Documentation Kutch: Land Of Crafts
Kutch lies in the north western part of India in the state of Gujarat. It is India’s white desert, which is blessed bountifully with Arts and Crafts. Innumerous tribes having dierent forte amalgamate to create a platform of craft ranging from embroideries, beadwork, dyeing, printing weaving to pottery. The crafts are their deep rooted traditions, and their self impression. There are generations artisans who have been doing these crafts. Kutch can be called the craft hub of India wisely as it has something for everyone.
My first memory of Kutch was flat white dessert, spread endlessly in every direction. But the crafts of Kutch show a complete reverse picture in terms of colours. They have bright and vibrant colours. Even the clothing of various tribes has a dash of colours as if they are making up for the monochrome terrain of Kutch. The clothing of the locals strikes a visual balance against the backdrop of white Rann.
Decorations on the wall with mirror and clay. On backdrop of sunset some notes of local music.
I visited a village near Dhordo which claimed to sell all handmade traditional articles of Kutch. Women of Kutch fascinated me with their various moods, aggressively marketing their merchandise, being shy and hiding behind their bright dupattas, at times even boldly looking into the camera for a photograph. I found a vivid contrast of modern influence and traditional value in the dressing of women. Innumerous piercing in the ears, white bangles high up their arms, draping style of the dupatta, and their Ghagharas spoke a lot about their deep traditional values in clothing. But at the same time dupatta being of synthetic material, extensive use of machine embroidery in their garments left me confused and fumbling for the reasons that why so..?
Women of Kutch in their dierent moods
As a textile student my love for crafts is undying. I have a strong feeling that crafts should be conserved and commercialized but in the right direction. There are various reasons for the change which can be debated on, but they need to be thought of.
Women of Kutch in their dierent moods
Segments of national award winning shawl
Extra weft peacock pattern in progress.
Weaving in progress
On my way back to Bhuj I dropped by Bhujodi, which seemed to be the bubbling craft capital of Kutch. Here I got to see all the crafts neatly organized in the craft center. But what fascinated me most was the weavers weaving in the front courtyard of their house. Pit Looms were like an indispensable furniture of their homes. Here not only I got to see the weavers in action weaving shawls, but also got to see national award winning shawl. The intricacy and back breaking patience of the weaver left me spell bound. Here I got a chance to interact with the weaver and get to know their side of the story. The kind of demand, market value, from where they source the material. I was shocked to know that the weaver had woven his first full length shawl at the age of 12..! Through the weaver I got to know that mass production of the shawls is having its negative impact on the creativity and innovation in their weaving. On asking that which is his favorite piece of weaving‌. The weaver went in deep retrospect and replied that he is yet to make it. This dedication, passion and love for his work inspired me beyond words. But what I learnt that mere passion and patience doesn’t only work, it has to be combined with intricate planning.
In the course of my trip to Kutch I also visited Ajrakhpur. As the name suggests, it has deep relation to Ajrakh the style of printing which is done on both the sides of the fabric giving it a rich look. but the best part of the visit was that I got to see the use of natural dyes. I got to know about their natural availability, their synthetic derivatives, the deep chemistry and the precision required. printing is undertaken in several stages, from preparing the fabric to giving it finishing touches.
Ajrakh in process.
Resist dyeing in process.
Apart from Ajrakh they practice other styles of printing like resist. Combining mud with adhesive and using it ton resist portions of fabric to create patterns and designs. In dyeing these fabrics predominantly indigo is used. The process of resisting and dyeing is repeated couple of times to achieve combination and layers of dierent colours. Apart from indigo other natural dyes are used as well.
Also I saw some splendid needle work. I couldn’t see it in process‌ but saw their beautiful end products for sale and bought them also..!! Superior quality, patience and delicate stitches. Even though embroidery of Kutch is known over seven seas and has been contemporized in many ways, still the traditional form of embroidery appeals to me. I also saw some splendid bead work as torans, accessories for their camels, and beautiful jewelry. The jewelry can be said as the contemporary form, but accessories of the camel shows the traditional flavor of it. In an all my visit to Kutch was very colourful and versatile. I saw crafts of various sectors apart from textiles which broadened my horizon. It also made me very sensitive toward traditional handicrafts and most importantly sensitive towards the skill of an artisan. Eager to explore Kutch further..!
Bead work jewelry.
Embroidered patches