Much of India's traditional handicraft vocabulary is scripted out of locally available material -- in the woods and grasslands, stone and mud, and flora and fauna. Among such natural treasures are mango wood and whitewood, which grow in abundance in forests and provide a rich canvas for a plethora of lifestyle products conceptualised and handcrafted by skilled artisans.
Janak Singh Goswami of Barmer (Rajasthan) and Ahmed Rauf of Saharanpur (U.P.) are two craftsmen who have the knack of morphing mango wood into a stunning range of furniture and decorative items. While the rustic meets the royal in Goswami's bold and beautiful furniture, Rauf creates smaller artefacts such as clocks and occasional tables with Khurja pottery tiles and wrought iron.
Fascinating range
Elegant rasoi cupboards with iron fronted doors, almirahs with narrow drawers, study and coffee tables make for a fascinating variety of Rajasthani decor.
Says Goswami, a non-paramparik artisan who learnt the craft from his guru Kanhaiya Lal, “We get the wood locally. Generally, small pieces are joined together to make a drawer or a chair. However, bigger single pieces are also used. We hammer the iron bars into shape and add it to the furniture for special effect. I make chairs, tables and screens embellished by Kishengarh miniature painting done on board.”
Ahmed Rauf retains the natural double coloured charm of the wood by painting the pieces with neutral oil paints. “We use old handmade tools to cut, scrape, incise, engrave and scoop. I use handmade ceramic tiles and wrought iron to add an artistic touch to chairs, tables and other objects d'art. Mango wood carving is an ancient art which has recently been revived.”
Toy maker Ramaswami from Andhra Pradesh innovates with white wood to create colourful Kondapalli toys, jhankis of Ramayana, Dasavataram range, Hanuman and other gods and bowls in various colours.
Also on display are brass icons from Tiruchi, Orissa's tribal metal jewellery, and textiles. The work of these artisans is on view at the Art and Crafts Fair, Sri Sankara Hall, TTK Road, till May 25.
