WALK WITH YOUR SOUL Tille waali juttis of Punjab
“ Jutti banaane mei swaad hai ”
Document on : Tillewaali Juttis of Punjab Document Name : Walk with your soul Document by : Prachi Gor | Saumya Document Guide : Sakthivel UG 13, Textile Design National Institute of Design
Acknowledgements
There probably won’t be enough space on one page to fill up the amount of people that we want to express our gratitude to. To start of with, we want to thank our guide, Sakthivel, for his continuous inputs and guidance; pre, post and during the field visit. We wish to thank him for the endless efforts he put into making this a valuable learning experience for us. Next, we are grateful to National Institute of Design, for presenting us with opportunities as such, where we were pushed into an unknown space and we managed to make so much sense out of it. We would also like to thank Swasti Singh Ghai, for her endless references and enthusiastic feedbacks in the compilation of this document. We cannot express enough gratitude to our friends, Karan Kanojia, Jivitesh Sharma and Amiteshwar Singh for helping us at every step in Patiala and Annie Di for providing us shelter and happiness during our stay at Fazilka. A big shout out to every other soul who has been a part of this project, right from planning the trip to making it happen. We want to thank an endless list of artisans and people who we met along the way, as they guided us to acquire every single bit of information in this document. Last but not the least, our parents, friends and peers who have given us immense support to finish this project with full vigor and given us plenty of feedback whenever and wherever needed.
Contents
First step into the market The very first day, on a bright early morning, there we stood, Saumya and I, taken aback at the massive market of juttis that stood there in front of us. Our love for footwear mixed with our love for punjabi culture had dragged us to Punjab, but little did we know about the enormous journey that lay ahead of us. On stepping foot into the jutti market, our minds were filled with a plentiful of questions about the juttis; their stories, history, who made them, where they came from, etc. Moving around, asking, learning and absorbing all the information resulted in this document “walk with your soul�. Come join us on our wonderful journey through this market which is a place that beautifully entwines all the tales, facts, artisans and craftsmanship, the good and the bad, etc. - basically everything that there is to know about this marvelous piece of footwear..
Shringar market below Qilla Mubarak, Patiala
MARKET
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Exploring the market on the first day to get a jist of the land we’d stepped foot on.
The Qilla Mubarak stands tall in the middle of the market with all it’s grandeur. It served as the residence of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, now converted into a museum. Coming out of the Qila Mubarak, is the Shringar market, the street under the fort wall known for bangles and parandis (traditional ribbons for hair), beautiful turbans for grooms and chunnis for brides. One of the ending roads of the market, Topkhana Mod is the center for the trade of juttis where the karigars work and make the pasted juttis for the traders just behind the shops. The central market area in Patiala is an amalgamation of a variety of markets, namely, AC Market, Book Market, Cloth market, etc.
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MARKET
Images above, clockwise : Qilla mubarak, Data jutti store, Rickshawallah, Market view
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The Journey Find out about how we hopped and skipped from here to there in the land of the five waters.
Baisakhi celebrations in the Anardana Chowk, Patiala
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Stepping foot into this rich green land and exploring it’s markets on the very first day arose a sense of curiousity within us to find out more about the tales of the state and how it came to be as it is today.
HISTORY Punjab, located in the north west of India is a region partitioned between India and Pakistan after the dissolution of The British Empire. It has got it’s name ‘punj-ab’ or the ‘land of five waters’ because of the five rivers, Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum that flow through it. A primarily agricultural state and one of the most ancient civilizations in the world, Punjab accomodates people of various religious backgrounds, such as Judiasm, Buddhism, and Christianity, Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu. Major scriptures of Hinduism, such as the Rig Veda, Ramayana, and Bhagavad Gita came up in this land, as well as the Mahabharata is said to have been fought in Punjab, thus contributing to the heroic tradition and culture of Punjab. Punjabi Culture is one of the oldest in world history, with it’s own unique unmatched essence. Punjabis whose open-mindedness has become proverbial also hold their unique tradition of hospitality high, in which the warmth of you-are-my-own is inborn. A guest in Punjab is considered as a representative sent by God.
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Places visited in Punjab, Patiala and Fazilka
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PATIALA
FAZILKA
Patiala, a royal city, the land of Maharajas is famous for its peg, pagri, dresses, jutti, Patiala shahi salwar, Makki de roti and Sarson da saag, Gidha and Bhangra. Patiala is made up of two roots - pati and ala. Pati is an Urdu word which means a ‘strip of land’ and ala comes from the name from the founder of the city, Baba Ala Singh. The man displayed tremendous courage and shrewdness in dealing with the Mughals, Afghans and Marathas, and successfully established and maintained a state which he had started building up bit by bit. In 1763 Baba Ala Singh laid the foundation of the Patiala fort known as Qila Mubarak. Close to Qila Mubarak, is a wondrous market filled with all the luxury and goods it’s residents wish to claim. The district has 81% cultivable land and as per the government, more than 62,000 families depend upon agriculture as the primary source of income. Patiala, earlier known as PEPSU (Patiala and Eastern States of Punjab) as a state presents a wonderful bouquet of life-style with a brilliant spectrum of Rajput, Mughal and Punjabi cultures. There is a fine blend of modernity and tradition and a judicious synthesis of all that is beautiful in form and bold in spirit.
Fazilka, was a part of the Firozpur district till 1884 and has been recently declared as the 22nd District on July 27, 2011 consisting three subdivisions Fazilka, Jalalabad and Abohar. It is a small town of simple and loving people of different religions living together. The Indo-Pak border district is located in the south-west corner of Punjab, with Muktsar towards east, Firozpur and Faridkot towards north and Rajasthan in the south. The population of the town has been 50% Hindus & Sikhs and 50% Muslims since quite sometime now and almost all citizens know the art of behaving with the people of different regions and having different languages. Of all the towns in India, Fazilka provided a unique example of being the melting pot of very large variety of cultures and dialects. India’s tallest clock tower (Ghanta ghar) is situated at the center of the town which has now become a landmark of Fazilka. It is also known for the world’s second biggest TV tower in Asia after Eiffel tower and the famous sweet Tosha has also hailed from here. Talking about the economy of town, it is totally agro and craft based. Before partition, the town was the biggest wool market in undivided Punjab. Now, because it is situated on the rice growing and cotton rich belt of the state, it is one of the major rice exporting centers in India which also contributes to the prosperity of Fazilka. The craft of Tillewaali Jutti and embroidery is still practiced by almost 200 families in Fazilka. ‘Fazilka Tilla Jutti’, registered as a Geographical Indicator in the name of Fazilka under the Patent Act of India, is, was and will be one of the favourite footwear among people of the region and the country.
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Curious and excited, we dove into knowing a little bit of the ‘taur tareeke’ and the rich culture Punjab.
CULTURE The Punjabi culture is one that is widely recognized all over the world. Be it the aloo de parathe or bhangra paana, the energy filled punjabis have spread their culture proudly all over the world, making Punjabi the 10th most widely spoken language in the world. In the Indian Punjab, this is written in the Gurmukhi script. Pakistan uses the Shahmukhi script, that is closer to Urdu script. Owing to the religious diversity in Punjab, a majority of festivals such as Maghi, Lohri, Holi, Vaisakhi, Teeyan, Raksha Bandhan, Mela Chiraghan, Diwali, Dussehra, Karwa Chauth, Eid, Christmas, Navratri are celebrated in this region. During the partition period, the state sought to gain a national identity which was interlinked with revival of folk and cultural traditions. It was then that Bhangra, starkly recognized by the beats of the dhol and energy filled phrases such as hoi, hoi, hoi; balle balle; chak de; became the iconic emblem of punjabis. Gidda, next in line, is well known to be performed by mainly women, who sing and dance in circles, where verses recited tell us stories of their lives. Widely recognized by their dressing, traditionally men wear a Punjabi Tamba (piece of cloth wrapped around the waist) and Kurta in addition to a pagri (turban) to cover their heads. Shahi salwar, phulkari, punjabi jutti and parandi are adorned by punjabi women traditionally. Numerous crafts such as wood work, mud work, the popular phulkari, handmade juttis, basketry, simple weaving and embroidery contribute highly to the identity of punjab as a rich heritage site. Last but not the least, we cannot forget the ever so famous butter and ghee filled aloo de parathe, Chole bhature, Naans, Kulchas, Tandoori rotis, Lassis, Butter chicken, Tandoori chicken, Dal Makhani, Shahi Paneer, sattu, samosa, panjiri, and the list goes on.
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JOURNEY
Images clockwise : Punjabi woman embroidering Phulkari, Sikh men doing Bhangra, Punjabi thali, Punjabi women doing gidda
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Types of Juttis One step into the jutti store provided us with a visual treat of an infinite number of juttis. Be it the types, sizes, designs or shapes, each jutti was unique in it’s own way.
Collection of juttis at Mani ram’s jutti store, Fazilka
TYPES
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A variation over the years is inevitable, and the need to mould with the ever changing environment has led to a variety of juttis today in terms of different types, sizes, patterns, colors, materials, and designs of different parts of the jutti thus favoring the affordances of a wide range of consumers.
SIZES In the earlier times, before the handicraft was commercialized, juttis were customized for the owner so the concept of sizes didn’t play such an important role and instead the cutting was done according to the pattern of the foot drawn. Today, there are different sizes for men and women, known as kacchi (women) and pakki (men). The local sizes are measured generally in numbers 12-18 for women and 14-21 for men. The sizes were traditionally named by counting the number of fingers that wrap the shoe if placed in your hand. They are also otherwise numbered as 2,3,4 depending on the number of times your hand will fit around the shoe. More size, More sale!
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TYPES
Images above : Way of measuring size of jutti in olden times; right : way of measuring and naming sizes now.
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While the Lakhi jutti is called so because of a narrow mid section, lakh meaning waist in Punjabi (below), the Rajasthani jutti (above) or morjari is wider and has the upper and lower generally made out of a single piece of leather. Type : Hand stitched Materials : Cow leather, Buffalo leather, Tilla
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TYPES
Type : Sapaat jutti, known for its flat sole open at the back, making it easy to slide the foot in. Material : Velvet, Rexine, Cushioning, Gold Foil
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Type : Hand stitched, Salma Sitara with phuman; Salma sitara is a form of jutti decoration said to be popular in the muslim community where zari threads are intricately embroidered and star shaped metal pieces are placed in between these. Material : Rexine, Sequins, Embroidery on fabric
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TYPES
Type : Sapaat jutti hand stitched with phuman Material : Cow leather, Resham (silk) phuman, Chenille phuman
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Type : Paayal is another casual inexpensive pattern where the Tilla embroidery is done in a design that resembles a payal (anklet) Material : Cow, Buffalo and Goat leather, Cushioning, Tilla, Punch
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Type : Hand stitched; Phulkari is a Punjabi handicraft practised till today. Phulkari juttis have embroidered phulkari motifs on fabrics or rexine which are then used as pannas for juttis. Material : Cow, Goat and Buffalo leather, Phuman, Resham threads, Stones, Cushioning
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Type : Machine embroidered tilla with ghungru and insole embroidery; Hand stitched Material : Rexine, Velvet, Tilla, Ghungru
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TYPES
Type : Tassled tilla embroidered jutti with embroidered insole and phuman; Hand stitched Material : Buffalo and Cow leather, Phuman, Resham tassles, Tilla
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Type : Hand stitched; Dabka work (botton), qasab embroidery (upper); Dabka work juttis have a spring type of thread or a coiled metallic thin wire which is sewed in to create intricate patterns, found in many colors. Material : Rexine, Cushioning, Qasab, Beads
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TYPES
Type : Hand stitched; Resham embroidery with ghungru Material : Rexine, Resham threads, Ghungru, Cushioning
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Type : Hand stitched; Khussa jutti, also known as ‘sardari jutti’ stands out with it’s upturned front and sole completely made out of single piece of leather curled very carefully, representing the curled moustache of a “Punjabi Gabru”. It also sometimes includes a ‘modi’ at the back. Material : Cow and buffalo leather, Tilla
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TYPES
Type : Hand stitched; Phulkari jutti with tassles Material : Rexine, Cushioning, Ghungru, Resham threads
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Type : Hand stitched; Cutwork jutti is one where the base of the juttis is cut into motifs and designs, and then these spaces are mebroidered in colors with a variety of stitches Material : Cow, Buffalo and Goat leather, Resham threads, Punch
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TYPES
Type : Hand stitched, dyed, Stamped juttis Material : Cow, Goat and Buffalo leather, Tilla
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Type : Hand stitched; Machine embroidery; Insole embroidery. The makki or chajje waali jutti is a trend where the shape of the upper on the foot is styled as an M or a W. Material : Cow, Buffalo and Goat leather, Tilla
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TYPES
Type : Hand stitched, Punched(right), Resham embroidery (center), Resham embroidery (left) Material : Rexine, Cushioning, Phuman, Tilla, Resham
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After viewing a variety of juttis, we realized that it was the ‘tillewaali’ jutti that caught our eye and gave it that authentic feel of royalty. We further went on to document the tillewaali jutti.
Type : Hand stitched; The Kasuri juttis, the oldest juttis said to have been made in Kasur, now in Pakistan with their unique toe indent design, transcend the borders of India and Pakistan and are one of the very sought after designs of the jutti. The bareeq (intricate) work on the Kasuri juttis are one of it’s highlights and members of the muslim community are the ones to have khandaani skills passed onto them to do such intricate work. Material : Cow and Buffalo leather, Tilla
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TYPES
Type : Hand stitched, Computer embroidery Materials : Cow and Buffalo leather; Tilla It is a little hard to distinguish between computer and hand embroidery in the first look since that is the finesse with which the artisans work. On a closer look, there is a mechanical feel to the machine embroidery whereas you can closely notice the human error on comparing between the juttis of a pair.
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Type : Hand embroidered, Hand stitched Mateirals : Cow, Goat and Buffalo leather, Tilla
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TYPES
Type : Machine embroidered, Hand stitched Mateirals : Cow, Goat and Buffalo leather, Tilla
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If you look closely, there is a caste and religious bias in the way these variations in designs are sold and made. For example, Alot of tilla work, zardozi, and salma-sitara kaam is predominant in the west Punjab where there are more artisans who either belong to the lower castes or muslims who have a clean hand. Embroidery, whether done by machine or hand is also done by a large number of people, but the style and motifs will vary according to the region. In the same way, khussa juttis are sold heavily in the sardari areas. Even though the craftsman handcraft a fine tillewaali jutti, their lower caste disables them from wearing the same as they say it is way out of their line.
What does it mean to wear the jutti? - “Jutti Punjab di shaan hai.” - “Traditional hai, look acchi deti hai, bass soni lagdi hai.” - “Yehi Punjabi style hai!“ - “Punjabi culture ko show karti hai, patiala suit ke saath perfect match hai.” - “Shauk hai jee, bass pehente hai.” - “Sardi mei pehente hai kyuki comfortable hai.” - “Sardari look mildi ae.” - “Cheti tuut jaati hai, kabi kabar shauk ke liye petente hai.” - “Gift of Pujnab.” - “Professional look nai deti.” - “Punjabi pehrawe ke saath baddi jajdi ae.”
Type : Hand embroidered, Hand stitched Mateirals : Cow, Goat and Buffalo leather, Tilla
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TYPES
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The story of jutti Ever thought of how the shoe came into being? Discover the tale of a jutti through the invention of the shoe.
Traditional sardari Khussa jutti
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HISTORY OF FOOTWEAR As far as the history of footwear goes, archaeologists suggest their existence almost 40,000 years ago, with the oldest surviving sandal being 10,000 years old found in Oregon. Spanish cave drawings from more than 15,000 years ago show humans with animal skins or furs wrapped around their feet.
SIGNIFICANCE OF FEET IN INDIA
Understanding the shoe to foot to brain connection Such small things to carry such a big person above! How our feet do the job, every day, with so little complaint, is amazing. Our feet go first into the world, extending our moving energy outwards. It is a sign of growing up when we can “stand on our own two feet” and not be dependent on someone else. “Putting our foot down” means not letting someone take advantage of us. We “put our best foot forward” as we step into the world with courage and confidence. If we “dig your heels in” it implies we are holding on tight to reality, stubbornness indicating a fear of change. The foot to brain connection is a process in which the feet actually send messages to the brain, and then the brain responds by making specific adjustments in the body. The touch receptors in the feet create patterns of stimulation which in turn send signals to the cerebellum (the balance centre of the brain). The brain automatically responds to these signals by adjusting the body’s posture according to the input it receives from the feet. This means every movement that your foot makes in the act of walking affects other parts of your body. The human foot consists of 26 different bones with tendons, ligaments, joints and muscles that are affected when you walk or run. If your shoes don’t provide the necessary support for the arches and heels, they prevent essential range of motion in the foot. When your feet are not able to function properly, other parts of your body must overcompensate. When your body overcompensates, it is common to suffer from pain in the heels, ankles, knees, hips and lower back. Several diseases such as athlete’s foot, shin splints, warts, lower back ache, bunions etc. are the result of wearing ill equipped shoes. Therefore, good shoes and footwear are almost a necessity to look and feel good mentally and physically.
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INTRODUCTION
Images above left : Bark braided sandals found in Oregon, USA; right : Oldest shoe (more than 1000 years found in Armenia; right : Stickers with Goddess Lakshmi’s footprints usually put near the front door
Whereas most of India is warm, shoes were not necessary, and for much of history, Indians went barefoot. Without the need for footwear, Indian culture developed a unique history of praising the feet. Mothers massage the feet of their babies. Youth honor the feet of elders. Someone seeks forgiveness at the feet of his or her victim. Lovers caress each other’s feet to show their devotion. Indians traditionally keep their feet as clean as their hands, and even today villages often have at least one craftsman devoted to the manufacture of products to clean the feet, especially foot scrubbers made of stone or metal. Literature written as early as 2500 B.C.E. documents the use of toe rings, ankle bracelets, and foot ornaments. Feet are also painted, dyed, and covered in ornament for special occasions. The history of the footwear in the Indian culture started with the sacred footprints and footwears of the Gods and the Goddess. The footprints of Lakshmi, Goddess of Prosperity and Good Fortune and the khadaw of Lord Krishna are believe to be holy and worshipped with offerings.
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STORY OF FOOTWEAR IN INDIA The oldest and the most quintessential footwear in the Indian tradition is Paduka. The word Paduka means “pada is foot and ka is a diminutive ending, literally small”. The Paduka is a flat footwear which has a higher sole and has knob attach to it which holds the foot. For over five thousand years, these were mainly worn by the gurus, sadhus and the holy men. The paduka also known as the khadau is the oldest and simplest type of Indian foot protection. It is a wooden sole with a knob that fits between the big toe and the second toe. First worn by mendicants, or religious men, padukas have been part of Indian costume since at least the seventh century C.E. Made of durable materials, padukas saved the feet from the heat of summer roads and the pain of sharp stones and thorns in the simplest manner. The mocassins that came around in the 1500s were made of animal skins - scraped, smoked and stitched together. They took the form of the foot and were recognized and accepted worldwide. This period was characterized by the Mughal rule in India (specially the north-west) who, trying to stand out from the common folk took fancy to these mocassins, altered and adorned them with gold and silver embroideries, pearl and stone embellishments and fine fabrics, thus the juttis are said to have come around.
What do you look for in a good shoe? Heel – this should have a broad base, and should be no greater than 4cm (11/2”) Heel Counter – this reinforces the heel cup and stabilizes the foot upon ground contact Sole – should provide cushioning and protection for comfortable walking, and enough grip to prevent slipping Upper – ideally made from natural materials such as leather or breathable fabrics to keep feet comfortable Linings – breathable materials such as leather or fabric keep the foot fresh; they need to be smooth and seam-free Fastenings – laces or straps with buckles or touch fastenings help to hold the foot securely within the shoe Toe Box – sufficient depth to prevent rubbing and allow toes to wiggle Insole – preferably removable to allow easy insertion of padding or orthoses
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INTRODUCTION
Images on top : Khadau; bottom One of the olden times shoes
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JUTTI AND FOLKLORE
What is the caste system? India has a hierarchical caste system in the society. Within Indian culture, whether in the north or the south, Hindu or Muslim, urban or rural, virtually all things, people and communities are ranked according to various essential qualities. If one is attuned to the theme of hierarchy in India, one can discern it everywhere. Although India is a political democracy, in daily life there is little adherence to the notions of equality. The caste system in India is an important part of ancient Hindu tradition and dates back to 1200 BCE, i.e., the Vedic period. The term caste was first used by Portuguese travellers who came to India in the 16th century. Caste comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word “casta” which means “race”, “breed”, or “lineage”. Many Indians use the term “jaati” or “jaat” or “varna”. There are 3,000 castes and 25,000 subcastes in India, each related to a specific occupation. These different castes fall under four basic varnas : Brahmins—priests & teachers, Kshatriyas—warriors & rulers, Vaishyas— farmers, traders & merchants, Shudras—laborers. Outside of the caste system are the Untouchables. Untouchable jobs, such as toilet cleaning and garbage removal, require them to be in contact with bodily fluids. They are therefore considered polluted and not to be touched. The importance of purity in the body and food is found in early Sanskrit literature. Untouchables have separate entrances to homes and must drink from separate wells. They are considered to be in a permanent state of impurity.
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INTRODUCTION
Image on the top : Bhai Taru Singh Jee scalp being chiseled off
The magic of the Punjabi Jutti goes back well into Sikh folklore and history. In the long line of tales in Punjabi lore which proclaim and celebrate the power of the Punjabi Jutti, there is one more famous story which adds to the glory of the Juttis. Bhai Taru Singh Jee, one of the greatest shaheeds in the Sikh history was born in Amritsar during the reign of the Mughal empire. During this time, Zakriya Khan, as the Mughal Governor of Lahore between 1726 and 1745, ordered the genocide of Sikhs with the goal of eradicating them completely. Bhai Sahib Jee used to feed and help the poor and the needy irrespective of caste, creed or religion. One day he helped a Jugni Khalsa with food and other necessities who were consider as the rebels. When the Governor was informed about this, Bhai Sahib Jee was arrested and told that he should be hit with “Jutti” for the sin he had done. Listening to Zakriya Khan, Bhai Sahib Jee said if a ruler like him does torture on his people, he should be the one who should be hit by a “Jutti”. After his refusal to embrace Islam, he was publicly tortured and his scalp was chisled off to remove his kesh. In the mean time, Zakriya Khan started developing “Urine stoppage” problem where he came under so much pain that he called in the doctors but no one could do anything. Finally someone asked him to ask for forgiveness from Khalsa Panth who directed him to go to Bhai Sahub Jee jee and ask him to hit the “Jutti” on his head. Zakaria Khan went over to Bhai Sahib Jee and asked for forgiveness and also asked him to hit the jutti on his head. It is said that the remedy worked. Zakriya Khan could urinate, but only as long as he was being beaten on the head with Taru Singh’s Jutti. These beatings continued, at his own insistence, until he succumbed to the pain and died - twelve days after the public scalping of Bhai Sahib Jee.
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STORIES OF THE ORIGINS The story of the origins of jutti take us back to the time of Guru Ravidasji (15th century) who was a poet-sant, social reformer and a spiritual figure, quoting artisan Baldevji ‘Woh insaan nahi, parmaatma hai’, which means ‘He isn’t just human, but the divine himself.’ His devotional songs were also included in the Guru Granth Sahib. Being born in a family that worked with dead animals and their skin to produce leather products, made him part of the then untouchable Chamar caste. During his life, Guru Ravidass Ji highly spoke of the removal of social divisions of caste and gender and his ideals were spread across most of north-India that includes present day Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Pakistan. In the period of the Mughal rule, Castes such as Chamaars, Chandor chamaars, Ramdasi, Mochi and Raigar who were spread out all over north India and present day Pakistan were engaged with the work of leather and followed the ideals of Guru Ravidas ji. Sodiyan wali gali, Fazilka is an area of small group of people who use to proudly call themselves Ramdasia, worshipper of Ravidas. He is considered as the founder of 21st-century Ravidassia religion, by a group who previously were associated with Sikhism. He was born in the family of Chamar caste who worked with dead animals and their skin to produce leather products. One of the many legendary stories and saying of Ravidas is ‘‘The episode of Damri’’. Guru Ravidass Ji gave one Damri (small coin) to Pandit Ganga Ram with the direction that he should offer this Damri to Ganga Mata only if she accepts it by taking her hand out of water. He was amazed at the unprecedented condition. However, he took the Damri and went away to Haridwar.The Pandit had forgotten to offer Damri of Guru Ravidass Ji to Ganga Mata. He immediately went back to the holy river. He uttered that Ravidass Ji has sent a Damri to her. But it is to be given only if it is accepted by taking out your hand. At this, Ganga Mata lifted her right hand out of water and accepted Damri sent by Guru Ravidass Ji, leaving the Pandit in the shock. In return, Ganga Mata gave a golden Kangan (bangle) to Pandit Ganga Ram and asked him to give it to Guru Ravidass Ji as her gift. Pandit Ganga Ram came back home and sold the precious Kangan. This Kangan was gifted to the king who showed the beautiful bangle to his queen and ask the Pandit for a matching pair or else he would be punished. Pandit Ganga Ram broke down and narrated the whole tale of bangle to Guru Ji and humbly sought forgiveness. Guru Ji asked the Pandit, king and the queen to see in the earthen shallow pot ‘‘Mun changa to kathauti mein Ganga’’. To their amazement, river Ganga was flowing inside and there were innumerable bangles floating in it. Guru Ji asked them to identify the matching bangle. All this shook their spirit. They were fascinated and highly impressed by the spiritual power of Guru Ji that they became his followers. Many other magical tales and teachings of his have inspired people to beacome Ramdasia. Ravidasia believe that the best way forward for Chamars is to claim and assert their own identity. For this more independent camp, Sikhism is viewed as obstructing the full development of the Chamar community. According to the Ravidasias, the only way for Chamars to progress is to pursue an independent religious path focused exclusively on the figure of Guru Ravidas.
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INTRODUCTION
Image on the top : Guru Ravidas Ji
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THE COMMUNITIES INVOLVED
The Beginning of the caste system
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There are different theories about the establishment of the caste system. Some are religious-mystical, some are biological. According the Rig Veda, the ancient Hindu book, the primal man - Purush - destroyed himself to create a human society. The different Varnas were created from different parts of his body. The Brahmans were created from his head; the Kshatrias from his hands; the Vaishias from his thighs and the Sudras from his feet. The Varna hierarchy is determined by the descending order of the different organs from which the Varnas were created. According to this socio-historical theory, the caste system began with the arrival of the Aryans in India. The Aryans organized among themselves in three groups. The first group was of the warriors and they called themselves Rajayana to Kshatria. The second group was of the priests and they were called Brahmans. These two groups struggled politically for leadership among the Aryans. In this struggle the Brahmans got to be the leaders of the Aryan society. The third group was of the farmers and craftsmen and they were called Vaisia. The Aryans who conquered and took control over parts of north India subdued the locals and made them their servants. In this process the Vaishyas who were the farmers and the craftsmen became the landlords and the businessmen of the society and the locals became the peasants and the craftsmen of the society. As in most of the societies of the world, so in India, the son inherited his father’s profession. And so in India there developed families, who professed the same family profession for generation in which, the son continued his father’s profession. Later on as these families became larger, they were seen as communities or as they are called in Indian languages, Jat. Different families who professed the same profession developed social relations between them and organized as a common community, meaning Jat. INTRODUCTION
Image above : Chamar involved in the work of treating dead animal skin
1) Chamaars - One of the untouchable communities, or dalits, found mainly in northern states of India and Pakistan, now classified as SC were traditionally considered outside the Hindu caste system. It is said that the association of Chamars with the occupation of tanning, ie, treating animal skins to produce to leather was only built up but instead the Chamars were historically agriculturists. In the Punjab they are divided into various groups, such as Ad-Dharm, Ravidasi, Ramdasia, and Chamar whereas in Rajasthan their settlements can only be found in the districts adjoining to the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh such as Bikaner, Shriganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Bharatpur etc. divided into groups namely Meghwals, Raigars (leather tanners), Mochi (shoe makers). 2) Mochi - A Hindu caste known as shoemakers of South Asia, currently come under SC. Historically, they were involved in the manufacture of protective leather dresses and saddle seats known as jeen for soldiers, and are also closely associated with the Rajput community. Presently, The Mochi are involved in the manufacture of leather shoes. There are many shoe manufacturers in Punjab and Haryana who have migrated from Rajasthan, claiming to be Rajputs and not Mochis. Mainly found in rural Punjab, the Mochis are those involved with the working in tanned leather and its products (specially footwear) as opposed to a tanner, an occupation associated with the Chamar. Most Mochis in pre partition Punjab had forcibly been converted to Islam, and these Muslim Mochis left at the time of the partition of India in 1947. The remaining community is largely Hindu and Sikh. The Mochi in rural Punjab in Pakistan is still dependent on the locally dominant caste and with the marked shift towards manufactured shoes, there is a traditionaly decline in their traditionaly occpation and their condition has only worsened. Within these castes also, religion played an important role. It was believed that a jutti crafted by the hands of a muslim craftsmen would always be more authentic and neatly and richly done as this craftsmanship came as an inheritance to them. Also the chamaars classified out of the hindu caste system were considered to do work for the feet or the ‘dirty work’.
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After knowing more about the feet, footwear and jutti, we further wanted to delve into the tilewaali jutti and it’s form and elements as a shoe.
PARTS OF A JUTTI Marked as one of the most popular Indian footwear style, the Punjabi jutti, or the khussa, or the morjari, or the nagra, call it what you may, it is an item of ethnic beauty that has passed on through the ages. Jutti is the urdu word for a shoe with a closed upper attached to a sole. The jutti has no left or right distinction and over time takes the shape of the foot. The traditional tillewaali jutti was believed to be made out of the animal skin of the animal dying a natural death. Made of buffalo skin and goat skin, tilla jutti has come of age from the silver and gold hand-embroidered juttis still practised in the Muktsar and Fazilka belt of Punjab, which has acquired countless colours and embroidery patterns. It is said that Pakistan still has better quality of leather because of the rituals that deal with sacrificing of animals. It is also said that most of the artisans in Fazilka have migrated from Pakistan. The link is so strong that many shops are named after Pakistan towns such as Deepalpur, Okara, Haveli Lakha and Pakpattan. The jutti has a “M” shape in the front known as Panna, Panja or Upper, (panja - toe) of cow skin with a khussa, that is a curled tip and a piping of soft goat leather on the edge. The claw Panja is prepared dual with a inner part also of soft leather. It also has a backside “Edaa or Edi”with a support of the leather sheet from the inside made of scrap leather pieces, a sole known as Talla of buffalo skin and an inner sole. These are the components encapsulating Punjab’s ethnicity, ethos and cultural diversity. Kanna is a thin strip of leather stitched together with the side stitching of the panjaa and eda to give more strength to the jutti. Some juttis instead of having a seperate panjaa and eda, have the whole patrang or pattern made out of one leather. The extra leather is attached with nails to the base of the sole if required.
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Image above : Exploded view depicting the parts of a jutti
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GEOGRAPHY OF CRAFT SPREAD
Chamaars The term ‘Chamar’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Charma’ and means leather. So, the word ‘Chamar’ is related to the word Charmakar, which means ‘one who works with leather (cobbler). The Chamar tribes are usually found in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra. With a population of over 50 million, they are among the largest untouchables, or Dalit communities in the Hindu world. A myth about the origins of the Chamars goes as such : once, four brothers of Brahmins were going to take bath in a river, they saw a dead cow floating in the river. Then two brothers threw their ‘Janai;’ (a holy thread put on by Brahmins) on a tree then they take out the dead cow from river. The two brothers who took out the dead cow from the river became a ‘Chamar’, also known as Dalit and untouchables. Historians believe they are true Hindus and live under the spiritual enlightenment of Saint Guru Ravidass. A story goes that Guru Ravidas himself would sell juttis. One such day, when Lord Krishna was passing by, he wanted to test Guru Ravidas and hence asked him to give him all the juttis he had. Indeed, Guru Ravidas did so without any hesitance. Since that day, it is believed that Lord Krishna has always given his blessings to Guru ravidas and his disciples.
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Image on the right : Spread of craft in India from Pakistan
It is said that the period of Mughal rule was known as the richest era of Indian history. Once the idea of leather and footwear had been introduced to the people of India, the royalty wanted something more than what the commoners would adorn, and that is how the first jutti, made of the most expensive leather and heavy gold embroidery, was made in kassur, present day Pakistan. Before the partition of India, 1947, India comprised of 562 princely states. In practice, while the states were ruled by men with a variety of titles, such as Chhatrapati, Maharaja, Raja, Nawab, Khan, Nizam or Mirza, the British had considerable influence. A variety of reasons are cited for the spread of this craft over the north : The chamaars who processed raw leather were to be found all over the north but it is known that back then the mochis and rajputs were mainly settled in Rajasthan. Rich jats and rajas in Punjab who paid them for kathis, jeens and belts were now more interested in this new trend of embellished juttis that had set in. Craftsmanship in leather was something regarded as a skill heavily paid for and the artisans traveled to parts of present day Punjab and Pakistan to prepare these juttis for the rich and elite who lived there. As a result, alot of these mochis settled down in those areas they travelled to and today you will find them in Pakistan, Punajb, Haryana as well as Rajasthan. It is also said that an epidemic that arose in Rajasthan led to the settlements of many of these craftsmen in those areas they worked in. Another story also goes that Maharaja Bhupinder Singh (one of the most popular rulers of that time known for his extravagance) married the sister of Ganga Raj Singh (mu bola bhai) and impressed by the craftsmanship of the artisans in Rajasthan he called them over to Punjab to work for him and this is how so many mochis are part of the jutti making communities in Punjab. When the partition happened, and the riots that followed, alot of Hindu and Muslim artisans belonging to different castes were now separated in two countries based on their religion. Many of the artisans also took to the public transport and in order to save themselves settled in whichever part they were dropped off at, be it Pakistan, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi etc. This is one of the major reasons for the spread of this craft as a whole due to the shift of location of the people engaged in the craft.
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The Making A step by step description of the magnificent but tedious process of jutti making.
Artisan Baant Singh cleaning the jutti
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TRADE AND TRAVEL OF MATERIAL A plethora of materials go into the making of the wonderful variety of juttis we find in the market today. This also indicates that there are a lot of people and infact entire communities that are a part of the trade and travel cycle of these materials. Each stage of the jutti making process has been marginalised by the caste and religion the community involved belongs to. The same has been explained below. 1) Leather - There are various kinds of leather that go into the making of the juttis namely cow, goat, buffalo and camel. Within India, there are 6-7 main centres where leather is processed on a large scale, the areas being Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Meerut, Unnao, Chennai, Ambur, Calcutta, Agra, Ranipet and Kanpur. Since a majority of the jutti production happens in the north, this makes Ludhiana one of the main places from where the artisans obtain their leather. Though now individually the jutti makers buy their own leather, traditionally it was believed that the Chamars are one of the largest communities to be involved with the leather craft and tanning of leather. Religion too plays an important role in the determination of travel and availability of material. The Hindus don’t believe in sacrificing cows since they worship them and hence they avoid using cow leather. The Muslims refrain from using goat leather since the animal is considered holy for them. This also leads to choice of material and place of purchase accordingly. 2) Zari and other decor - Zari is made from yarns of silk and cotton mixed with gold, silver or copper. The zaris can either be the real metallic ones made from gold, silver or few other pure metals or the one where imitation zari is woven with plastics. Traditional Indian zari is composed of a flat silver metal thread of 98% purity wrapped around a core of silk. The silver thread may then be electroplated to produce gold zari. Two leading places in India where zari is manufactured are Varanasi and Surat. However, Surat is the main location from where the tilla for the juttis is bought from by the agents who then take it to Delhi from where the artisans then purchase it. The other silk, cotton, wool and jute yarns and fancy adornments added to the juttis such as ghungrus, dabka etc. come usually from the local market available in and around the artisan’s homes.
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Image above : Map of India showing trade and travel of material
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3) Tools - With the fading trend of hand stitched juttis and the development of Patiala as a city, the making and selling of tools takes place only in the less developed parts of Punjab such as Abohar, Maller Kotla, Fazilka etc. The artisans thus purchase it usually from the local market. Also, with time and recognition of leather craft, there are various industries directly involved in the making and retail of this tool which then in turn supply to the smaller towns of Punjab. 4) Adhesives : Lai is used to paste the inner side of the panna to another piece of cow leather so that the inner portion is soft and the embroidery looks finished on the backside and also doesn’t hurt the feet. The ‘lai’ is a mixture of flour, water and neela thotha( a chemical) Another solution used for pasting is latex which is a rubber solution that usually comes to them through agents from the south since Kerala is the leading producer of rubber in India. 5) Suth - The cotton thread used for final stitching up of the jutti, namely the aeda and the panna is also bought by the artisans from Ludhiana. It is then plied 6 times by them before being used. 6) Other items are also bought in larger quantities such as soles, plastic sheets, rubber, rexine etc. from Jalandhar and Ludhiana.
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Images above : Tools used; right : adhesives used in jutti making
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Material and environment Production of crafted juttis provides livelihood opportunities to hundreds of people living in Punjab. Various schemes for development of the craft sector have been reviewed and a comprehensive National Handicraft Development programme has also been launched. Even though it empowers disadvantaged segments like the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minorities, the beauty of the jutti covers a lot of environmental issues in the process. The materials used for the juttis also contributes to climate change, land devastation, pollution, and water contamination. One of them major reasons affecting the environment is the leather industry. Unfortunately NABARD (National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development) funds artisans to make Muktsar jutti or taudi using “hard, pure leather.” - Most leather is industrially chrome-tanned. All wastes containing chromium are considered hazardous to the environment. The waste from tanneries also includes large quantities of other pollutants, including protein, hair, salt, lime sludge, sulfides, and acids. Furthermore, a chrome-tanning facility wastes nearly 15,000 gallons of water and produces up to 2,200 pounds of “solid waste” (e.g., hair, flesh, and trimmings) for every ton of hides that it processes. Leather tanning also generates 800,000 tons of chrome shavings annually, and much of this chromium waste ends up in landfills. The toxic groundwater near tanneries has caused health problems for residents in surrounding areas. Several studies have established links between sinus and lung cancers and the chromium used in tanning. In humans, chromium causes a myriad of ailments depending on how it is absorbed. When inhaled, it acts as a lung irritant and carcinogen, affecting the upper respiratory tract, obstructing airways, and increasing the chances of developing lung, nasal, or sinus cancer. Chromium normally is absorbed this way as fine particulate dust that is produced when both raw and tanned leathers are buffed, smoothed, and ground up. Chromium has been linked to increased rates of asthma, bronchitis, polyps of the upper respiratory tract, pharyngitis, and the enlargement of the hilar region and lymph nodes. Kanpur—the self-proclaimed “Leather City of World” once housed more than 10,000 tanneries which, in 2003, were dumping more than 22 tons of effluence into the Ganges river every day. The city took action in 2009, sealing 49 of the highestpolluting tanneries in town—out of a list of 404 heavy polluters. - PU, polyurethane adhesive in another material creating a lot of problems to the craftsmen personal health and to the environment. It is very chemically inert and safe but the intermediate phases are toxic, irritating or carcinogenic. This means polyurethanes have to be handled carefully, kept off your hands and not breathed in too much. Warnings on use of PU include: Contains isocyanate containing polymers. Contact causes eye irritation. Prolonged or repeated skin exposure may cause allergic reaction, irritation and sensitisation. Contact may stain skin. Do not allow eye contact. Avoid prolonged or repeated contact with skin.
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Image above : Workers feet affected due to chrome tanning
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DIVISION OF LABOUR Behind the beauty of the Tillewaali jutti, there is a long line of labour and hardship that goes into the making of each pair. The best thing about the jutti is that it can’t be assembled or stitched by any machine thus making it a very special art. This is the kind work of that the skilled artisans do all through day and night and craft these exclusive master pieces that are in demand not only in India but all over the world. The whole process of moulding a piece of leather into a beautifully ornamented jutti takes about a month to complete excluding the tanning process of leather. The major steps involved in the jutti making process are tanning, coloring, cleaning, cutting, tilla bharai (embroidery with tilla zari) and stitching. These jobs are further divided amongst the family member or to the different communities based on their area of skill.
Who is an artisan and what is artisanship? *India’s artisans - report by Sruti An artisan is an individual who makes goods and/or provides services to others using his/her own skills and labour for this purpose, using traditional skills.i.e., skills that have been historical associated with a particular artisans activity, even though they may have been adapted over time to evolving technologies, materials and products. It is established that from the craftsmanship of the jutti, it is easy to tell where the craftsman is from and which caste and religion he or she belongs to. The fact also stands true that Muslims as a community have the inherited talent from their forefathers to embroider the most intricate and exquisite motifs. Artisanship reflects making what conforms to the potential, the contours and constraints of the human body. It is the maker’s immersion in the process with it’s shades of dhyana and sadhana, which makes each piece distinct and human. The body with it’s finely-tuned senses, it’s sensitivity and expressiveness, is the primal site for making or creating, it is our primary technology. Artisanship is a process which should bring a sense of well-being to the maker and the user, an intimate process free from the stress of productivity and standardisation.
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Image above : Division of labour amongst the persons in the house
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Images above : General daily and yearly cycle of jutti makers
Images above : Workplace of artisan Baldevji, Fazilka
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LEATHER The use of leather began for the first time when man hunted wild animals for his food. There have been numerous references in ancient texts and myths about the use of animal hides; ancient sages and ascetics used to sit on deerskin while meditating, leather was not only used for making clothes and footwear, but also for making caps, bags, saddles, armor etc. India is famous in the world for its leather products, where hide from cattle and camel is locally cured and tanned into long-lasting chemically stable leather. The leather used in the jutti making is generally that of buffalo, cow or goat, sourced mainly from Jalandhar, Lucknow, Chennai, Madras. The calculated bulk of leather bought for making juttis (cow, buffalo, goat, leather sheet) is stocked for the next three months, keeping record of all the expenditure in procuring the same. Usually, the raw leather purchased comes in brown but is further colored according to various designs and demands. Sarfoola (yellow) and arsi gulabi (green) are certain powdered pigments that are often mixed in water to make a thin solution (pakka rang) and the first coating (kachcha rang) is applied to the pieces of leather using a local shaving brush or a cloth. Any one member of the family does this bit of work, as it requires labour more than skill. After it dries, the whole leather is wiped off with a wet cloth to even out the colors and reduce patchiness. This is followed by the second coating after which mustard oil is applied on the raw leather to make it shinier. After three days, the leather is washed and dried thoroughly. Before the setting or chilaai starts, the leather is soaked in the water, making it softer for cutting.
The grimy riches Think twice about the jutti. List down it’s two main materials/techniques. Let’s now compare them. The irony lies in the story of the splendour of the jutti itself. Leather - as a craft and material is dissed on even today by a huge amount of people, for it is after all animal skin. The people who are involved with this craft are even today looked down on as it is a grimy material to work with. Of course, when the jutti is ready, the rich and poor alike accept the leather since they haven’t directly dealt with the dirty work involved in its making. While documenting this craft, another amusing comparison that we made was the contrasting nature of the materials, their origins and the classes of society they are associated with. Although the leather and the tilla that goes into the jutti is handled by the artisans itself, it is important to give thought to the fact that gold and silver tilla is something that makes you think of the riches and elites whereas leather in its raw form is considered untouchable. However, the two of them combine to the form a product in its most exquisite form, liked by all. Such is the magic in the hands of a craftsperson.
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Images on the left : Leather dyeing
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Once we found out about the procurement of leather, we further researched into the pre-production and processing of leather in India.
TANNING Leather tanning has played a prominent role for many centuries since it has benefited rural flayers, footwear and leather product manufacturing by village artisans from the tanned leather obtained from village tanners. However, due to more demand in leather and less time, most of the leather produced now undergoes chrome tanning. The process of tanning involves five distinct stages: Pre-Tanning, Tanning, Selecting, Dressing and Finishing. Each one of these processes is complicated and requires many steps. The following is an outline of some of the more important points of each step. Traditional vegetable tanning Among the various tanning methods, vegetable tanning is the most natural, eco-friendly and traditional one able to give leather a set of unique characteristics such as being strong, flexible, water resistant and wearable. Soaking - The salted hide is washed with water and left to soak in a pit containing a soap solution to soften it and remove the dirt, blood and salt and restore its original texture. Liming - Lime paste is smeared onto the hide which is then immersed in a pit containing lime solution. This opens up the fibre structure and loosens the hair. Dehairing - The hide is removed from the pit and scraped with a blunt knife to remove the hair. Defleshing - The excess flesh is shaved away with a sharp knife Scudding - The fav hide is scraped with a blunt knife to remove dirt and any remaining hair and hair tufts. Deliming - The hide is washed with clear water to remove the lime and clean out the pores Bating - It is soaked in diluted tanning liquor to make it soft and flaccid Pit tanning - The hide is soaked in a pit containing a tanning solution made of babul bark and myrobalan extracts mixed with water. The hides are stitched into bags, and are filled with the same tanning solution which is allowed to drain through the hide. The bags are reversed, and the same process repeated. This allows the tannin to fully impregnate the hide. Washing/Dyeing - The tanned hides are opened up and was he to remove the tanning liquor and then left to dry in the sun. Staking - The tanned hide is stretched and nailed to the ground to remove the creases Buffing - The hide is rubbed with a stone or oil to smoothen and soften it.
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Images on the left top : Vegetable tanning; bottom : Industrial leather dyeing:
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Step 1: Pre-Tanning Soaking – When the leather arrives at the tannery it is soaked to extrude salts used in preserving leather which is done in revolving drums. Liming – Hair and epidermis are removed and a solution of lime (calcium hydroxide) and sodium sulfide is applied to soften and enhance the hide for softness and flexibility. Splitting – The hide is then split into layers. The top, or grain, layer will produce a fine, smooth grain leather whereas the bottom is generally used for suede. Step 2: Tanning This is the process which converts pre-tanned hide into leather. Mineral tanning is normally done with alkaline chrome-3 salts. It penetrates the hide fairly quickly (24-48 hours). This results in a pale duck-egg blue, which, after processing, yields a fine, soft, modern finish. Step 3: Selecting After tanning, excess water is removed from the hide. Hides are then graded according to the quantity and locations of natural features and flaws. Step 4: Dressing Dressing the hides involves the following: Shaving – Hides are given a uniform thickness. Dyeing – Dyes are added to color leather. Re-tanning – Additional tanning substances are sometimes added to modify the physical characteristics of the leather to suit its final use. Setting – A process which mechanically removes creases and excess water. Drying – The hides are stretched dried on large frames or vacuum dried. Trimming- The rough and ragged edges are removed. Step 5: Finishing The finishing process uses a combination of surface coating techniques such as padding, spraying or roller coating. The purpose is to minimize the appearance of grain blemishes without losing the natural beauty of the leather product. It gives the required degree of gloss, softness, malleability and moldability to the leather.
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Images on the left : Chrome tanning
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CLEANING After dyeing and before cutting, the leather undergoes cleaning (chilaai). However, before there is a pre-process done to make the leather soft for chilaai. The leather is stretched on a flat stone (pakka patthar) with one toe to hold it from shifting. Rampa, a wider cutting tool is used to slash and clean the raw leather with two fingers on the rampa and the thumb to the side edge. The cutting happens in the diagonal direction by applying the same amount of pressure in the same angle. At intervals, the rampa is rubbed against the pakka patthar using water to keep it sharp and effortless. The tool Bhaingda/Khabira is rubbed continously to the surface of the leather to enhance its smoothness and lustre. This processed leather is then cut into the components of the jutti using the tip of the Nokhdaar rampi which has a pointed edge on one side. The patrang /pattern is also customised according to the size taken by tracing the foot directly on the paper.
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Image above : Chilai; Left : Tools used for chilai
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1. Scraping of leather using rampi
2. Making the leather piece even using bhaingda
3. Beating to even the leather out using sumba
4. Gluing the leather support sheet
5. Pasting support to sole
6. Cutting out excess for finishing using rampi
7. Beating to paste firmly using sumba
8. Same process carried out for different parts
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Images : Step by step chilai process
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STENCIL MAKING Embroidering the juttis involves the use of stencils for cutting and tracing designs on to the leather parts of the shoes. The uppers range from simple cut-out shapes to be filled with simple embroidery to intricate punches, weaves and embroidered designs. Intricate paper checks are hand cut by professional check artists, making it an art form in itself. Designs are made inside the pattern of the jutti and are given to the karigars with best skill in cutting. The drawing is traced with a carbon sheet and 5-6 paper cutout are made together in one go with the use of Aari (a flat narrow tip) and sumba as a hammer using a steel base. The intricacy of the embroidery (jaldaar or barik) depends on how fine the slits are made in the stencil. ‘‘Paper pe drawing sikh gaye to ghar chal gaya’’, says artisan Mani Ram. The stencils are pasted on the upper, back and insole with dallaf (adhesive) using fingers, hammaring with sumba to bond the two and the extra glue is cleaned with another waste piece of leather. These pieces with markings are distributed amongst the women who then embroider these with gold and silver tilla.
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Image above : Cut-out stencil for embroidery
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1. Drawing the design
2. Sharpening the tool
3. Cutting out the design
4. Final paper cut out stencil
Images : Step by step process of stencil making
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ZARI MAKING Earlier the tilla used for embroidery and weaving was made from pure gold and silver as they were considered symbols of royalty and wealth. The gold, beacuse of its malleability and ductility was converted into a fine wire called tilla or zari. The history of gold and silver tilla manufacture is as old as that of indian silk. Manufacturing of zari is a long and elaborate process comprising of several stages. The first stage is called skinning, where the silver bar is melted with the help of hot air into a rod. The surface is then skinned out to avoid the superficial crack and the remaining silver is drawn into a wire to get a particular thickness. Then, these wires are flattened so that they can be wrapped around cotton threads. The reeling of the thread is done at the same time as the flattening. With the help of a machine the silver gets wrapped around the core yarn to get zari. Often, in order to convert the silver zari to gold, a process of gold electroplating is done, where the silver zari is dipped in the gold solution and gets coated with the gold ion. The composition of silver and copper defines the quality of zari. The most common type of composition used in maximum zari embroidery is copper based zari which has 0.5 percent silver. The other type is made out of a plastic film in which the core yarn is coated with lurex. Available in different colors and being cheap, this kind of plastic zari is available and used all over the world today. The zari used in tilla bharai is the plastic film with cotton core yarn to add vibrance and color to the jutti.
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Images above : Industrial Zari making process
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In India, hand embroidery is a form of self expression, rendered with patience and dedicated hard work, rightly described as “painting by needle’’. As the use of the leather goes back to thousand of years, the need for embellishment of leather was demanded by riyalty, and it is since then the tilla bharai is said to have been started.
TILLA BHARAI In Fazilka, around 50-60% of population in Sodiyan wali galli practices tilla bharai as their only source of income. Once the chores are done, the women sit outside their homes through the day in the gali working while gossiping. The patrangs with stencils pasted are embroidered in the colors of their choice (filling colors - mina bharai). The tilla is also plied according to the quality of work where if it is a two ply tilla, the kadhai will be intricate taking longer time than the three ply tilla. Aari/Kundi/ Kataar is the main tool of tilla kadhai with a flat narrow tip with a hook and wooden handle at the back. The kataar, which helps in piercing through the leather easily, is made sharp and pointed before starting the embroidery by rubbing it on the silli (patthar).The hook is simply a slit made rubbing a thread using a paste of heated powdered brick and oil. Piddhi, a small stool to sit on and Sotti, a long wooden stick with it’s mouth like a paper clip holds the patrang in place while doing the embroidery. Sotti also has a blade attached to it to cut the threads since ‘‘Daant se toda to lipstick design pe lag jaegi’’. A paper is generally added to the back of the upper since it is difficult to do intricate work on a thin layer of leather. In the embroidery process, the upper has two different threads, tilla and cotton where the back of the upper consists of just cotton and the front has tilla work with small tucks of cotton. For a beginner, the first thing to learn before initiating the kadhai is the way the sotti is held. It is to be kept inclined with the mouth upward and the pressure is applied with the other leg to hold the pattern in place. Once all set, the kadhai goes horizontally. The cotton thread is held with a finger at the back of the patrang and the aari, is held on the top. The aari is then pierced through the leather and the thread is brought to the upper side, forming a loop. The tilla is passed through and the loop is tightened, pulling it back. This process is repeated until the desired form is created on the surface of the upper. The filling is done by making smaller taakas instead of big floats from end to end. The intricate embroidery and impeccable finishing tells how much experience and skill the karigar has. ‘‘Jitna baarik, utna acha kaam.’’ says 70 year old Om Bai Jee. In fact, the embroidery is the only thing that keeps the ladies away from getting bored. ‘‘Hum to time pass ke liye karte hai’’, said the women of Sodiyan wali galli.
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Image above : Woman in fazilka doing Tilla bharai
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1. Sitting on piddhi with the sotti between legs
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2. Placing pattern in place with help of stick using sotti
3. Inserting the aari through the leather
4. Pulling out the cotton thread from bottom
5. Making a loop with the cotton thread
6. Locking the tilla with the loop and pulling it from down
7. Bringing the tilla up according to design
Step by step process of Tilla bharai
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With the increasing demand of juttis, the rate at which they have to be produced and the low wages of the art of embroidery, alot of the uppers of the jutti are sent everyday to Sanor from Patiala to be machine embroidered.
MACHINE EMBROIDERY The panna is sent to be machine embroidered in Muhallah Pathano Wala, Sanor which lies 4 miles south-east of Patiala. The women here usually do the bead work while the men do the machine embroidery. Around 40-50 houses in Sanor are currently involved in this trade and the embroidery is done with resham and tilla using the aari or the puff machine. Initially, the people went all the way to Patiala with their embroidered samples to get orders. As the business expanded, people started getting more work but the earning per jutti still remains the same. ‘‘Sab ne humse machine embriodery sikhi, phir khud ka kaam start kar liye’’, complains Amrikh Singh, an embroiderer in Sanor. The uppers and designs are usually given to them by the trader, while the threads and other embellishment materials are bought by the karigars themselves. The three basic machines for embroidery used in Sanor are; The Aari machine which creates simple chain stitch embroidery. The machine operates with a handle under the table which makes the designs when moved in a pattern; the puff machine where a relief embroidery is made with the machine that has a mechanism to change the stitch length by pressing the knob with the knee and the makdi machine which, as the name suggest, creates a spider like embroidery. At the end of the day, the traders or the middlemen take these uppers back to the city where they are converted into embellished juttis ready for sale.
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Images above : Artisan doing machine embroidery, Sanor; below : Qasab embroidery on fabric
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STITCHING Unlike fabric, leather does not allows mistakes in sticthing because of its non porous property. Prior to stitching, a number of processes take place such as cutting, pasting, sandwiching of the sole and insole with leather sheet, canvas, etc. The buffalo leather for the sole is also roughly cut and small pieces of scrap cow leather is pasted on the inside of the sole for levelling. The insole (cow leather) is pasted with aate ka levi, a thick paste of aata and oil. The three layers are flattened with sumba and the final shape of the sole is cut with a chauras rampi holding it slightly tilted. Some extra leather is also added at the heels and the tip of the jutti to support the wear and tear in those and increase its longevity. Meanwhile the panja and aeda are cut on the markings and a 90 degree angle is made along the seam allowance to make it easy for stitching. The leather scraps from chilai and cleaning are usually collected and sent back to the places where they generally buy leather from, so that they can be reused in the form of the leather sheets that are sandwiched between the upper and the lining to give more support and cushioning. A piping of goat leather is also done on the edges to avoid shoe bites and mustard oil is also applied to the jutti to make it soft and wearable. The material used for lining is generally cow leather, rexin or canvas, and infact many a times lining is not needed if the ‘kadhai’ is minimal. The artisan stitches/assembles all the three parts of the jutti with each other using a cotton yarn that is not only eco-friendly but also enmeshes the leather fibers with great strength. The stitching starts by attaching one side of the jutti from the tip leaving the extra threads for the other half. The holes are made through the layers of sole using aari followed by the sewing needle and 6 ply cotton yarn. ‘‘Zara dhyaan hata to aari paer ko lag jati hai’’, said Harban jee. The edaa is also stitched to the upper from the inside with a ‘‘kanna’’ to give more support to the eda. Artisans involved in the stitching process wear popli on their fingers, which is a strip made of leather to avoid cuts on fingers while pulling the threads. However, the popular traditional khussa jutti has a continous sole which curls up itself while stitching.
FINISHING Once stitched, the finishing is given to the jutti by cutting off the extra leather at the joinery of upper and the sole using the chauras rampi, thumb and bhaingda. The upper is pressed with the fingers at the edges to give a sharp and defined crease to the jutti and the sides are then cut in accuracy using rampi and fingernails to smoothen the edges. “Rampi ungli me bhi chali jaati hai, nazar bhatka to”, says Mani ram, an experienced artisan of Fazilka. To retain the form of the jutti, artisan put them in a wooden mould called farma after stitching for 4-5 days undisturbed.
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Image above : Artisan finishing the heel of the stitched jutti
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1. Evening out the leather scrap using rampi
2. Cutting out leather scraps for pasting using rampi
3. Beating the scraps to even out before pasting using sumba
4. Pasting leather scraps on weak points of sole
5. Adding the upper to the sole
6. Stitching through holes with cotton thread using aari
7. Pulling out cotton thread using needle
8. Tying the cotton thread to use for stitching the sole
9. Cutting extra leather using rampi
10. Cleaning excess leather from sole and upper using rampi and fingernail
Images : Step by step process of stitching and finsihing
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11. Finishing the edges with barasingha
12. Finishing the top half
13. Rubbing the edges for shine and finish using bhaingda
15. Adjusting the aeda for stitching
16. Nail for holding the aeda in place
17. Inserting kundi for hole
19. Passing the cotton thread and pulling
20. Attaching the aeda to the sole
Images : Step by step process of stitching and finsihing
14. Wiping
18. Passing cotton thread with needle through hole
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Owing to the changing time and alternatives for almost every thing, alot of the stitched juttis are now being replaced by simple pasted juttis as they make faster and sell more.
PASTED JUTTIS Within Patiala, where the craft has modernized at a global level, there are plenty of artisans who make pasted juttis where the panja, eda and the sole is pasted together instead of stitching. It is said that the ballerina shoe has been quite inspired from the form and technique of pasted juttis. Within the homes of the artisans, one of the members of the family sits and cuts the patterns of all the embroidered uppers, inner linings and canvas along with the seam allowance. The three are bound together with canvas in between and are pasted with dudh (latex from rubber tree) to give stiffness and strength to the jutti. The finishing is given to the edge of the upper by adding piping. Once the upper is ready for final pasting, the rubber soles, all stacked according to their sizes are cut on the manual rubber cutting machine which has moulds of different sizes. The base of the jutti also has layers of materials such as insole, cushioning, sole, etc. to make it more comfortable. The insole and cushioning are pasted together with PU (polyurethane adhesive) and after drying, the insole is nailed to the bottom of the farma and the upper is pasted to the back of the insole with a pinjas (a plier like tool). The fabric is then pulled and hammered with the tool and the extra fabric is removed using a small rampi. The nails are removed and the rubber sole is again pasted with PU which bonds only on drying. The juttis are left in the farma for 2-3 days to acquire the shape of the magnificent jutti.
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Images above clockwise : Scraping off excess rexine, Woman cleaning synthetic soles, artisan using pinjas to pull and paste juttis, artisan pasting fabric on synthetic sole with help of farma
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“Jutti 3000 ki ho ya 300 ki, hume to 30 rupaye hi milte hai.”
COSTS OF VARIOUS JUTTIS Cost of Types of Juttis Simple Leather Jutti - Rs 200 - 300 Tilla Jutti minimal embroidery - Rs 300 - 400 Tilla Jali work Jutti - Rs 1000 - 1500 Heavy Tilla Embroidery Jutti - Rs 1800 - 2000 Machine Embroidered Jutti - Rs 800 - 1000 Synthetic Tilla Jutti - Rs 500 - 800 Velvet Juttis with Tilla work - Rs 400 - 600 Phulkari Jutti - Rs 300 - 500 Resham work Jutti - Rs 400 - 600 Cutwork and bharai wali Jutti - Rs 200 - 400 Dabka work Jutti - Rs 300 - 600 Synthetic Ornamented Jutti - Rs 500 - 1500
COST OF MATERIAL FOR TILLE WAALI JUTTI Cost of Basic Materials 1 sheet of cow leather - Rs 3000 - 4500 (1 sheet ~ 15 pieces) 1 sheet of buffalo leather - Rs 2000 - 4000 Canvas for support - Rs 400 - 600 Leather sheet for support - Rs 120 Tilla Cone - Rs 300 Cotton thread (sut) - Rs 20 Latex adhesive - Rs 650 PU adhesive - Rs 550
COST OF LABOUR FOR TILLE WAALI JUTTI Line of Embroidery - Rs 5/piece Kasuri Kadhai (intricate) - Rs 320/piece Fully Embroidered Khussa Jutti - Rs 3000 Pasting Jutti - Rs 20/piece Resham Machine Embroidery - Rs 25/piece Tilla Machine Embridery - Rs 40/piece Mota kaam - Rs 130/piece Hand Stitching Jutti - Rs 200/piece
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Image above : Traditional hand-embroidered tillewaali jutti
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Change over the years With changes and evolution in time comes evolution in the craft, either drastic or bit by bit. Also find out how the craft has been affected by the government over time.
Machine used for embroidery on synthetic materials in Sanor
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MODERNIZATION OF THE CRAFT Popularization of a craft depends on its customers. As the culture, tradition and craftsmanship developed in the field of juttis, more and more of the public got associated with this craft. Made for the elite, the expensive juttis set a trend in the local public and as Punjab started receiving a national identity, juttis thus flowed down to be a part of the traditional attire of every punjabi, whichever caste he/she may belong to. As the craft got popularized and trickled down to the streets, it became less and less ornate and new varieties in terms of materials, embellishments, use and prices arose eventually. This popularization back then also led to more and more people getting involved with this craft whether it was in the material procuring process, its making or its retail. This increasing demand also led to an evolution of designs, still demanded by the rajas to make them stand out from the rest. In fact, the artisans were asked to demonstrate their skills based on the novelty they could bring out in the designs and ornamentations in the juttis. Juttis bore pearls, gems, gold and silver embroidery everywhere including the top, back, sole and even instep of the jutti. For example, the Raja would look at the peacocks in his garden and would ask for the peacock to be replicated in his deisgns. The style of architecture of the palaces also highly affected the designs these craftsmen were exposed to and these were replicated by embroidery on the juttis. Hence, then the designs and motifs were inspire by nature like birds (peacock, parrot, sparrow), human figures (Bani thani), animals (elephant, horse), flowers etc. Even the Muslim embroiderers of Malerkotla are renowned for their fine,dense embroidery of Shakarpar (rhombus), laharia (waves) and jali (trellis) motifs that cover the insole as well as the upper. Today, these have been combined with contemporary designs like paisley, geometrical, palanquin, checkerboard etc.
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Image above clockwise : Hand-embroidered leather uppers with paisley, paper cut outs with embroidered upper, stencil showing embroidery on jutti
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If we go back to the olden days, the juttis were a pure handicraft where everything from acquiring, processing and dyeing of leather, cutting patterns, embroidery, embellishments and stitching the final jutti was done by hand. Authentic materials such as pure leather, real gold or silver tilla, pearls and gems were used, making this an extremely expensive and time taking process. In today’s world, to match the consumption, the use of cow/goat/buffalo/camel leather has been reduced to minimum and instead cheap replacements such as various types of rexine, synthetic, plastic, canvas, foam and cushioning are used. The process of hand-embroidery has been passed onto machines and computers. The final hand stitched finish to the jutti is also replaced by the quick pasting using strong chemicals to reduce the time taken to produce these. Thus the identity of the punjabi jutti as a handicraft has gone down with industrialization and commercialization of this product. Today Amritsar and Patiala (“tilla jutti�) are important trade centers for handcrafted traditional and modern juttis, from where they are exported all over the world to Punjabi diaspora. Even with changing times juttis have remained part of ceremonial attire, especially at weddings while the unembellished juttis are used for everyday use for both men and women in most of the Punjab.
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Image above clockwise : Synthetic modernized soles, Machine embroidered tilla suade uppers, Juttis matched to the wedding outfit, Machine embroidered velvet upper, Modernized machine embroidered upper; right : Different machine embroidered uppers for pasted juttis
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POLITICS AND POLICIES Fazilka tilla jutti is registered as a geographical indicator in the name of Fazilka under the Patent Act of India. However, lack of government support and dearth of adequate marketing facilities have become a major block in the development of this tillewaali jutti. Thus, With modernisation and machines taking over most manufacturing activities, the Fazilka Punjabi Jutti is slowly losing its presence and glory at the international level, forcing several artisans to look for alternative means of occupation. Even with the development of leather craft and the status given to it’s products, the people who are engaged in it’s production don’t even receive half the benefits. More than 1.8 lakh pairs of juttis are manufactured and sold by artisans of Fazilka a year, where more than 2000 families are involved in this business directly or indirectly. The sad part is despite Fazilka Jutti’s high demand, none of the successive governments ever bothered to chalk out a special strategy to further develop the trade into a major profit-making business. Most of the money invested in materials by the artisans is taken on loan from moneylenders or agents who charge high rates of interest. Even though banking facilities and the Artisan Credit Card Scheme are available in these towns and clusters, the process of filling forms and keeping leverages generate a feeling of burdening on these artisans which is why they don’t look upto the banks for credit. After filling up these formalities also, very rarely are the entire loans of 1-2 lakhs passed. The feeling of belonging to lower castes generates a sense of helplessness amongst the clusters which we gathered in our conversations with them. The reigns of the entire craft lie in the hands of the agents and middlemen who benefit both ways from the artisans and the retailers side. This is because a few of the artisans do have their own shops in their small town or have any direct access to retailers outside the state although a lot of the juttis they make are supplied and traded all over India. These agents/merchants/sardars are the ones who benefit from ‘blue cards’ made for artisans and gather materials in whole sale from a variety of places, distribute them amongst different artisan clusters and then gather the finished products and take them to the larger markets of Delhi, Mumbai etc as well as export it. These agents supposedly belong to the ‘baniya’ or the vendors caste and thereby exercise more power of the lower castes. Several concerns have been raised by the artisans themselves along with the citizens and activist requesting for facilities such as incentives for skill upgradations and global trends so as to increase the market for the same. There are also very minimal polices which directly aim at the upliftment of the socio-economic conditions of the artisans or training them in different fields of sale and commerce such as packaging, value adding and trade through e-commerce. It is important to note that these juttis that are traveling all around the world are promoting the name, tradition and richness of the country. The people solely responsible for doing so are the artisans, who don’t even receive pension or ration to get on with their lives.
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Image above : Newspaper article talking about the jutti tradition of Punjab
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AWARDS AND AWARDEES It is rather common in folk traditions for the makers to become over shadowed by the made, the tradition outlives the practitioner. Craftsmanship means more than technical virtuosity. It is not only a profound understanding of materials, and of the tools with which materials are fashioned, but most importantly it involves a genuine pride which drives an individual to craft and weave as well as can be done, beyond what is required, beyond economic considerations of reward. Since 1965 the Government of India, Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) have been jointly implementing a special scheme that confers recognition and honor to the Masters for their excellence and invaluable contribution to the crafts and textiles of India. In recognition of their talent these Shilpgurus, Master Weavers and Master Craft persons are honored with a National Awards, State awards, National Merit Certificates. One of the award winners for master craftsmen is Shri Budh Ram. He has been appreciated and honoured for excellent craftsmanship and the major role played by him in continuing jutti making as a vital part of traditional heritage. He has also won merit credits for participating in Craft Mela 2011, State Award Competetion to Master Craftsmen 1991-92, District Rural Development Agency sponsored by Development Commissioner (Handi-craft) Ministry of textile, Govt.of India. Rather than keeping the tradition alive he has gone out of his way to put this beautiful craft of Punjab in lime light. In 1992, he made a 5 feet tall jutti and then a 9 feet tall jutti which fits 12 kids inside. He was also awarded for making the smallest Punjabi juttis in patiala. He proudly says “Exhibition me humari jutti lagti hai to sab dekhne ko aate hai.� Dwarka Das, National Award winner for tilla jutti in 1991, has his shop in Topkhana mod, since the time of Bhupinder Singh. He complains that the amount of energy and work involved is not given much credit and value. Participating in exhibitions and competetions only leads to appreciation but does not do any justice to the people involved in the making of the jutti.
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Image above : One of the smallest juttis made by Dwarka Das, Patiala
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There are a variety of craft fairs that happen in different cities across the country, whose purpose is to promote the value of the craft and give the artisans an identity. But what often happens is that the middlemen involved in the jutti making process are the ones who get different varieties of the best juttis made on their names and take it to these exhibitions and thus once again benefit on the name of the artisan. The flat shoes with intricate designs embroidered on, are what make Durga Rani Dayal a national awardee. “She has been doing it since childhood. All designs are worked out by her. She can replicate any style,” says her son Rajkumar, who has exhibited her juttis at various places. He also adds with pride, “My mother is a pioneer of this craft and runs a training centre where 24 women teach other women.” Fazilka also has its own National Award winner, Baldev ji who’s juttis were nominated as No.1 in Punjab. He excitedly says “Star news, zee news wale ghar pe aaye the interview lene.” Baldev ji as a craftsman understands the present scenario of this dying craft and is constantly trying to reinvent it to keep the essence alive through the coming generations. He has also worked with an American designer to make tilla embroidered boots, but due to shortage of time he was not able to complete it. The prototype is kept in Muktsar today. Other than awards some of the master artisans like Mani Ram from Fazilka and Baant Singh from Patiala have been continuously interviewed because of their ages of experience in the field of this leather craft. Baant Singh has also been featured on Doordarshan and published in many newspapers. Mani Ram on the other hand has been interviewed for a video on the making of tilla jutti and embroidery done by the entire family since 100 years. He also state that many celebrities and ministers come personally to get their juttis made from them. Apart from getting National Awards and certificates these artisans are individually trying their own ways to keep this craft of Punjab alive. Irrespective of immense hardwork and labor these craftsmen are willingly going out of their ways to uplift the status of this craft.
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Image above : Set of tiniest juttis made by Budh Ram Khatri, Patiala
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1. Karan Kanojia ( friend ) 2. Jivitesh Sharma ( friend ) 3. Amiteshwar Singh ( friend ) 4. Rajinder Aunty ( PG owner ) 5.
Wonderful people we met
References
Summarizing this entire roller coaster of a journey is indeed difficult. It has had it’s ups and downs, mostly ups, but has taught us the art of appreciating the richness of traditional crafts. We believe till you don’t see something with your own eyes, it’s hard to understand or perceive it. This craft document has developed in us a deep sense of realising that each and everything follows a system. It has taught to question everything, dig deeper and go till the roots. Enabling us to communicate to a completely new crowd in a new surrounding, it has cultivated a sensitivity in us and an ability to look at things differently. We also wish to add that as students, there wasn’t much we could do when the artisans expressed their plight to us in Punjab. However, we designers, being the future of the country should look at what we have within our country and how we can bring betterment in the lives of these artisans as they struggle daily to make our country proud and retain it’s traditions.