History of Crafts in India

The history of Indian handicrafts goes back to thousands of years.The first evidence of Indian handicrafts was found in the Indus Valley.
The craft tradition in India revolved around religious beliefs, local needs of the people and the desires of the royalty, along with an eye for foreign and domestic markets. Indian textiles and their permanent dyes were appreciated throughout the world. Many Roman trade documents refer to the export of silk from India to Europe in the 6th century AD. There are references to Arab sailors who brought silver and gold from their countries and took back shiploads of handicrafts from India to the middle east. In the north, caravans carried woven textiles along the Silk Route and went right up to Moscow by the Fur Route.

Indian Wedding Fashion - Clothing & Jewelry

Wedding day is a special occasion in an individual's life. This day is special for not only for the couple , but also the whole family of both the bride and groom, as well as the relatives and friends. No wonder, since time immemorial wedding fashion is about the most expensive clothes, along with the jewelry. The bride is dressed to look like a queen.




According to Hindu philosophy and mythology the Gods and Goddesses also attend the wedding. This adds to jubilation attached to a marriage. No wonder brides-to-be spend months together searching for the perfect wedding dress. Not only her, but even her family members and closest friends spend a long time searching for what they should wear on the wedding day.




It is not limited to just the bride, well even the groom is particular about what he is going to wear on the wedding day. He is also aware about his clothes and accessories. Like in case of the bride this extends to his immediate family and friends. Such excitement exists in both the houses.

Stone Craft in India

To the worshipper, a stone assumes a powerful spiritual form the moment it is lifted, washed and put under a tree or a canopy with a tripund, trident, marked on it. Consecrated thus, it charges the cultural milieu with emotional and religious significance. The stone, now sanctified, becomes a being to be revered, loved and feared. This stone, whether cut or uncut, carved or just a roughly hewn shape, represents the human aspiration to visualise God. This aspiration, over the centuries, has inspired the Indian artist to created a tradition, singularly rihc in artistic imagination.Stone images in India concretise a spiritual longing, ensuring the continuance of a tradition.
In Madhya Pradesh, too, as in other parts of the country, tribal Stone Craft reflects the emotonal and spiritual aspirations of the tribal people, with the carvings and sculptures of deities giving them a sense of security and well-being. Different tribal areas produce different deities, some special to a particular tribe, others from amongst the more pan-Indian Hindu ones. Besides the deities, memorial stones and pillars, and small household vessels are also important products of the stone carvers' skill.
Soapstone is the main material used for shaping and carving idols. Many villages in Bastar have shrines with stone idols. The villages of bade Dongar, Chhota Dongar, Dantewada, Narangpal, Bastar, Kondagaon, Chapka and Amravati are well known for their stone dev-gude, shrines.
The main centres of Stone Craft in the Bastar area are Ektaguda, Pujaripara, Parasapara and Deogaon, as well as Khhachgaon, Golabund and Bahara. The main objects of stone craft in this area are idols of locally worshipped deities and these are usually sanctified and worshipped by the entire village.

Jute Crafts from India

Indian jute handicrafts are famous all over the world. Skillled artists craft many items of daily practical use from jute fibre. Jute items are gaining popularity because it is the cheapest known natural fibre and is 100 per cent eco-friendly. Jute is used cheifly to make sacks and coarse cloth. The fibres are also woven into curtains, chair coverings, scarves, area rugs, and backing for linoleum.
West Bengal is the home of jute handicrafts from India. Craftsmen here create innumerable utilitarian items made from jute. A wide range of home decor and furnishings like cushion-covers, beautiful and colorful, jute floorings, table-covers, tea cozies etc, are also made from jut, Garments made out of woven jute fibre are gaining popularity. Jute fabrics are decorated with tie and dye, embroidery and blcok printing. Jute is also used for making baskets, mats and beautiful toys.

Folk Art Paintings of Patachitra

Patachitra

Orissa craftsmen, generally create paintings on cloth, in the form of scrolls. These paintings are known as Patachitra and mainly depict stories pertaining to Jagannath temple of Puri. Mainly cotton or tussar silk is used and coated with a mixture of chalk, tamarind seed and gum to give the surface of the cloth a leathery texture. These paintings are created in the form of scrolls. These painted scrolls depict mythology and stories relating to various gods and goddesses. These paintings are known for bright vibrant colors and distinct lines.

The Silk Sarees of Southern India

The silk saree of southern India are a class by themselves. They use heavy lustrous silk and broad borders and elaborate pallus, with contrasting color combinations, which result in harmonious color blends. Traditionally the patterning is part of the woven fabric and not an extra weft. The checks and stripes are woven into the warp and weft. The delicate buds known as mallimogu, jasmine buds, form a part of the weave itself and accentuate the texture, and are woven into the body of the silk saree in contrasting colors.
Kancheepuram, Tanjore and Kumbakonam, which are the important pilgrim centres are also important textile centres of Tamil Nadu. Sangareddy and Dharmaswaram in Andhra Pradesh, Kolegal and Molkalmoru in Mysore are also famous silk weaving centres.
Tanjore specialised in weaving the all over gold work sarees used for weddings and for offering to temples. These carried rich broad borders in gold work and pallus with patterns derived from temple griezes.

Salwar Kameez - The Decades-Old Indian Attire

salwar kameez has been a part of the Indian attire for decades. Even in the 40's Salwar was visible on the Indian horizon. Though women were more prone to be seen in the 'wrapparel' other modes of dresses were also part of the Indian Fashion culture.
The reason for the popularity of the saree was and is mainly the fact that the country is economically not very sound. The pro rata income has been one of the lowest in the worls. The saree was an apparel which could be wrapped around by any female member of the household. Sisters, mothers and daughters could drape the some saree on different occasions. Thus one garment could be used by several members of a family. This was one of the main reasons for the popularity of the saree.
The basic saree comprised of six metres of cloth of different makes. Designs and borders were added to this wrapparel to enhance its appeal. In the north the Chunari Saree, featured repeatedly in the ancient paintings, made their appearance. Though saree was the main apparel for women, other modes of attire were also taking shape. The Salwar Kameez was also apparent on the Indian scene.But the salwar was confined to only certain locales, loke the chunari choli which was retricted to Rajasthan and Kutch, the salwar stayed within the confines and boundaries of Punjab.

Yoga, A Way of Living

Yoga, a way of living disciplined and calm life, is originated from the ancient scriptures of India like Upnishadas and Bhgwadgita. Developed further by the famous Sage Patanjali, Yoga is now practiced by common people all over the world as an integral part of their day-to-day living for a healthy body and a sound mind

Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’, meaning to bind or to join, Yoga is the art of living that enables the human beings to strike a balance between the mind and the body. This balance ultimately leads to a harmonic bond between the body and soul and in turn with the Almighty. Since it binds these factors together, hence the name Yoga. Yoga is an integral part of Hinduism, largely looked at as a religion, is in fact a way of leading a pure life. A life full of compassion, care and discipline. Hinduism is based on the fact that this life is a journey, the destination of which is the unification with the Almighty. Just like different streamlets that flow unceasably to meet the ocean, the human beings too travel all through their lives to become one with the Almighty at the end. Hinduism believes that the unification of soul with the Almighty is possible only when a life is lead in a pure and disciplined way. And it is the various stages of Yoga that helps one lead a disciplined and calm life. The first reference to yoga can be traced in the great Hindu scripture, Upnishad . It is referred to as a way of leading a virtuous life. It is described through the lives of the great sages. The most significance reference from the ancient time is found in the Bhagwad Geeta, the most important portion of the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. Bhagwad Geeta literally meaning the Song of God, is a discourse on life and death by lord Krishna for Arjuna, the great warrior. There Krishna explains the various aspects of Yoga and also deals with the lifestyle that can lead a human being to reach him as he finishes the journey of his life. He also talks about the kind of food, the kind of outlook, the kind of behaviour that relates to Yoga and a Yogic life. Based on these facts and evidences from the time immemorial, a great sage called Patanjali, wrote his memorable book on Yoga, Patanjali Sutra.

Folk Arts of India, Madhubani Paintings

Seven years back I visited Madhubani in Bihar, a state in eastern part of India. Madhubani had already built a name for itself as a major centre for folk arts of India. I met about ten artists there, mostly women. I was amazed by the quality of their workmanship. Some of these artists had already made their name, winning coveted national awards. Some had even visited US, Europe and Japan to showcase their skills.

I learnt that this form of Folk Art started by decorating earthen walls in homes. Women would express their social and cultural life in their paintings on the walls.

Gradually, they began to practise this art form on handmade paper. In order to provide strength to paper, the artists would first treat the paper with cowdung. After that they would draw imageries in pencil drawings. Finally they would fill in color that were actually extracts of locally grown vegetables and flowers.

Themes used in Madhubani paintings are real life situations, ranging from birth, growing up, marriage, child's birth, to eventual death. Some of the paintings are quite poignant.

I was however disturbed by one aspect. Creating folk art was the only means of livelihood for several families here. In India, there are not enough buyers of folk art, even though many rich people spend fortune on some shoddy works of modern art. Consequently most families in Madhubani remain quite poor, despite their high skill level in art and painting.

Shalini Verma, a woman entrepreneur and a native of Bihar, sells Madhubani Painting online though amazon.com. Browse through Madhubani paintings at amazon. You might just fall in love with folk arts of India.