SHOLAPITH
Published in December, 2016 by the Fashion Communication Department National Institute of Fashion Technology 27th Main, Sector 1, HSR Layout Bengaluru, Karnataka – 560102 Documentation By Ananya Choudhary All rights are reserved by NIFT. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or photocopy without prior permission. Printed in India
Acknowledgement This document would not have been successful without all the support and contribution of all the artisans. Their patience even when they had huge amount of work is commendable. A special thanks to Mr. Shambhu Nath Malakar for introducing me to the craft and showing me the entire process with abiding patience. I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards Mr. CM Sanjeev for his constant guidance, cooperation and motivation . I am very grateful to my Parents for coming along with me everywhere for the research and also Mr. Suresh Choudhuri for translating Bengali to Hindi.
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Preface This book has been made to bring more light on one of the most beautiful and pious craft of West Bengal. All the information have been compiled to give reader a complete knowledge about Sholapith. It’s believed to have originated from the simple process of offering garlands to the gods. Surviving through all these years it has definitely left a mark in Bengali society. No festival, worship, wedding or decoration is complete without shola phool. It is known to bring prosperity in every house decorated with shola flower at the entrance. Being practiced all over the state in small population this has attracted international attention since decades. The craft is so beautiful and appealing, so serene that it brings peace to the viewer. The artwork is entirely finished by the artisan with very basic tools. The major use of shola in Bengal is for the topor worn by the bride and groom in weddings and jewellery of goddess of Durga during puja. Exploring this craft has definitely taught to be extremely focused and hardworking along with utmost patience as Sholarkaaj is all about intricate details and delicacy.
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Content 1. West Bengal About Demography and Geographical Condition Culture
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2. Sholapith Introduction History Raw Materials Tools Process Design Motifs Shola over Thermocol Design Intervention Product Life Cycle SWOT Analysis
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3. Malakars 54 4. Conclusion 66 5. Glossary 68 6. Bibliography 69
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West Bengal It is one of the eastern states of India, with the population of 91 million and is known for the extravagant celebration of Durga Puja. Bengal has excelled in all the fields which is even remotely related to art, be it music, dance, idol making, art and craft. Everything here has its own charm, from those dramatic eyes of goddess durga to the finger licking sweets, to the mesmerizing music to the auspicious pandals to the precisely crafted artworks. Capital of Bengal, Kolkata has also been quoted as the “cultural capital of India�. Along with its culture comes the perfect amalgamation of modernity. The state has a glorious history which is unforgettable and everything has been preserved in their true colour. Other popular artform of Bengal are Terracotta art of Hindu temples and Kalighat paintings, Kanha embroidery, conch shell work, Clay dolls, Bankura Horses, Donkra metal craft and Clay dolls.
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West Bengal > About
Goddess Durga made out of clay in a Sholar workplace
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Idol of Goddess Durga on the streets of Kumartuli
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West Bengal > About
Artisan making the idol of Goddess Durga
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West Bengal > Demography and Geography
Street of Kumartuli
Demographics and Geographical Condition According to the provisional results of the 2011 national census, West Bengal is the fourth most populous state in India with a population of 91,347,736. The population is a mix of different cultures, but most of them being Bengalis. It is located at 22.9868°N, 87.8550° E. Bengal being surrounded by Himalayan range on the north and sea on the south experiences major variation
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in terms of seasons and climatic conditions. While south Bengal experiences tropical savannah climate whereas north Bengal experiences humid subtropical weather condition. It has six major seasons which is rainy, summer, winter, spring, autumn and late autumn out of which rainy season is the most welcomed here.
West Bengal > Culture
Culture Bengal has a unique culture which is formed by the blend of beautiful music, rich literatures, Bengali drama and exquisite cuisine, fish and rice being their staple food. It was the first to experience the cosmopolitan culture in the country and has maintained a balance with tradition since ages. Bengal has given birth to many social and cultural reformers which are a part of its heritage. The main occupation in Bengal is agriculture and business also creates employment. There are many small scale industries for tea, jute, sugar, chemicals and fertilizer. There is a saying that goes about Bengal ‘what Bengal thinks today, rest of India will think tomorrow’.
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Traditional form of Shola artwork
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Sholapith > Introduction
Goddess Durga made out of Shola
Sholapith Sholapith is one of the most popularly known handicraft and is peculiar to West Bengal. It’s claimed to have originated from times when gods had physical existence. As fragile as flower, this craft is divine and magnificent to the Bengali culture. It has a major part to play in the weddings for jewellery and accessories (topor). Festivals are incomplete without Shola garlands as it is considered auspicious.
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Sholapith > Introduction
Shola bird, considered auspicious if kept at the workplace
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Sholapith > Introduction
Goddess Durga made out of Shola and stuck on the Bamboo case
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Showpiece made out of Shola
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Sholapith > History
History Traditionally Sholapith products were used in decorating Hindu idols and in creating the headgears of brides and grooms for a traditional Bengali wedding. Topor is considered to bring good luck to the newly wed couples. It has its own symbolic connotation. It signifies the temple of sun god. The topor is originally worn by the groom which is gifted by the bride’s family. During the marriage the groom is considered to be the son of sun god. The headgear has seven levels above which the word is believed to rest. It is his spirit which is depicted as the free bird who is now being endowed by the new responsibility. According to Mr. Shambhu Nath Malakar, the origin took place when Lord Krishna took birth. On understanding who exactly Lord Krishna was, Sudama questioned the Brahmans for their offering to the god. Brahmans on not finding anything other than Sholapith at that moment, made a garland out of it and offered that to Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna wore that garland around his waist, and it was called ‘Janeyu’. Till date Malakars being Brahmans do not wear the ‘Janeyu’ which is considered integral for their culture. It is considered very auspicious and is believed to bring luck to the people who hang it at their house or work entrance. Wedding decorations are also done by Shola plant in West Bengal.
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Lord Krishna
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Sholapith > History
Shola flower hanging at the entrance
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Artisan shaving out the bark of Shola
Raw Material The chief raw material involved in this craft is the shola plant. It is called Aeschynomene aspera of the bean family. It is spongy, porous, supple and white in appearance. This wood is almost weightless and is too fragile and most of the times is confused with paper. Found in the marshy areas in three to five feet deep water. It is recognized by the floating leaves on the water surface. It usually grows up to the height of five to six feet and is two to three inches in diameter. It is a native to the Indian subcontinent and is
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harvested in the months of September and October. When in water the plant has green stem but after drying turns brown. Due to little importance to the plant that it has made its entrance in the red list of threatened species. A good quality pith has brown and smooth bark with pure white sponge inside, whereas a poor quality pith is reddish and has many nodes on the surface.
Sholapith > Raw Materials
Top: Coloured sticks of Shola plant before making flowers Bottom: Artisan cutting the Shola plant
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Artisan shaving the bark with the help of a Kath.
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Sholapith > Tools
Tools used for Shola craft
Tools Shola being a very soft, dry and milky wood is cut very easily using a sharp knife. The major and the most important tool for practicing this craft is a well sharpened knife. It can be shaped easily by pressing with different objects. It has application of different types of knives at different types of cuts. Other tools used for this craft is scissors, knife of different size and width, paper, needle, measuring tape, scale paper scissors and wire cutter.
They use a special knife made of iron called ‘kath’ which is used to shave off the outer covering of shola. The kath is sharpened by pouring sand on wood and rubbing against that surface, for the achieveing fine edge. Shola is then cut into thin called ‘shola chorki’ slices for further use with some other knife or scissors.
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Fig1: Slicing Shola wood into thin pieces. Fig2: Different technique to shave Shola plant into thin sheets. Fig3: Cutting the inner cortex to make a flower. Fig4: Pressing the bottom part of the plant to create blossoming effect.
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Sholapith > Process
Process The malakars make a variety of product with the shola plant but the most important one is the ‘shola phool’. This is what is sold the most as well as is the reason behind their names. These are used for jewellery, garlands for the idols, festival offerings and is considered auspicious for hanging at the house entrance. There are different types of flowers, which can be distinguished by the way of cutting shola plant.
Shola flower made by an artisan
The first step is to shave off the outer bark of the plant. It is done with the kath. After shaving it the white spongy plant is exposed.
The artisan then holds the entire flower in his hand and press it inwards. Then slowly tries to spread each piece to get the finished look in the flower.
The other knife which is thinner than the first one comes into play. The artisan cuts the cylinder into different slivers of wood. This is done patiently as it has to be uniform. Also the base of the cylinder remains intact so that the pieces don’t fall off.
The extra part is then cut and the flower shaped further.
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Design Motif Wide variety of design motifs in this craft can be seen. From paisley designs to floral motifs and geometric forms. The most important part of the motifs in this craft is the symmetry of all the designs. it is balanced, intricate and meaningful.
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Sholapith > Design Motif
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Sholapith > Design Motif
Pota: A small decorative unit in the shape of a water drop. Kolki: A Mango shaped decorative unit used for larger surface decoration. 35
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Sholapith > Design Motif
Top view of Topor motif, which represents the seven level of Sun god’s temple. 37
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Sholapith > Design Motif
Chakra: A small circular motif with spokes all around it. It might be a slight variant of the same design. Teen Phota: Combination of three different units to make one larger motif. 39
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Sholapith > Design Motif
Other decorative design motifs used widely in Sholar Kaaj. 41
Artisan holding a thin sheet of thermocol
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Sholapith > Shola over Thermocol
Shola Over Thermocol Shola being of one the most auspicious plant in the Bengali culture has many unique properties. It is very light and thin in nature. It is heat resistant and can be molded however one desires it to be. Its resistance to decay from water which makes it ideal for fishing nets as it also floats. The detail required to create a shola craftwork can only be done by this plant as it is very difficult to create such motifs with Thermocol. Also Thermocol is not durable, not thin as a paper and definitely not auspicious. Which is why shola is preferred by the artisans who understand its importance.
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Thermocol artwork being sold at a shop
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Sholapith > Shola over Thermocol
Shola flowers being sold at a shop
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Design Intervention The traditional objects are in little demand in modern days. But the traditional art has found newer avenues of expression. Sholapith craft decorations of past days have reappeared with contemprorary modifications to provide style, elegance and vividness in interior decoration and other imoportant ceremonies. Utility items, Ornament boxes, decorative hangings and wall pannels, etc. have added a new dimension to the craft. The shola is also being replaced by different matrials, using traditional method and designs. For example jute and zari which have become quite popular in the market. These materials have their own technique to get a sholapith look, and creates variety for the buyers. Innovations like these increase the life span of a craft and also earns fame.
Goddess Durga made out of Jute threads in Shola craft style
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Sholapith > Design Intervention
Goddess Durga made out of Zari, in Shola craft style
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Shola flowers made with different techniques, coloured with natural and artificial dyes.
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Sholapith > Design Intervention
Top: Car decorated with Shola for wedding ceremony Bottom: white Shola flower
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Product Life Cycle After acquiring shola from the fields it is seasoned for three to four days in the sun to get the brownish golden colour of the bark. It is then turned into different types of products that the artisans make. While making the product there is absolutely zero waste in shola other than the bark, which is used for fire. Even the tiny cutouts of shola is used for smaller motifs on other show piece. Since shola remains unaffected by moisture and air, it is durable but becomes reddish in really long time.
Shola flowers being sold in bulk at Kumartuli
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Sholapith > Product Life Cycle
Shola flower affected by the exposure to moisture and air
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Craft Analysis
Strength Pure white and light in weight Possibility of intricate work Easy to mold and create variety of products Highly skilled artisans Accessible raw materials Unique work done by every artisan No requirement of complicated machines
Weakness Too fragile for exports Expensive packaging Loses its colour and shine over time Labor intensive Highly skilled artisans required
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Sholapith > SWOT Analysis
Opportunity Demand for exports Studies and analysis of the craft Demand in the field f interior decoration
Threats Very little involvement of younger generation No government funds No unity of artisans Low awareness amongst people for the craft
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Malakars Malakars are the people engaged in making Shola craft. It originally means ‘Maker of garlands’. They have been in this craft since generations. They initially started working to make garlands for gods and idols during pujas and festivals. They belong to the Nabasakha group of artisan class and have always earned respect for their dedication towards god.
A pioneer in the field of Shola craft and a relative of Mr. Shambhu Nath Malakar.
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Mr. Shambhu Nath being awarded for his contribution in Shola craft.
Malakars
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A small shop owned by Mr. Dilip Malakar in Kumartuli
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Malakars
Dilip Malakar Practicing the art from the last 30 years, he explains his plight as to how he stopped practicing Sholapith. Instead, he opted for a cheaper material which has attracted a lot of artisans. Thermocol is easily available in the market and might look like Shola to those who don’t have proper knowledge about Shola plant. He continues ‘paani pee kar cholta hai’ which makes their situation artisans very clear. His earnings are very low, two hundred at most every day. He might have let Shola professionally but he still believes that brings luck. On asking as to why he left Sholapith craft, he mentions that sourcing Shola is little difficult and is easily available only during pujas. This made his survival more difficult.
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Shop owned by Parosh Chandra Malakar
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Malakars
Parosh Chandra Malakar He specializes in making Topor for the marriage ceremony which is sold at the rate of five hundred to six hundred per peice. He has been dedicated to this handicraft from the past 45 years. His entire family is also a part of this craft and helps him achieve his target orders. He owns a shop called ‘Sheetala Store’ which is in Kumartuli. He also has six people helping him with all the other products like showpiece, jewellery and mukut. During wedding seasons and festivities he earns a lot of profit whereas in off season the only source of income becomes the flower and other showpiece. On the daily basis he makes atleast thousand to two thousand rupees (during season), else it is maximum five hundred rupees. He also recieves orders from outside the city.
Sholar Topor
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Gopal Chandra Sarkar Originally he is not a Sholapith artisan but he has a keen interest in the art. He employs artisans to work in his shop and sells the products and other works done by them. He explains as to how he is working towards this to protect the Bengali heritage. He wanted his children to be an artisan, but they wanted to study. He has a workshop for his employees at his own house, in the shop he just sells since it is difficult to manage both at the same time. In Kumartuli he owns a shop called ‘Silpalaya’. On being asked about his income, he said some things are more important than money. Although he doesn’t face much economic issues as his son is earning.
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Malakars
Shubhojit Das at his shop
Kajol Das and Shubhojit Das Kajol Das has been a Sholapith artisan from the past 42 years. He owns a shop where he creates beautiful artworks. His son Shubhojit also owns a small shop in lalbagan Pally. He mainly works on Thermocol. On comparing the sales of Thermocol and shola, he replied that shola sells more at his shop as he has both of them available there. His earnings are three hundred to four hundred per day. Whereas according to him his dad earns minimum five hundred every day.
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Workshop of Mr. Shambhu Nath Malakar and his son
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Malakars
Mr. Shambhu Nath being awarded for his work in shola craft at a young age
Shambhu Nath Malakar Being the fourth generation to practice the art in his family, says he is proud to be a Malakar. His family started this art two hundred years ago. He owns a shop ‘sholashilpa Mandir’ which is exactly hundred and two years old in the Kumartuli district. His father Late Ashutosh Malakar has travelled to Europe, Holland and Belgium for demonstrating the craft as well as for decoration purposes. He claims that his father brought renaissance to the craft by creating things which were considered unique for shola.
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Malakars
Wedding sets created by Mr. Shambhu Nath
Mr. Shambhunath’s son, is good with altering materials to be used just like it is done in shola. He modifies zari and jute to create artworks resembling to shola. Everything is the exact copy of shola be it motifs, design, images and the depiction of the story, just the material is different. According to him it is a design intervention which gives people more option to choose. They used to source the wood from the nearby market, but now that he has built contact with the farmers, they come and drop the order at the shop whenever required. It is very helpful for the artisans as it saves their time. Shola wood 40 years ago was available at the rate of forty rupees per kilogram, whereas the hike in the rate is so much that it has become rupees forty per piece.
measures taken by the government to support the craft and the Malakar community. He said due to the absence of government intervention there has been a major decline in the number of artisans who practiced this art. He also mentioned the lack of enthusiasm in the younger generation towards the craft. But he adds that he thinks he is a self-sufficient person for himself. He also has his own website and email id where people can contact him, Place order and buy his artworks and other shola products.
He was saddened by the thought there are no
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Conclusion Sholapith which is practiced all over Bengal has survived for many years. It has captured the essence of Bengal, the artisans and the rich cultural heritage. It is not just any craft now, it has religious, cultural, social as well as economical value to it. This journey has been an eye opener as the artisans have inspired to look at things differently. The intricacy of this art is mind-blowing. This project not only did it enlighten us about the craft, but has also brought a new dimension to our approach towards things and people. It has made us appreciate patience, skills and hard work put by people at every step for the product to come out as beautiful as we see in markets. Their struggle is a harsh but true reality which provokes us to bring a change in our mind set as well as in their lives.
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Conclusion
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Glossary
Glossary Brahman: Highest class of people in Hindu religion, originally priests. Chorki: Slices of Shola in Bengali. Durga: An Indian goddess. Janeu: A sacred thread worn by Brahmans, for symbolic significance. Kath: Bengali term for a type of knife. Lord Krishna: A Hindu god. Mukut: Crowns worn by gods and goddess. Paani pee k cholta hai: We survive on water. Pandal: Tent made for goddess during festivals for worshipping them. Phool: Hindi term for flower. Puja: worshipping Shola: The plant used for Sholapith craft. Sholar Kaaj: Work done in Shola craft. Sudama: An important character in Mahabharata Topar: Caps made out of shola for weddings
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Bibliography
Bibliography https://issuu.com/sahajkhetrapal/docs/upload iheartloons.tumblr.com http://artncraft.indiabizclub.com/manufacturer/ sholapith http://www.ijims.com. uploads/3061d2421fc9e0fe53168.pdf http://www.indianmirror.com/culture/statesculture/westbengal.html
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SHOLAPITH Sholapith is one of the most popular craft of West Bengal. It has survived since the times when gods had physical existence. As fragile as flower, this craft is divine and magnificent to the Bengali culture. It has a major part to play in the weddings for jewellery and accessories. Festivals are incomplete without Shola garlands as it is considered auspicious. It not only looks divine but has significance of the Bengali culture and its rich heritage. It is evolving with time and has come to use in various fields. Which is why this document has tried to capture all the aspects of this craft that makes it unique and picturesque.
National Institute of Fashion Technology Bengaluru