Madhubani Painting / Mithila Painting

Madhubani Wall Art at "Craft's Museum, New Delhi"

Madhubani painting or mithila painting is age old tradition of painting done on walls and floors of home by women of house. According to a myth, madhubani painting is associated with marriage ceremony of Lord Rama and Sita. Its said that the "kohbar" made in their marriage was the begining of  Mithila or madhubani painting.

Women selling paper-mache products with madhubani paintings

Now also this is a form of folk art is basically done to celebrate festivals and auspicious moment like, marriage and child birth. Every sect/caste of Hindu society had its own separate design of mural with set instruction for deities and objects to be drawn on particular occasion.  Originally it was drawn on wall or floor covered with mud, geru or cow-dung with the help of finger tips, twig and cotton  using natural colors made of rice, turmeric, lamp soots and various flowers and vegetable juices. These paintings are based on Hindu mythological characters, scenes from mythological stories and other regional flora and fauna. But, with commercialization, acrylic colours and other artificial colours have replaced natural colours and brushes have replaced finger tips & twigs. The medium also has changed to paper and cloth from floors and walls.

Madhunbani on Bhagalpuri tussar silk Sar

Madhubani on tussar silk dupatta

However, art is still an art, whatever may the medium be. 

In its meager effort to promote art and craft of India, Shilphaat.com has brought few products with Madhubani painting inscribed on it.

 Madhubani painting on stationary holder

Meenakari/Enamelling in India

Traditional Meenakari Jhumki

The history of meenakari or enamelling is more than 3000 years old. Various objects and jewelleries  have been discovered from Greece, Mycenae, Cyprus, Egypt and China. However, in India, rise of meenakari can be credited to Raja Man Singh of Amber, Jaipur who brought artist from Lahore to Jaipur. Since then, Jaipur has become the center of this beautiful artwork, called meenakaari, in India. Factually, meenakari is the art of ornamentation of metallic surface, preferably gold for jewellery and silver for wares and decorative pieces, as they hold enamel better and give it an additional sheen. But due to increased cost of precious metal now focus has been shifted to bronze, copper and steel too. 

The complete process is teamwork, requiring high level of precision.  First the design of product is designed out of metal by metalsmith, then design is etched on the surface (nacqashi) by artisan called Nacquash who is specialized for the process. On next stage, meenakar or enameller applies powdered enamel or meena, in the grooves of the object. The enamel is applied on account of its heat resistance, most resistant is applied first. Each color of enamel is then fired , which melts enamel and helps it to spread evenly and fuse with the surface. After setting all colors of meena, object is cooled and polished for final look.

Besides Jaipur, Lucknow and Banaras are also important centers of enamalling or meenakari, each region has its own specialized technique, style and color choice for meenakari.

Trendy enameled earrings

Just like every other art piece, meenakari is painstaking work that may take many hours or even days to complete. Meenakari works flourished during the Mughal and Rajput reign but now the craft is going through a rough phase as many Meenakars are leaving their professions in search of better options. Tough working conditions and low pay are to be blamed for this crisis. 

References

1.   http://cki.altervista.org/storia-smalto-eng.html

2.   http://www.britannica.com/art/enamelwork

3.  http://www.craftmark.org/sites/default/files/P037%20Meenakari.pdf

Handlooms Status in India

India, once known for its excellence in fabric weaving and related artistry suffered major setback during British regime. Every region, being characterized by its own style of handloom woven fabric, offer different type of fabrics based on design and yarn type. Cheap, imported, machine-made, artificial yarns and fabrics led to continuous downfall of Indian handloom industry. Rapidly depleting conditions of industry and changing customer preference led to weavers search for alternative employment opportunities.

Handlooms are important for India both culturally and economically. However, despite many efforts, the condition of industry and weavers is sliding only. As per Handloom Census 2009-10, most of the handloom households live in kutcha (54%) or semi-pucca (31%) houses. Average annual income for handloom households in purely commercial production is estimated to be Rs 30,747. Census also indicates that there are nearly 27.83 lakh handloom households in India with highest in North-east states. The total weaver household units recorded a decline from the first (29.9 lakh weaver households), to the second (25.3 lakh weaver households) and the third (22.6 lakh weaver households) handloom Census, indicating that the sector has exhibited a declining trend for over the two decades.

This census is a wake-up call to stop India from losing its one of its most admired heritage: its handloom products. In the global market, serving all machine made look-alike product, the handloom products can create marked difference and make one “stand out of world”.

Reference

·    http://handlooms.nic.in/Writereaddata/Handloom%20report.pdf

About Shilphaat.com

India, magical India, majestic India.  There's a Hindi saying illustrating diversity of Indian culture that goes:  Kos kos pe badale pani, char kos pe vani (the taste of water changes after one mile and the dialect of people changes after four miles). These regional diversities as well various cultural groups that entered India throughout history, have greatly influenced art, architecture and lifestyle of its people. The history of art and crafts of India is as old as the civilization itself. Indian art and craft are known for their intricate workmanship, delicate nature and exclusive designs. 

We, hereby, bring “www.shilphaat.com” to convey this exquisite collection of unique, Ethnic, Organic and Natural and handmade products from nooks and corners of Incredible India.

 Our reliable online shop would ensure you a hassle free and enjoyable shopping experience that are value for money. 

Visit Shilphaat.com now and immerse yourself in the world of Handcrafted, Natural and Unique collectibles that have the essence of Indian ethnicity in it.