate black double lines are important to Madhubani,” she explains showing the images from a sari. “But when we are making a sari for a wedding we refrain from black and use maroon instead,” she adds.
Intricate designs with elaborate detailing are done on a sari pallu. Traditional, mythological images as well as contemporary designs find space in her work. Paintings are done on tussar, monga (Rs. 5,000 –Rs. 6,000) and cotton. “It takes us about 15 days to finish an elaborately designed sari. About 100 women work with me at Shatakshi Creations. The designs are done by me and the women take care of the sketching,” says Asha. Exhibitions are often the window to sales, she says.
Apart from Asha, Sargotsav hosts a lot of Madhubani artists. “It is a way of life in our family and village. About 75 per cent of villagers are into the art,” says an artist from Jitwarpur who is showcasing along with his few works that of his mother Bhagwan Devi “Madhubani paintings are all about reflecting the idea in an artist’s head,” he says.
Pichhwai paintings
Pichhwai paintings are a fine, elaborate labour of love which takes an artist about eight months to complete. Kalyamal Sahu and his nephew Nandu Sharma showcase the traditional Rajasthani Pichhwai paintings. The paintings done on cloth and paper are hymns to the Gods in colours and were traditionally made for Vaishnav mandirs. Stories from mythology, snippets of royal life, paintings seen in old texts, scenes from weddings and festival all find their way into Pichhwai. “We have brought a lot of our traditional works. But yes, experimentation is happening,” says Nandu Sharma.
“The lay-out to a Pichhwai painting is done is yellow and gradually the colour gradation moves to darker shades. The final touch is given with black which is the most laborious part of our work. It takes 10 to 15 days just to do that,” explains Nandu. Pichhwai paintings boast a royal touch and gold, silver and copper are often used in the paintings. “We use foils of gold and silver. It is also common to make colours from precious stones like lapis lazuli, garnet and rubies,” he says. A Pichhwai comes at a price and the most elaborate work brought to Kozhikode is 8 feet x 7 feet and priced at Rs. two lakhs. A small Pichhwai, measuring 2x2 comes for about Rs. 15,000. Relatively simpler Pichhwai done on paper are also for sale.
Home furnishing
The works of 250 women of Purkal Stree Shakti in Purkal, a village in the foothills of the Himalayas, include patch-worked quilts, cushion covers, note books and utility products. A not-for-profit organisation, women undergo seven months of training in skill development and later become part of the 10 self-help groups which produce a range of home furnishing products. “Every item has the label name of the SHG that made it and proceeds go directly to them,” says the stall member.
A signature of Purkal is their vibrant patch-worked and appliquéd quilts. It takes a woman about 30 days to make one. A large quilt measuring 60 inches x 90 inches comes for Rs. 11,000, while smaller quilts are priced at Rs. 6,200. Colourful cushion covers cost Rs. 380 a piece. Purkal products are also exported to the United Kingdom and Australia.
Terracotta and Applique
The works from Aakriti Art Creations from Ghaziabad is a fusion of traditional craftsmanship and innovative deisgns. Humble terracotta vases and pots turn into painted beauties with flashes of Worli, Dhokra and Madhubani art on them. Products on show range from lamp shades, aroma diffusers, wall clocks and show pieces. Applique-worked bedspreads, tapestries, holders from Pipli in Orissa are also on sale. So are hand-crafted coconut shell piggy bags.
