Craft final version (1)

Rosewood Inlay MYSURU

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“Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind“

Published in August, 2017 by the Fashion Communication Department National Institute of Fashion Technology Site No. 21, 27th Main, Sector 1 HSR Layout Bengaluru, Karnataka - 560102 Developed By: Komal Lakhwani Rashi Sharma Guided By: Mr. Sanjeev CM All rights are reserved by NIFT. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic , mechanical or photocopy without prior permission.

Printed in India

Preface Crafts have woven the Indian culture together since the beginning of time. Owning to the diversity of our country there are an innumerable crafts widespread through the most remote corners of the countries. One such craft is the Mysore rosewood inlay. The craft involves inlaying acrylic into carved pieces of rosewood. In the following pages we have enumerated our journey with the artisans in Mysuru as they gave us their insights about the craft and shared with us their experiences and stories.

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MYSURU

TASTE OF MYSORE

ORGANISATIONS

The City History Rulers of Mysore Dassara

Guru Sweet RRR Hotel Mylari Resturant

Arun Fine Arts Geeta Fine Arts

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PLACES TO GO

CLUSTER

OTHER CRAFTS

Mysore Palace St. Philomena‘s Church

Mandimohalla Karakushala Nagar

Patchwork Ganjifa Painting Wood Carving

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SHOPPING

ROSEWOOD INLAY

Devraja Market

INDEX

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Overview

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cluster is defined as a geographic concentration of units pro ducing near similar products and facing common opportunities and threats. Mysore cluster falls under Karnataka state in Mysore district. Having abundant availability of timber, especially rosewood, teak, and sandal in the forest abutting Mysore; prompted the noble chevalier to use them liberally in the making of their customised furniture, artworks and other wooden articles over the centuries. Every article of those timber was handcrafted by sculpting, inlay and other inventive works. Consequently, Mysore handicrafts and paraphernalia became favoured in Karnataka and vicinal states.

The document bears imprints of all the lives of the artisans, the era of craft from genesis and the way this enthralled craft thrives for existence. Emphasizing more with the plight of the artisans, it such an irony that this beauty was created admits vileness and poverty. Every little intricate detail of the design reflected the less recognized passion, hard work, and the treasures they created, remain immortal.

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MYSURU.

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The City.

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ysore, the erstwhile capital of princely state of Mysore, evokes memories of grand palaces, opulent royals, magnificence and splendour. The second-largest city in Karnataka, Mysore is rapidly metamorphosing into a modern city while retaining vestiges of its splendid history. The historic settlement of Mysuru (which changed its name from Mysore in 2014) is one of South India‘s most enchanting cities, famed for its glittering royal heritage and magnificent monuments and buildings. Its World Heritage–listed palace brings most travellers here, but Mysuru is also rich in tradition with a deeply atmospheric bazaar district littered with spice stores and incense stalls. Ashtanga yoga is another drawcard and there are several acclaimed schools which attract visitors from across the globe.

Mysuru, which changed its name from Mysore in the year 2014, is a renowned city of southernIndia known for its glittering royal heritage,magnificent monuments and palatial complexes. When Mysuru comes to mind, most travelersthink of the gilded, opulent palaces but kingdomof Mysuru, under the patronage of the Wadiyars went on to become the cultural capital of Karnatka. The city is rich in tradition with adeeply atmospheric bazaar littered with stories of her residents selling spices, incense and a variety of craft items, made in Mysuru itself. The city with its wide and clean roads, spectacular gardens, palaces and places of worship area delight to behold and make sight-seeing a wonderful experience, attracting over 2.5 million visitors each year.

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Statue of Chamarajendra Wodeyar

History.

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very city in India is associated with a dynasty which has played a significant role in the dynasty development of the city and when one speaks of Mysore, the Wodeyars are the ruling family here. They are one of the few royal family that still play a major role. The old province of Mysore comprised the areas of Mysore, Talked, Kodigar and Srinangapatna. The Wodeyar dynasty which was founded by Yaduraya in 1399 AD has dominated most of mysore history. Tipu sultam was the first to build on army on scientific lines and took on might of the British, known as the “tiger of Mysore”. his acts of courage and bravery are renowned.

The modern phase of Mysore began from 1800 with the ascent to the throne of Krishna Raja Wodeyar III. Governor William Bentivk took Mysore in 1831 and in 1818 restored in back to Camaraja Wodeyar. But Mysore began its phase to development and modernisation under rule of Krishna Raja Wodeyar III from 1940 often referred to as “Golden Age of Mysore”.

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Ruler of Mysore.

TIPU SULTAN, Tiger of Mysore.

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he kingdom of Mysuru was founded by Yaduraya in the year 1399. The kingdom was ruled by the Wodeyar/Wadiyar family served under the Vijaynagar empire until it’s decline in the year 1565. Under the rule of Narasaraja Wadiyar and Chikka Devraj Wadiyar, the kingdom took over a large part of Southern India and became one of the most powerful ruling families of the country. The empire flourished and reached new heights under the governance of Haider Ali and his son, Tipu Sultan. The Wadiyars were restored as the rightful heirs to the throne under British governance who defeated Tipu Sultan, and functioned as a ‘Princely State’ till 1947 when the kingdom was merged with the Union of India.

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The elephants from the Mysore DASARA The Dasara festival celebrated in the city considered for selection. Then the chosen of Mysore is of legendary magnificence elephants were trained for the festival. It is and splendour. said that the king himself would overlook the training. Altogether thirteen elephants It is a celebration that has continued from participated in the festival, each on of them the grandeur of the days of the Wodeyar has to go through rigid conditioning. At kings. These days, in democratic India, there least two of them have to be female. The are no kids, but show goes on the elephants chief elephant by of five elephants. There is are an integral part of the celebration. The one elephant dedicated to pull the chariot participation of the elephants is central containing police band. to Dasara festivities Mysore. The stories of Dasara elephants itself is a matter of great fascination for local population. The participant elephants over the years, and especially the maitre-d-procession, have become part of history and folk legends.

Most of these elephants are caught by the elephants trainers via chided operation. during the Wodeyar rule, the elephants thus caught were inspected in an field for strength, personality and character. The walking styles, weakness to seduction, the facial charisma were some of the factors

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g lei

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lphants have had and continued to have an important role in culture across the south Asia. While their uses have changed during the millennia. From war and construction to present day tourists rides a wide variety of elephant uses continues today. The sacred texts and teachings of islam, as well as those of buddhists and hindus, each contain aspect referring to elephants. In Buddhism the elephants symbolises mental strength and responsibility. In western world, this is sometimes interoperated as if elephants are worshipped. Actually the reference is for the god, and living elephants would be described as one of the tools of getting close to the deity.

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Themes & Inspiration.

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nitially which the art form flourished, the artisans took inspiration from the village scenes, took sceneries and day to day life. As the art flourished a lot of Indian mythological gods were depicted. To this day the most popular inlay these are subject related to mythology and religion.

Today it has reached a state, where there is a gap between the old designs and expectations of newer generation. this had to be bridged quickly or the art will become extinct in a few years.

Interestingly this art has been recognised by some foreign companies which are now providing the artisans with the latest designs.

However these designs have a copy right of which artisans cat make use of these ideas. This exposure is only available to very few artisans who are working on their own in Mandimohalla.

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PLACES TO GO.

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Mysore Palace.

The Mysore Palace is an opulent sight to behold. It has been built in the Indo-Saracenic style which was a type of gothic revival style that developed in India. The revived palace has been built in 1912 by Henry Irvin, under the Wadiyars. The palace features decadent silver, rosewood inlay work inlaid with deer horn, carved teakwood ceilings, stained glass work that a few places can boast of. The palace also contains paintings of the Wadiyar royalty painted by Raja Ravi Verma in his realistic, western style. Each room in the palace gets more decadent than the last.

The residential wing of Amba Vilas was designed like a traditional Indian house where the courtyard is in the center. It had all portraits, weapons, Mysore and Tanjore style paintings of the Wadiyars, their photographs, their toys and furniture that was elaborately inlaid with mother of pearl and ivory.

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he palace also has several unique rooms.

These include the public durbar, where the king would host major ceremonial gatherings. There’s also the Kalyana Mantapa, a spectacular octagonal shaped hall where all royal weddings, birthdays and ceremonial functions were celebrated. The Private Durbar, the Gombe Thotti and the portrait gallery are also worth a visit.

The current palace is built in Indo-Saracenic style and blends together Hindu, Muslim, Rajput and Gothic styles of architecture. The palace itself is a three-storey stone structure which has a series of square towers with arches covered with domes. There is also a large open space in front with an open courtyard in the center which is covered by a gold plated dome about 145 feet off the ground.

A striking sculpture of Gajalakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, good luck is located above the central arch with her elephants. The palace is surrounded by a large garden. The palace houses a collection of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world.

The palace is converted into a museum that is home to souvenirs, paintings, jewellery, royal costumes and other items which were once possessed by the Wodeyars. However, the erstwhile Royal family continues to live in a portion of the Palace. It’s a rainbow of stained glass and mirrors. The lavishly decorated rooms are hidden behind elegantly decorated and intricately carved doors. Musical instruments, costumes, children’s toys and portraits are displayed on the ground floor while the upper floor has a small collection of weapons. The palace displays the largest collection of gold objects quantity wise.

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Audience Hall

St. Philomena‘s Church

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he St. Philomena‘s Church, built in 1956 in Mysore is one of the oldest churches in India Initially over 250 years ago there was a small church in its place. The entire church is built in the Gothic style is one of the largest Cathedrals in South Asia.

The twin spires of the Cathedral are seen from miles around making it a distinctive city landmark. The main hall of the cathedral can seat up to 800 people and is as exquisitely conceived as the ornately crafted exterior with beautiful stained glass windows depicting scenes from the birth of Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ.It is no longer just a religious place but has become a major tourist attraction in Mysore. Today the church stands as a monument to the secular outlook of the Mysore rulers.

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SHOPPING.

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Devraja Market.

Dating from Tipu Sultan’s reign, this lively bazaar has local traders selling traditional items such as flower garlands, spices and conical piles of kumkum (coloured powder used for bindi dots), all of which makes for some great photos.

For a typical ambiance of a market place, where you may have iwtness deluge of people looking out for all sorts of items, the Devraja Market is an ideal representation of the same. The rich histroy of the market is evident from the fact that it is ober 100 years old and still carries the same aura tht it had since its inception.

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Entrances to Devraja Market

There are two main entrances to the market. One is through the northen end, which is at Sayyaji Rao Road, and the Southern entrance is through the Dhanvantri Road. There are other entrances to the place from in the middle as well. However, it is advised for visitors to entre from either the northern or Sourthern entrance in order to explore the enitre length of the market. The northern part of the market is famous for fruit selling while the southern part is famous for its vegetables.

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Northern Part of the Market The northern part of the market is famous and filled with fruits sellers. The most famous fruit sold here is the banana as across most parts of South India. There are other fruits which sold as well. During the summer period the market is flooded with truck loads of mangoes. The southern part is busier part since it sells vegetables of all kinds. The hustle and bustle in the market is evident from the fact that there are over 800 traders across the length of the market.

Middle Part of the Market Apart from the northern and southern section of the market which is famous for its fruits and vegetables, the middle part of the market is known for its flower selling shops.

The large variety of flowers that get sold in this section. The flowers that are sold here are the brightly colored Marigold, Rose, Jasmin and Chrysanthemum. The garland making is an artistic affair. The making of the garlands is done in front of the customer‘s eyes.

Like any typical market across the country , the prices shoot through the roof during times of festivals. The commodities which see rise are fruits and flowers which see a heavy demand during that time. The peak business hours are during mornings and evenings, so are the week-ends and the festive days especially during the festival of Dussera, which is a landmark festival celebrated in Mysore.

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You can walk through all the fruits, veggies and flower markets because it‘s actually a very unique market in that it‘s clean and insanely well organised. You can pick up old frames photos of gods or old post cards that have been recycled or painted on, fake gold banglesincense sticks, essential oils and perfumes here. You can sample pure jaggery here and taste it with rice puffs. You can try famous Mysore Pak made from sugar, ghee and with some almond milk and most famous shop Guru Sweets just outside the market.

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Why Indians use Banana leaves to eat food?

In several south Indian states, it is traditional to serve food on banana leaves. Guests are given the top part of the leaf while family members are given the lower parts.

Everybody sits together on the floor and eats with their hands. Rice, meat, vegetables, lentils, curries and pickles are all served on the same leaf, since it is large enough to accommodate a whole meal.

Eating on banana leaves is a custom that dates back thousands of years, however its benefits are still relevant today. It is also believed that the leaf has anti-bacterial properties that kill all the germs in the food, thereby reducing the chances of you falling sick. Banana leaves have a waxy coating that has a subtle but distinct flavour.

When hot food is placed on the leaves, the wax melts and lends its flavour to the food, making it taste better.

Since plates are washed with soap and water, traces of the chemicals in the soap may still remain on the plates, contaminating your food. Banana leaves just need to be rinsed with a little water, and do not need to be washed with soap, so your food will be chemical-free.

The banana leaf is quite large, making it capable of holding an entire meal that consists of several different components. The leaves are also largely waterproof, thanks to their waxy coating, so they can hold gravy preparations without getting soggy.

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RRR Biryani Hotel 39

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TASTE OF MYSORE.

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Mysore Pak : Guru Sweet Mart.

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ith a footfall of more than 35 lak tourists flocking to Mysuru each year to have a look at the various heritage sites and tourist spots, the delicious food the city has offer is sometimes overlooked. But no on should leave the city before tasting the traditional Mysore Pak. Many sweet shops in the city put up boards clamining that they are the best makers of Mysore Pak, but it is the the 125 years old Devraja Market where this is golden sweet has originated, at a shop name Guru Sweets on Sayyaji Rao Road.

Stacks of crispy, golden yellowe blocks of Mysore Pak occupy Guru sweets.

This traditional dessert is said to be an accidental discovery made by the royal chef, Kakasura Madappa. The sweet dish was invented during the regime of Maharaja Krishanaraja Wadiyar IV. The king onced asked Madappa to come up with a new delicious dessert, and in no time, he prepared the sweet from besan and sugar syrup and presented it to Wadiyar. The King was delighted with the taste and said that since the sweet invited in the royal kitchen of the Mysore Palace and made of the sugar syrup, he names it Mysore Pak.

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RRR Biryani.

The branded hotel in Mysore for Biryani and non-vegetarian food- Hotel RRR. A lot of Mysoreans would suggest this place for the best Biryani experience, we would too! This Andhra style restaurant serves the best Mutton Biryani in the city. The only trouble being- It’s always jam-packed. They have two branches, be sure to head on to the branch mentioned here as the other one lacks in ambience. They serve everything in banana leaves. It’s also very well known for its vegetarian thali. It’s a little pricey compared to most restaurants, but the food lives upto it.

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Mysore Dosa : Mylari Dosa.

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he culinary invention of the world famous Mysore Dosa has iits original beginnings from this humble shop. This shop does not have any branches and is excatly as it was many many years back.

The speciality of Mylari Dosa is basically that is a very simple basic fare punched with flavours. The Dosa is crisp from outside but it literally melts in your mouth. It doesn‘t have a potatlo filling like in most Dosas served throughout India. It haas a typical sago-green chilli- coriander paste filling with a raw finely minced onions or shallots. It is served with a dollop of unsalted butter and accompanied with a very resh non spicy coconut chutney.

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CLUSTER.

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Mandi Mohalla is one of the craft clusters located in Mysuru where one can find lanes upon lanes of workshops of people working with rosewood inlay, wood patchwork and Mysuru incense workshops. The artisans work and stay in Mandi Mohalla itself. It is not a government owned cluster project.

Karakushala Nagar.

To give rise to the craft of Karnataka, the government has set up a Multicraft complex in KARAKUSHALA NAGARA (near BM shree nagar, Mysore) , a cluster which includes 480 houses built with the help from both central and state government. Set on the outskirts of Mysore, Karakushala nagara is an initiative taken by the central government to promote rosewood inlay. In accordance with this, almost about 400 artisans and their families are housed in this Multicraft complex in one bedroom houses constructed by the government.

According to the artisans the first 100 houses were donated by the government of Switzerland and the later ones constructed by Cauvery(emporiums run by Karnataka state, with a loan from KFSC bank). This initiative was brought about so that the artists could have a sense of security with which to continue practicing their art. Several of their houses, double up as workshops, where artisans use one or more of the rooms for their work. The government supported set up provides living and working space for about 2000 crafts person and their families. The procurement centre set up by the govt. of Karnataka is a unit of Cauvery’ Karnataka state art and crafts emporium that provides the artisans raw materials like sandalwood and purchase craft objects from the artisans and market them through their own outlets at different parts of the state.

The organisation conducts training programs sponsored by Development Commissioner of Handicrafts with the help of in-house design centre and ‘Chamraja

Technical Institute’, Mysore. It organises health campus for artisan’s families, provides insurance for the artisans enrolled with this craft. But presently artisans are just getting orders from Cauvery emporium to work on but no such material subsidy.

The lifestyle of these artisans is very simple and they mostly stay in multicraft complex only, generally in small houses with their immediate family. The field is heavily male dominated, there being very few female workers. The workers usually earn about rs.300 for a full day’s work at an average and these low wages ar the reason that several of them are teetering on the poverty line. But still they are driven by passion and love for the craft, and ready to put in extra hours of hard work and precision without complain. One refreshing aspect of this complex is the sense of community among the artisans. Workers from different caste and religion works together in harmony, with no compunctions about themes or stories depicted. You find artisans from very religion working together on depiction from Dasara, to traditional inscriptions from Quran, to the portrait of baby jesus.

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CRAFT.

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Rosewood

Inlay R

osewood inlay craft belongs to the Persians and their artsy approach towards the craft amazed the Mysore Maharajas and therefore, demanded gateways with rosewood inlay, thrones etc. In Persia, following their Islamic religion, they carved only floral and foliage motifs in their inlays but in India there are a lot of birds, elephants, human figures and sceneries. The main motifs and patterns comprise of palace motifs. The main elements are majorly formed with lines, with the occasional use of a dot at the focal point of the main motif. The floral motifs are intricately linked with each other in small units.

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This craft that synonymous with Mysuru, which was brought into India from Persia, in the 18th century. The artisans had settled in Srirangapatna- under Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali. Mysore Inlay woodwork flourished in India 300 years ago during the 17th Century. A few artisans were inlaying rosewood with carved pieces of ivory and deer horn to make exquisite articles of desire.

The Wadiyars to whom the Mysore kingdom was restored by the British continued to encourage them. The artisans generally got inspired from local flora and fauna and from local tradition and included mostly geometric patterns. In the past, the artisans used to carve using deer horn, the wooden doors of the Dariya Daulat Baagh in Srirangapatna and the Amba villas palace in Mysore are the best examples of these. The first firm to mass produce the rosewood inlay work dates back to 1870 named Yousaf Ali and sons. It specialized in making caskets and wooden frames which were in high demand at that time. A study of the wooden inlay work by the Mysore based ‘Handicrafts marketing and service center’ points that the craft was reeling under crisis due to the lack of orders until a cigarette company reckoned to be promoting the elephant brand, placed bulk orders for marketing its products and this was when elephants first emerged in the wood inlays. In the early 1900s, Chamara jendra technical institute make experiments with the traditional inlay patterns and mythology was also in introduced alongside geometric patterns.

Artisans Mir Showkat Ali is credited with introducing country side scenes into the craft, which boosted the popularity of the wood inlay works. The study report points out that from a mere 2 units that was their producing wood inlay works in the early 1940s, it increased to 65 in 1960s while their numbers peaked in the 1980s and 1990s with as many as 300 units manufacturing them.

Wood inlay is an ancient craft, in which a solid body of amaterial, like a rosewood plank is scooped out to receive sections of natural, multihued wood pieces, to form a decorative surface pattern. In marquetry, pieces of wood are assembled and then pressed onto a frame, like a jigsaw puzzle. A three-dimensional effect is created by the artist craftsperson, when portraits, landscapes, exotic birds and animals are reproduced in their natural colours. Wood inlay craft is a speciality of Mysuru artisans in which wood is decorated by inserting other material, and the ornamentation consists of floral and geometrical patterns, landscape, themes drawn from Hindu mythology, wild animals, khedda operations, Buddha, Geethopadesha, Dasara procession, horse in motion, birds in flight, tiger in various poses and village scenes, among others.

Sri Sathya Mohan Handicrafts, Inlay work of King Wodeyar

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Jack-fruit (Nangka) Yellow Wood.

Raw Materials.

Initially Rosewood and Ivory was used for inlay works but when ivory was banned in India, white and beige plastic has been used as substitutes. Plywood is used for base frame of the art piece. Different color woods like white cedar, rose wood, chill pine, rubber wood, red sandal, jackfruit wood etc. are used to add multiple colors to the art piece. A mixture of wax and charcoal is used to ll ne details. The wood, plastic sheets, and other materials are bought from the local market. The preferred colors used in the work pieces are orange, light blue, medium blue, dark blue, yellow, green (not natural), brown, dark brown, maroon etc.

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Process of Inlay The completion of one rosewood inlay craft invol- Chiseling: Chiseling of the wood is done with the ves multiple craftsmen in one long tedious pro- help of a hammer and a shading tool. cess.

Fitting: After chiseling, the cut-out pieces are then Seasoning: Seasoning of wood comprises of fitted into the empty voids after applying it with a drying up the moisture from the freshly cut wood coat of adhesive and rosewood powder mixture. to make it crack free. It is seasoned in factories, in large furnaces where the wood is treated to a Leveling: After the surface has been dried, a thick certain temperature. paste of rosewood powder mixed with water is applied on the surface of the setting and left to dry Sketching: The design of the art piece is finalized for another half an hour. and drawn on a paper and colors are marked on the drawing.

Engraving: Fine grooves are made using a chisel to give detailing to the art piece which adds on to Shape cutting: After the sketches are done, its then the finished look. stuck on the wood and cut into shapes with the help of a blade. It approximately takes one full day Polishing: The last step comprises of polishing the for a table, sofa and the other big products to cut whole of the product with the desired varnish to all the pieces into shapes. give it a lustrous look.

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Approach towards Craft.

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Fitting

Leveling

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Adhesive

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Shape Cutting

Engraving

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Adhesive

Polishing

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Tracing

Chiseling

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Packaging

Geeta Fine Arts, Mandimohalla Geeta Fine Arts, Mandimohalla

Tools.

The production of inlay works is a multi-step process. From the sources of raw materials to the finishing of final product, number of multi-purpose tools are used in between. Many of the tools used by the artisans are common also to carpenters, though many on a small scale.

Initially, a design is created and finalized on paper, with specific color outlines and markings. Stencils are made and used to create markings on wood surface, the surface is then cut away to provide recesses which are to be filled. The designs are filled with pieces of colored woods and plastic, and stuck using glue. After the pieces have been properly installed, the surface is scraped down using flint paper to bring all the inlay pieces to the same level, ensuring uniformity. A chisel is used to scrape out smaller details for each figure, which are then applied with a formula of molten wax and charcoal.

The most commonly used tools include the coping saw, chisel, wing compass and divider, hammer and a variety of engraving tools.

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Geeta Fine Arts, Mandimohalla

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Motifs.

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he motifs usually comprise of palatial silhouettes along with flora and fauna. The main elements of the motifs are usually formed with lines. The overall pattern or design of the rose wood inlay has seven sections. The very first section comprises of either floral motifs or animal motifs. These animals are specifically either elephants or horses and may or may not be accompanied by men from the Dussera scenes. The second section comprises of only floral motifs. The third section comprises of either animal or floral motifs.

The consequent next two sections comprises of a double lined thin border known as ‘Dhassi’ which are thin strips of acrylic sheet that are cut out and placed in circular manner along the border line. The last section, also being the central floral section, has the larger ratio in terms of space and must comprise scenes from Dussera. Nowadays, other than the main traditional motifs, a lot of contemporary subjects have surfaced in the current scenario due to customer demands. The treatment of figures has also shifted to a more global perspective. Subjects like that of Catholic beliefs, or of country landscapes are also being taken up.

It is interesting to note that in Persia, where the craft was created, the inlay work was only done using plant and flower motifs along with calligraphy in Arabic. This is because, in Persia the dominant religion is Islam according to which it is considered blasphemous to create the image of God, in the form of man or animal but as the craft travelled from Persia to India, it changed to suit the needs of India’s people who are mostly Hindu and therefore, human and animal figures were introduced into Inlay work.

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Karakushala Nagar Artisan : Mohan

Artisan Focus.

Mohan is a 50-year-old rosewood inlay artist residing in Karakushalanagar. Rosewood inlay is a family business which has been passed down from generation to generation. He is the 3rd generation with his son taking up the business now.

Mohan lives in a one-bedroom apartment with his family consisting of 6 members since the past 30 years. He took up inlay work at the age of 15 to support the household and attended school till the 5th standard. He has a bad cough, due to all the rosewood dust he has inhaled but does not seem bothered about such health hazards, and when asked about safety gear and health insurance, he says the government is not bothered about it.Mohan is not tech savvy and when asked about marketing his products online, he seems disinterested and says he is too old to learn new things. In order to become a residing artist of Karakushalanagar, Mohan gave a written exam and passed after which he was allotted the house. He works in compliance with the government, taking up orders and receiving a certain commission after the products he made have been sold off.

All his tools, raw materials including rosewood is provided by the government itself.

The DCHC states that the advantages of living in a government run cluster include subsidized rates of electricity, a consistent source of employment unlike private artisans, a daily allowance of Rs.500, chances to participate in expositions across the country and the globe without making any payment from the artisan’s own pocket due to travel allowances which is also provided. The government also organizes workshops that can help equip these artisans better with technology and skill development. The government also has a ‘Death Fund’ to support the artisan’s family after their demise, where they receive a dependence fee. When asked about these opportunities and whether or not he utilizes them, Mohan just gives a dejected nod. There is certainly a gap in communication from the side of the government as well as the artisans, therefore miscommunication must be dealt with to make the system function better.

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Growth of Rosewood Inlay.

During the early sixties, when rosewood inlay gained popularity in Mysuru, the designs were not quite as intricate and could be considered to be simple outlines that were carved out of the ivory or deerhorn, which was legal to use as a material for inlaying, as one can see from the inlay work shown in the above pictures The themes were very traditional, with tales from the Indian mythology taking the lead.

Here one can see that detailing has been given more importance along with movement, with the inlay work appearing to be more dynamic than its older counterparts. The themes were still traditional in nature, with emphasis on Indian Mythology along with flora and fauna.

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Current Situation.

Market Price.

The artisans of Mysuru have been working in this field of profession over decades. In the recent years, apart from private businesses, the government of Karnataka has taken an initiative to train the locals in this craft and make provisions for their livelihood.

The demand for rosewood inlay in the market is high, but not like it used to be in the early 90’s. Its production and recognition has diminished over the years due to the introduction of a large number of creative and innovative products within the past 3 decades. The prices of the product vary in accordance with intricacy and size of the rosewood inlay piece. A Standard rosewood inlay dinner table will fetch up to 1+ lakh in the market. Though rosewood inlay products are being marketed, emporiums and shops selling these products get a huge amount of profit, the artisans themselves who shed blood, sweat and tears to make the products are not given any benefits and most of them remain in poverty. The middlemen must be eradicated from this business to ensure the artisans receive their dues.

The government sustained artisans receive the wood at lower prices from the forest departments, as opposed to private business artisans who purchase the wood fat forest auction.

The price of the trunk of rosewood estimates to around ninety thousand to a lakh. Whereas, the various colored wood for creating the designed can be bought at 6-15 for a plank of 3x8 ft. sold at rupees 60-120 for a bundle of 20-25 planks.

Through studies carried out by us in Mysuru, we found out that the shops that procure the inlay items from the artisans sell it at double and even triple the prices, which makes it a very high profit margin for these sellers, yet the artisans themselves earn only meager wages.

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A

ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN ROSEWOOD INLAY.

B

ARUN FINE ARTS.

T

he city of Mysore has been the home of various cultural activities for decades which flourished under the patronage of the rulers of erstwhile Mysore. Eminent personalities of exceptional caliber worked in Mysore and brought laurels for the state.

One such noted artist was L Srikanta. Mr L Srikanta began working with wood in-lay work at the age of 8 years under the guidance of Mir Shoukath Ali who was a national award winner for in-lay works. He later founded M/s Arun Fine Arts in the year 1968 undertaking various forms of in-lay work with specializing in Jesus Wall Panels, Elephant designs and panoramic view of villages. He went on to win State Merit Award for wood in-lay work in the year 2003 for his dedication and workmanship in the field of art.

68

Location : #1464, M k Street, Mission Hospital Road Crosss, Mandi Mohalla, Mysore -570021.

S Ashok Kumar, son of Mr. L Srikanth, joined his father in the year 2000 and helped him, expand both in terms of customized designer furniture and added more depth into in-lay work. Ever since Ashok has participated in more than 50 exhibitions around India and has been instrumental in exporting exquisite in-lay worked artifacts to England, Scotland, Denmark, USA and Cyprus. Ashok has carried in-lay art work in various sizes ranging from 4” x 4” to 8’ x 12’.

GOVERMENT INFUENCE: The government had offered Mr. Ashok to give training on rosewood inlay and various other crafts to keep it alive. A lot of tourists, Indians as well as foreigners involve themselves in this training.One among these tourists, Mr. Vairse along with his wife decided to stay back in Mysore to know more about the craft and the culture. It’s been 2 years since these engineers have moved from Australia. Now, they take care of a website called, skillstourism.com which provides various touristy activities. According to them, Mysore is the best place to learn Marquetry (the name of rosewood inlay in foreign). The most popular design internationally is supposedly the leaf design.

Owner: S Ashok Kumar Info: @arunfinearts.in

GEETA FINE ARTS.

Location : #1368 Mission Hospital Road Cross, M K Street, Near Hotel Prakash, Mandi Mohalla, Mysore-570021

B

A

OTHER CRAFTS.

B

Patchwork.

P

atchwork is a wooden craft where different colored wood and grain are put together. Wood patchwork is used in decorative paintings artworks, architecture and furniture.

74

The patchwork process is similar to the process used to put together multi-colored pieces of a puzzle. Layering is another process in which the end product has a 3- Dimensional feel to it. The wooden planks with patchwork on them are stacked one upon each other to create a relief artwork.

The themes followed in patchwork also follow stories from the Hindu Mythology. Most artists that do inlay work also practice patchwork, since these two crafts are closely related and are in harmony with one another.

The patchwork process is similar to the process used to put together multi-colored pieces of a puzzle. Layering is another process in which the end product has a 3- Dimensional feel to it. The wooden planks with patchwork on them are stacked one upon each other to create a relief artwork.

The themes followed in patchwork also follow stories from the Hindu Mythology. Most artists that do inlay work also practice patchwork, since these two crafts are closely related and are in harmony with one another.

B

Arun Fine Arts, Manidmohalla

A

Ganjifa Painting.

“Ganjifa” is the name given to an ancient Indian card game.

Historically this game is believed to have been brought to India and popularized during the Moghul period. Quite aptly the name Ganjifa comes from the Persian word “Ganjifeh” which means playing cards. The specialty of these cards is that they are traditionally hand-painted. The cards are typically circular although some rectangular decks have been produced. This was a game that was popular and played across Medieval India.

Each region in the country had its own form of the game. Mysore Ganjifa was extensively patronized by the Mysore Royal Family – The Woodyear Kings. Given that the main aim of the game was to teach, learn and tell stories from our ancient scriptures and holy books, all the 18 games in the Mysore Ganjifa Style were set to stories and shlokas from the Hindu Purana’s, stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata etc.

T

he Dashavatara Ganjifa which is a series based on the 10 different forms of the Hindu God Vishnu was the most popular of the 18 Ganjifa games and is the best known to this day. The Dashavatara Ganjifa has a set of 120 different playing cards.

77

Manidmohalla

Wood Carving.

Manidmohalla

T

he art of wood carving has been practiced in Karnataka for at least a thousand years, and Karnataka is world famous for its exquisitely carved figurines with intricate details. The soft aromatic wood can be delicately carved with ease to create elegant masterpieces.

The ceilings and gateways of royal homes and the temples showcase hundreds of intricately carved images of gods and goddesses. Rosewood articles are a one of the shopper‘s delight, and tourist take home with them articles or sculptures carved out of rosewood out of which beautifully carved rosewood elephant figurines are the most famous of all. The wood is refined and used to make a plethora of products that range from idols deities as well as elephants, horses, camels, Buddha, Mahavira and finely wrought chariots to decorative pieces such as paper cutters, boxes, name cases, trays, photo frames, combs, walking-sticks, fans, cigarette cases, holders, and elephant statues. Mysore is the hub of the flourishing sandalwood and other wood carving industry.

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Bibliography Book.

Handmade in India : Crafts of India Series Author: Aditi Ranjan & M.P. Ranjan (Eds.) Year: 2008 Websites. www.cauverycrafts.com/rose- wood.php www.handicraft.indiamart.com www.craftsvilla.com www.dsource.ina/resource/my- sore-rose-wood www.kalasrusti.com/rosewood-inlay www.mysorehandicrafts.com

INDEX Erstwhile: old, former

Souvenir: a thing that is kept as a reminder of person or place or event. pg.27

pg.14

Metamorphosing: to undergo or be capable of undergoing a change in form or nature pg.14 Spires: a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on top of a building, typically a church tower pg.29 Vestiges: a trace or remnant of something that is disappearing or no loner in exists pg.14 Cathedral: a very large, usually stone building for Christian worship pg.29 Enchanting: delightfully charming or attractive Ascension: the action of rising to an important position or a higher Acclaimed: publicly praised pg.14 level pg.29 Palatial: resembling a palace in being spacious and splendid

Chrysanthemum: type of a flower

Grandeur: impressiveness in appreance

pg.19

Flocking: move or go together in a crowd

Fascination: attract the strong attention

pg.19

Hyder Ali: Hyder Ali was the sultan and the ruler of the kingdom of Mysore pg.53

Maître –d : the head waiter of restaurant pg.19 Chided: scold or rebuke

Caskets : a small ornament box

pg.19

pg.34 pg.42

pg.53

Chariot: a four-wheeled carriage with back seats and a coa chman’s seat pg.19

Chisel : a long bladed hand toll with a bevelled cutting edge and a handle which is struck with a hammer or mallet, used to cut or shape wood pg.56

Millennia: an anniversary of a thousand years

pg.20

Adhesive : able to stick fast to a surface or object

Opulent: ostentatiously costly and luxurious

pg.27

Silhouette: the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible restricted light against a brighter background pg.61

Saracenic: Islamic architecture consisting chiefly of mosques and tombs and characterized by decorated domes and arches pg.27 Octanganal: having the shape or cross section of an octagon; eight sided pg.27 Gombe: doll or puppet

pg.27

Arch: a curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supporting the weight of a bridge, or wall above pg.27 Exquisite: extremely beautiful and delicate

pg.27

pg.56

Blasphemous: sacrilegious against God or sacred things Savvy: shrewdness and practical knowledge

pg.61

pg.63

Laurels: any of a number of shrubs and other plants with drak green glossy leaves pg.68 Marquetry: Western word for inlay work

pg.69

Plethora: a large or excessive amount of something

pg.79 83

A

B

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