An eight day long exhibition titled An Ode to Mahatma Gandhi showcases Gandhi on his 150th birthday, in unique ways. The spotlight is on craftspeople, often cut off from mainstream society, who have gone out of their comfort zones to create designs they don’t usually dabble in.
Under the aegis of the Dastkari Haat Samiti, the craftspeople were given artistic freedom to showcase Gandhi through their craft. They were to depict either an image or a symbolical metaphor to represent him. “For these brilliant karigars, this has been a labour of love. Their exhibits aren’t for sale, but visitors can directly interact with artisans and learn how they can procure them. This is a non-profit initiative. All these karigars need is a platform that backs them to exhibit their crafts,” said Jaya Jaitley, the founder and president of the Samiti. In the tribute are 25 works of art: handloom weaving, tie and dye work, Shibori, batik.
Amrita Choudhary, who runs Disha Shekhawati, an NGO empowering women artisans so they can earn a livelihood and be freed from the cycle of domestic abuse and other evils, says traditional Bandhini was practised in the Shekhawati region over the past 500 years. “However, now Shibori has become one of the favourites of this region. I searched for it on the Internet and Roshni Bano from Sujangarh acted as a good Samaritan. She taught us the nuances of this Japanese technique.”
The NGO portrayed Gandhiji in Nui Shibori. “Our women artisans have depicted Gandhiji with his signature charkha, spectacles, walking with his stick. Each work (in mulberry, tussar and Chanderi silk) took us three days to wrap.”
Similarly, Mohammad Tahir, whose family has been working with wooden sculptures for generations in Farukhabad in U.P, portrayed Gandhi in his sculpture. It can be used as a wall-hanging or placed on a stand. “Creating Gandhi’s face was a time consuming process. I also had to create wooden spectacles in order to make my work look realistic. My depiction of Gandhiji has fine engraving and straight lines.”
Khadi’s future is intact as it has evolved into modern sustainable fashion, says Kartik Manna, who used batik to portray Gandhi. “Gandhiji’s ideals will live on forever. Through this picture, I have tried to depict his immortality and his ideas," he says. Batik was brought to India by Rabindranath Tagore from Indonesia and there is the Indonesian influence in the sky. "The imagery of the sun portrays the idea that Gandhiji's philosophy is spreading."
There are also some items to shop: thread jewellery from Uttarakhand; silver jewellery from Rajasthan. bead work and papier mache from M.P.
At IGNCA, 11, Man Singh Road, until October 8, 2019, 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.
