CRAFT DOCUMENTATION - TARKASHI

TALE OF TARKASHI Metal inlay craft on wood

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Tale of Tarkashi Metal inlay on Wood by

Nikhil Dinesh Integrated Lifestyle Product Design Batch 2018-2020 guided by

Manu T Associate Faculty Kerala State Institute of Design, Kollam Published at Kerala State Institute of Design Kollam , Kerala 691014 All rights reserved

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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wish to express my sincere gratitude to Kerala State Institute of Design Kollam (KSID) for providing this opportunity to get to know handicrafts and to provide our bit for their value addition. I thank my guide Mr.Manu T, Associate Faculty at KSID for his guidance and monitoring throughout the span of this course.

I am forever indebted to Shri Ram Dayal Sharma, who’s valuable information and generosity to take time from his schedule which helped me to get to know the craft in depth so as to successfully complete this craft documentation. Along with was his sons and other members of his family who’s co-operation was everpresent in all ways possible. My thanks and appreciation also goes to Mr. Dharmendra Singh who assisted me throughout my journey in Rajasthan and to arrange time with the artisans.

Last but not least I thank my friends, batchmates and all faculty members for their continuous support during this course.

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PREFACE

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he author of “Tale of Tarkashi – Metal inlay on wood” through this documentation shares with the reader the details of the handicraft named Tarkashi which is a metal inlay craft on wood based in the capital city of “The Land of Colours”, Rajasthan. The author inorder to document this craft travelled to Jaipur to meet National award winner and artisan Shri. Ram Dayal Sharma and his family who is involved in the Tarkashi work. Ram Dayal Sharma has been doing Tarkashi for the last 40 years and has passed on the skill to his next generation. So he was the right man to get the details about this marvellous craft.

Ram Dayal Ji lives in a small town called Gopalpura, 5 Km away from Jaipur with his family; wife, 3 sons and grandchildren. Out of his 3 sons, 2 has learned and practices Tarkashi from Ram Dayal Ji. Ram Dayal Ji was taught by his elder brother Shri. Ram Swaroop Sharma who was the first winner of The State award for Tarkashi in Rajasthan. Their workshop is 500 metres from their home where they create the masterpieces.

Tale of Tarkashi is documented as narrated by Ram Dayal Ji to the author during the meeting where the author had the chance to get to know the story of Tarkashi and get to witness the craft in the making. The final aim of the author was to add value to the craft in the contemporary market so that this handicraft gets more chance to be passed on to the future generations to prevent stagnation of this craft like many other crafts around India. This has occured as a result of inadequate guidance for the artisans regarding the present scenario contexts. For this the author has tried to apply the skill of the artisan to utilise it to make products that can compete in the contemporary market . The annexure attached to the document is about how the author came up with ideas to add value to this craft.

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LOCATION

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ajasthan, call it the land of colours or land of kings or the desert state, known by different names for its rich culture, history and heritage, is the base of the story about the metal inlay craft called Tarkashi.

Before we get into the craft and its details we have to know about the origin of it and how it came into being. And this has to start from knowing about the state of Rajathan.

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Rajasthan, meaning “The Abode of the Rajas,” was formerly called Rajputana, “The Country of the Rajputs” Before 1947, when India achieved independence from British rule, it comprised some two dozen princely states and chiefships, the small British administered province of Ajmer-Merwara, and a few pockets of territory outside the main boundaries. After 1947 the princely states and chiefships were integrated into India in stages, and the state took the name Rajasthan

There are the two natural divisions of Rajasthan. The northwestern tract is generally arid and unproductive, although its character shifts gradually from desert in the far west and northwest to comparatively fertile and habitable land toward the east. The region includes the Thar Desert.

The southeastern area lies at a somewhat higher elevation than its northwestern counterpart; it also is more fertile and has a more-diverse TOPOGRAPHY. The hilly tract of Mewar lies in the southern region, while a broad plateau stretches across the southeast. In the northeast a rugged badlands region follows the line of the Chambal River. Farther north, the landscape levels out into flat plains that are part of the alluvial basin of the Yamuna River.

Rajasthan is one of the least densely populated states in India, with roughly three-fourths of its residents living in rural settlements. Traditional rural houses are huts with mud walls and roofs thatched with straw. They have a single door but no windows or ventilators. The houses of more-affluent farmers and artisans in larger villages have more than one room. They are roofed with tiles and have a veranda and large courtyard.The earthen floors are coated with mud and dung.

The state’s urban POPULATION has grown faster than the rural population since the late 20th century. Jaipur is by far the largest city of Rajasthan. Other major urban centres include Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, and Udaipur. With the exception of Jodhpur and Bikaner, all lie to the east of the Aravalli Range.

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RELIGION has a great influence on Rajasthan. Most residents of Rajasthan are Hindus (mainly Vaishnavas), Muslims, and Jains. There are various temples that are important pilgrim sites like the Lodrakar and Ranakpur Jain Temple, Jagdish temple, etc.

Rajasthan depends majorly on income earned via tourism. Thus most of the people have learned English or Hindi, or perhaps both, to be able to communicate the travellers. However, some dialects originating from Rajasthan include Marwari, Malvi, Mevati, Jaipuri/Dhundari of which the most famous is Marwari.

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The CLOTHING of the people of Rajasthan is very unique in its style and vibrance of colours. The women wear sarees with the ‘odhni’ covering their head as a sign of respect. The men wear dhotis and kurtas with a headgear called pagri or safah.

The designs on their clothing are either embroidered or dotted. The material of the clothing is usually cotton and even silk for women.

Since many rulers ruled Rajasthan, each region has its own folk culture. The folk MUSIC AND DANCE of Rajasthan are similar due to their geographical confinement, but each differs in their unique style. Manganiyars and Langas are two prominent groups that contributed to the Rajasthan folk music. They perform songs or different purposes. Like during the pre-monsoon time, they would perform ragas to call forth the rains. Other famous groups are Banjaras, Mirasis, Jogis, and much more.

Folk songs were usually for certain purposes like weddings or birth or were passed to tell a story of bravery or a romantic tale. They were usually in the form of ballads. The dance is varied as well.

Dance differed among different tribes. It was mainly for the entertainment of the people and the king. Some of the dances include chang, ghoomer, bhopa, tejali, and kathipuli. Ghoomer dance, which originated in Udaipur, has gained international recognition and appreciation.

The architectural style in Rajasthan is as diverse as its people. You get to evidence some of the exemplary sites of Islamic, Hindu, colonial and even modern architecture. Rajasthan should be your next place to visit if you are a lover of architecture and appreciate monuments. The Jain temple in Ranakpur was built in the 15th century and the style of ARCHITECTURE in the Meharangarh fortcin Jodhpur is another jaw - dropping one with very intricate carvings on the pillars and the ceilings and in every turn we take in this majestic fort.

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Rajasthani FOOD is known for its various spices and also its sweetness. Rajasthan is most famous for dalbati - A dish comprising of dal and wheat flour kneaded with yoghurt and dressed in ghee. It is also famous for kachori - the kachori in Rajasthan are of two types - sweet and spicy. The spicy kachori is called the pyaaz or onion kachori, and the sweet kachori called the mawa kachori. Ghewar and gheriya are some delectable sweet dishes originating from Most of the Rajasthani dishes are made in ghee. More than 70% of people in Rajasthan are Lacto vegetarian making it one of the most vegetarian states in India.

However, non-vegetarian dished like Lal Maas and Mohan Maas are delicacies in Rajasthani cuisine.

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CAMELS are commonly found animals in Rajasthan. Camels are desert animals that are meant to survive conditions of scarcity of water, extreme winds, heat and cold due to their biology. Most camps in Rajasthan will include camel rides, and you will get to experience how well the camels can travel in deserts due to their long footed legs. Camel fairs take place every year in Bikaner, Pushkar and other regions. It is a festival or celebration of sorts dedicated to the ship of the desert and their owners.

There are various events and competitions carried out for fun like camel race and camel dance. These festivals are usually held for two days.

And moving to the heart of this state, its capital city, Jaipur. Its in Jaipur that we are going to meet the brilliance of the inlay artisans creating marvellous handicrafts with the tagname TARKASHI. Rajasthan is a where a lot of HANDICRAFTS took birth and is the souce of income for a lot of people . You will find beautiful carpets, garments, jewellery and more, that are all made by the local people. Any leather item is usually camel leather that they use for making journals, shoes and bags. The carpets are made from the hand-knitting techniques and much like Persian carpets; they have a geometric design and borders. There are also many miniature items made out of red sand or clay as toys for kids or decoration pieces with bells attached to it. Other crafts include handblock printing, kavad storytelling, mijari making, kathputlis, kofatgiri and the list goes on.

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aipur is a popular tourist destination in India and forms a part of the west Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Delhi and Agra. Jaipur, the largest city and the capital of Rajasthan, is also referred to as Pink City. Built by Sawai Jai Singh, this place was India’s first planned city. With spectacular hilltops and stunning fortresses, JAIPUR has become a major tourist attraction among both national and international tourists. This royal city captivates travellers as it is known for its rich culture and tradition, magnificent art and artefacts, and brilliant past. The serene temples, the long standing forts and palaces, and beautiful havelis with royal touch to them add on to the glory of Jaipur. Only forts and monuments aren’t the attractions of this pink city, the intricate handicraft items and exquisite jewellery also catch the eyeballs of tourists.

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The Jaipur HANDICRAFTS are famous the world over. The artists and craftsmen of Jaipur have modelled these handicrafts into alluring objects of art. Rajasthan’s economy lies in tourism and small scale sector comprising of handicrafts and other cottage industries. Handicrafts have existed in one form or the other and have sustained a large part of its population by giving employment to a lot of families. These include wood inlay carft of tarkashi,leather crafts , lac crafts , blue pottery and many textile crafts. Although these provide very low percapita for the individuals , they do this because of the love for this craft and to keep the tradition alive as long as possible to preserve the history of which was once well appreciatd for its level of intricacy.

The city of Jaipur was founded in 1727 by JAI SINGH II, the Raja of Amer who ruled from 1699 to 1743. He planned to shift his capital from Amer to Jaipur to accommodate the growing population and increasing scarcity of water. Under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, Jaipur was planned based on the principles of Vastu shastra and Shilpa Shastra.

The construction of the city began in 1726 and took four years to complete the major roads, offices, and palaces. The city was divided into nine blocks, two of which contained the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public.

Sawai Jai Singh II had a great interest in MATHEMATICS, ASTRONOMY, ARCHITECTURE AND HANDICRAFTS. His love towards art and crafts made him summon many artisans from different areas to Jaipur to beautify his kingdom and to institute centres of trade in his new capital These included the artisans experienced in lac craft namely the manihars, stone sculptors, wood working artisans from Jangid community, hand painting artists and many other craftsmen. They were called upon and allocated different lanes in the city namely maniharon ka rastha, ‘bhindon ka raasta’, ‘kalaamji ka raasta’ and ‘hijaron ka raasta’ for their living and employing of crafts. These crafts were handed over from generation to generation in Jaipur even after the end of princely rule.

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HISTORY OF CRAFT

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JAIPUR

MAINPURI

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mong the families summoned by Sawai Jai Singh 2 to Jaipur were a few wood working families. They were the Jangid family. They migrated from a district called MAINPURI in Uttar Pradesh.

The Jangids, as they were commonly known, were family who have worked on wood in their native place. These included wood turning, wood carving and inlaying works on the wood which had caught the interest of Jai Singh. They unlike the other summoned artisans were not assigned any lanes in the city, This was beacuse they worked close to the palace for its works and so lived in the palace premises.

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The Tarkashi artisans in the palace worked on beautifying the kingdom by decorating the palace with inlay designs with gold and silver plates and wires. Those days the kings could afford to ornate the palace with this precious metals. These included palace doors, furintures , mirror frames , jewellery boxes and wherever the wood touched. The jangids in Mainpuri started working on Khadaums or wooden sandals and leather jutis were unclean for them.

The tarkashi artists can inlay virtually anything in wood. But the works in the kingdom were to beautify it and to please the eye of whoever looks at it. The artisans hence had to develop good observation skills to come up with DESIGNS that needs to be done on a large surface and even smallest areas. Where else other than nature can they get the best inspirations. The designs that the artisans inlayed on the wood were mostly derived from nature.

The larger areas of the component is filled with tesselated jaal designs. The floral and geometric patterns, animals and birds and whatever in nature that looks beautiful to them were taken and improvised to fit to the other areas in their piece of work.

Tarkashi was practiced in the kingdom for years but as the princely rule got over there were no more works to done. But the artisans had to make a living as this is the only skill that they had. They could no longer afford to work on gold and silver but since BRASS was cheap they used it for the works. They continued to build jewellery boxes and other small wooden products with brass inlays and sold it to be used as gifts and personal use. And the beauty of the work increased its demand and also newer products were also experimented with inlay works like furnitures, hookahs, door knobs, decorated elephants etc.

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PROCESS

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he process of Tarkashi inlay starts with the selection of wood. Tarkashi work is done on hardwood. In this process,dark coloured and seasoned sheesham wood is used. The high oil content of this wood allows the inlaid metal to be held securely The wood cut from a log contains high percentage of moisture which has to be removed for better results. Drying or seasoning is the process of removing the moisture from the wood. Seasoning takes around 6-7 months, but more the time given, better is the seasoning. Seasoning prevents the wood from developing cracks.

CUTTING THE BASE

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SELECTION OF WOOD

The seasoned wood is cut to the required shape and dimension according to the product to be made in the wood lab. The wood is carved or turned or planed depending in the product to be made. Depending on the design to be inlaid, the product is either completed before inlaying or first the inlay is done on separate parts and then the parts are joined together to form the product. This cutting is done free hand without any marking. With the help of hammer, one side of the edge is beaten to make it sharp. This side is cut with the help of scissor having a width of approx. 2 mm. These thin strips of wire are called as taar and used for inlay.

MARKING THE DESIGN

The design and pattern to be made on the product are either drawn directly or printed on a paper and pasted on the surface of the wood. The method changes according to the number of pieces or the shape of the product. Mainly the artisans draw the design by hand using scale, compass and right angle. The designs and patterns made are mainly in grids which are marked on wood with the help of marking tool. Parallel lines are drawn with the help of a marker and right angle. With the help of compass equal distances are marked and a grid is drawn. Once the grid is made the patterns are set in accordingly.

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ENGRAVING THE DESIGN

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Once the layout and pattern marking is done on the wood the craftsman starts engraving the design with the help of a half-round chisel and hammer. The depth of engraving is around 1 mm which is less than the width of the prepared wire so that the wire fits in tightly. In case of intricate designs the entire pattern is not chiseled at one go as the wood starts chipping off. To prevent this, a small part of the design is chiseled and the wire is inlaid and the process is repeated to complete the design pattern.

FIXING THE WIRE

The wire is held and moved with one hand along the contour of the design and constantly hammered with another hand. The prepared wire is used continuously till it gets over. The sharp edge of the wire is inlayed in the wood while the thick edge remains on the top When the wire inlay is complete the excess wire is cut either with hammer or broken by twisting the wire in hand.

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LEVELLING THE PART

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After the design is complete by inlaying the wire, the product is sanded with softstone to make the surface even. Saw dust of the same wood is mixed with fevicol and water. This mixture is applied all over the product with the help of a metal blade.

The product is then kept in the sun for drying. This helps in filling the cracks, grooves and spaces left while engraving or chipping of wood.

SANDING THE PART

After filling and drying the product is scraped with the blade to remove all the excess Putti from the surfaces. Once the product is scraped 100 number sand paper is used to rub the surface. THis process continues using finer grade of sandpaper till the required fineness is obtained.

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FINISHING THE PART

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The product is thus given the final finishing by buffing. Buffing includes the use of two kinds of buff pads: Cutting pad (used to give a good finish) and Shining pad (to give a lustrous look). Once the product is buffed it is rubbed with a cotton cloth containing lacquer polish or wax polish. This not only saves the surface of wood but also enhances the shine.

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PRODUCTS

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The wooden elephant is first carved out of sheesham wood blocks and designs are layed out. Brass inlay work is done patiently. Apart from elephants camels and peacocks were also adorned.

DECORATED ELEPHANTS

Metal inlay works are seen on many furniture items starting from small stools, to complete dining set to large wooden headrests for beds. These are not done regularly but on orders as they take lot of time to complete.

FURNITURE

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These are wooden sandals called Khadhau once wore by the people who believed leather to be unclean. Its believed that it was on these khadaus that the Jangid family in UP started doing the inlay works.

TARKASHI KADHAU

When the Jangid family were summoned to Jaipur by Sawai Jai Singh , they had a lot of beautification works in the palaces and adorning the palace doors were one of them.

BRASS WORK ON DOOR

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Wooden door knobs are also adorned with brass wires so as to provide a royal look to their doors. These can be small cabinet door knobs to large room door knobs .

DOOR KNOBS

Tarkashi works were also done on jewellery boxes, Quran boxes during the time of the princely rule in Jaipur. For this the box is made into to parts and inlay work is done separately. Its joined and the hinges are fixed once the inlay work is complete.

JEWELLERY BOXES

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` FRIDGE MAGNET

These products like badges, keychains, fride magnets show that tarkashi work can also be brought to such miniature levels. These are new products were tarkashi craft has been improvised to meet contemporary demands.

Wooden coasters are in demand among those who are keen to beautify the dining area of their residence or in hotels or resorts to give a royal feel in its appearance.

Several designs are inlayed on these starting from old floral work to abstract geometric patterns as well.

TEA COASTERS

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SEEKING NEW PATHS

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CURRENT SCENARIO

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arkashi is a very old craft who’s inception traces back to when Jaipur was built. The craft was well known for the beautification of the kingdom till the end of princely rule in Jaipur. After that the artisans focussed on making wooden products with the traditional tarkashi designs inlayed on it. This continued and still goes on but the customer set who actually buys this is limited. Now they are more focussed on personal orders which are customised with the Tarkashi as this is their major source of income. Keeping this in mind and to promote the handicrafts in India many Design studios have come up that apply the skill of the artisan to come up with products that match the contemporary contexts and future trends. There was a time when there was a decline in the interests for handicrafts among the people. But lately there has been a shift in interests and crafs sector has picked up pace thanks to the initiatives taken up by orgnaizations and design studios to promote them. Trade expos are frequently conducted to showcase the skill of the artisan and the products they have mastered. This also opens up opportunities for the people to learn the craft from these masters to take it forward or to improvise it.

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INSIGHTS

arkashi crafts take a lot of time and patience from its start of the process to end. Wire inlaying techniques in such minute details and precision takes a long time to master. And because of this the products that are decorated with Tarkashi is priced very high.

The Tarkashi is applied in all the products as a decoration and to add additional value to it. The colour of brass on wood gives a premium feel to it which is utilized by buyers to provide products for home/office and space decors.

Tarkashi works is possible on products that are made from hardwood and so the scope of this craft to expand is plenty.

So inorder to come up with a new concept where Tarkashi could be applied, to gain more value in the contemporary contexts, application of its process and various products of wood have to be explored.

The increasing trends of shifting to sustainable products in the markets have given more opportunities for wood in the cosumer goods industry which can also give this craft a upper hand when it comes to decorating the product for aesthetics.

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POSSIBLE IDEAS

Musical instruments that are made from woods are made on personal orders like Piano, Sarangi, Guitar etc. Tarkashi craft can be used to engrave any designs on the instruments based on the buyers choices and also can be done with the traditional floral designs .

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Tarkashi portrait frames can be made with portrait images inlayed on wood which can be used for gifting. This could be possible with minute details only with the skill of the Tarkashi artisan who is well versed.

PORTRAIT FRAMES 40

Wooden handles of cutlery which are made out of wood can be given a premium look by ornating it with the Tarkashi inlay

CUTLERY HANDLES

The wall cladding for home decor decorated with tarkashi designs will enhance the beauty of the unit. Other units that can be decorated include modular kitchens , TV units and facade designs for outdoor cafes

WALL CLADDING DECORATION 41

PRODUCT SAMPLE

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CONCLUSION

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he culture and tradition of India is what differentiates it from the rest of the world. It is closely knitted with the art and crafts of the country and its continuity is how we can preserve this..Tarkashi has been in India from almost 200 years ago and is one among the oldest crafts. The expertise who does this craft is very limited in the Rajasthan which is because of its narrow acceptance in the conventional period The aim of this course; Craft Documentation was to aid the crafts and arts in our country so as to preserve the essence of it for the years to come. Its sustainance must be one of the key goals of the design community . Being around the artisans, their craft, workspace and family have helped to gain insights to find out on how to uplift the craft by providing additonal value to it.

My aim was to use the design theory to come with products that can utilise ori improvis the Tarkashi craft so as to stay in par with contemporary contexts and future trends. I believe that slightest of the upliftment that it would get because of this is a win. But this is not enough . A continued support and effort from goverment and other communities should also be everpresent to keep the Indian culture alive.

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REFERENCES 1. https://gaatha.com/tag/sawai-jai-singh-ii/ 2. https://www.ohmyrajasthan.com/tarkashi 3. http://industries.rajasthan.gov.in/content/industries/handmadeinrajasthandepartment/ artandcraft/woodandsandlewoodwork/tarkashi.html 4. https://www.indianrajputs.com/famous/Jai-Singh-II-Amber.php 5. https://www.india-instruments.com/encyclopedia-sarangi.html 6. https://gharpedia.com/blog/types-of-wood-used-for-construction/

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