Po r t f o l i o CRAFT CLUSTER
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CONTENTS Banglanatak dot com
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Project Brief
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Sitalpati
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Patachitra
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Madur Kathi
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Banglanatak dot com A mission to foster pro-poor growth and protection of rights of women, children and indigenous communities.
Banglanatak dot com is a social enterprise working across India with a mission to foster pro-poor growth and protection of rights of women, children and indigenous communities.
We specialise in communication for developmentusing theatre and developing community led creative industries based on intangible cultural heritage like performing arts and crafts.
The Department of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises & Textiles (MSME&T), Government of WestBengal is developing 10 Craft Hubs in association with UNESCO. As UNESCO partner, we are designing and implementing theproject. Works in rural, tribal and urban areas: •
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All districts of West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Tripura and Goa Extensively in Maharashtra, Ut-
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Developing knowledgebase on craft community and use of ICT for strengthening access to information. Supporting policy development for handicraft sector through building of evidence and data on socio-economic situation of artists.
tarakhand, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi Punjab and Orissa
Parts of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil-Nadu, Nagaland Meghalaya
Main Objective: •
Capacity Building
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Exchange Collaboration
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Direct Market Linkage
Entrepreneurship Development
Aims and objective • •
Capacity building, infrastructure, technology and marketing support to 3000 craft persons for building 10 handicraft hubs with national and international market linkages.
Birbhum district’s Nanoor Cluster hub artisians developing intresting artifacts.
Developing rural craft hubs Economic lifeline of the vulnerable sections of the society, with women accounting for around 50% of the artisans and a significant number belonging to the weaker sections of the society.
Handicrafts of Bengal embody our rich heritage of aesthetics, creativity and artistry. The sector represents economic lifeline of the vulnerable sections of the society, with women accounting for around 50% of the artisans and a significant number belonging to the weaker sections of the society. It provides low cost, green livelihood opportunities to more than 5.5 lakhs men and women.
Departmet of MSME&T, Government of West Bengal has partnered with UNESCO to unleash the potential
of craft sector of the state in terms of employment, enterprises, export and growth. Under this initiative community led and managed Rural Craft Hubs are being developed in ten locations across the state. The project initiated in 2013 targets revitalization of traditional crafts of Bengal as vibrant economic sector thereby ensuring socio-economic inclusion of rural poor by 2016 in tandem with the principles of fair trade.
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Project Brief The project’s aim was to work in these crafthubs alongside the craftsmen and as a product designer and to create for them designs that can be produced at the same production effort but appeal more to the customers of today.
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Bengal is a well known hub for a variety of small scale handicraft industries. Mostly based in relatively remote villages these craft hubs are run by the locals whose years of experience show in their skills.Banglanatok.com alongside UNESCO has been working to help develop these hubs by developing national and international market linkages, developing a knowledge base for them.There are ten such handicraft hubs out of which the three places I worked, being Coochbehar for Shitalpati, Bhagabanpur for Madurkathi and Pingla for Patachitra.
The project’s aim was to work in these crafthubs alongside the craftsmen and as a product designer and to create for them designs that can be produced at the same production effort but appeal more to the customers of today. Also to part with them the knowledge of pattern making which will allow them to create patterns as per there needs and ideas without external help.
CRAFT HUBS: Coochbehar- Sitalpati Pingla- Patachirtra Bagabanpur- Madurkathi
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Sitalpati There are various types of Pati like Bukar Pati, Dala Pati, Sitalpati, Mihi Pati, Bhushnai Pati etc.
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The word ‘Sital Pati’ means coolmat. These mats are luxurious, comfortable and utilitarian. Sitalpati mats are crafted from green cane slips of Maranta dichotoma or Muthra reed, which are split into fine slices length wise. The slips are then skilfully joined by interlacing weave. Mukta (pearls) is the local name of Maranta dichotoma as the fruits of the plant resemble pearls. According to local beliefs Lord Krishna wanted Radha to gift him pearls. Radha denied the gift. Krishna said he himself would grow pearls in a garden and planted a certain plant which grew that very day and bore seeds that looked
and shined like pearls. Out of 12 famous gardens in Vrindavan, one in Mukta.
The quality of the Sitalpati mat is judges by its glossiness, smoothness and fineness of texture.From the cane, the bust fibres is extracted in various layers as the quality dependson the different layers of the cane. There are various types of Pati like Bukar Pati, Dala Pati, Sitalpati, Mihi Pati, Bhushnai Pati etc. Mihi Pati is a better quality Pati weaved with Soru Sital. It is said that the best kind of Sitalpati is so smooth that even a snake cannot glide over it.
There is a large concentration of Pati weavers in Coochbehar district of West Bengal. Men are involved in making the cane slips whereas women do the weaving by hand. The craft community is mostly refugees from Bangladesh, who lost everything during the partition and settled over here. They brought with them their skills of weaving and took this craft as their source of livelihood. Presently there are around 4000 families involved in Pati making.
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Sitalpati Bag 1
Product Type-Men’s Briefcase
Dimensions- 13.5inch (L) X 15.5iinch (B) X 4.5inch (W) Price-450
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Sitalpati Bag 2 Product Type-Ladies side bag
Dimensions- 11inch (L) X 14iinch (B) X 3.5inch (W) Price-320
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Patachitra This is also a performing art as the Patua sings the story while unfurling the scroll. The most unique thing is that all the colours used by the artists are natural ones, extracted from different vegetables, fruits and flowers. Patachitra and Pater Gaan are unique cultural traditions of West Bengal. The Patuas paint stories on long scrolls of cloth. The ‘Jarano’ and ‘Gutano’ Pat means a scroll depicting a story in serially in picture frames. This is also a performing art as the Patua sings the story while unfurling the scroll. The most unique thing is that all the colours used by the artists are natural ones, extracted from different vegetables, fruits and flowers. Moving from folklore to mythology, today the painters depict incidents like the tsunamiand terrorist attacks on 9/11 in their art. Social themes like protection of environment, planting of trees have also found place in their creations. Patachirta has drawn the attention and interest of artists, art connoisseurs and art researchers and has been nationally and internationally acclaimed as a very interesting style
of painting. The Patuas are not only painting and singing on new themes but have also moved into new forays. They are amking apparel, stationery items and home decor products with Patachitra motifs. They have travelled to other regions of India and internationally showcasing their art form. Today they have a folf art centre inside the village to exhibit their creations.
An intricate tapestry of music and visual art is what makes Naya of Pingla more than just a viallage in the Paschim Midnapore district of West Bengal. The village is home to 250 Patuas, an unique tribe of folk artist who are painters, lyricists and performers – all in one.The artists have organised themselves under Chitrataru cluster.
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Patachitra Patachitra Bag Bag
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Product Type-Unisex Crossbody
Dimensions- 12inch (L) X 16iinch (B) X 2inch (W) Price-1500
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Madurkathi Madur is common item in ant Bengali household and is used for sitting, sleeping and also in religious rituals.
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A craft form of Mednipur, Madurkaathi is basically grass weed used for making mats. Mat or Madur weaving is an age old cottage industry of Bengal. Madur is common item in ant Bengali household and is used for sitting, sleeping and also in religious rituals. Explaining the scope of reativity in order to suit the present market the weavers make various diversified products which in clued table runners and mats, curtains, hat, purse, sunguard etc. Fairs and Festivals are the main market of the products while some lifestyle boutiques also purchase premium products from these artists.
Bhagabanpur of Purba Medinipur is known for its age old tradition of making mats with the natural fibre available locally. Handlooms are used for making the mats of various designs. Previously a large number of people were engaged in this craft but today there are around 500 Madur weavers in the area. Most of weavers are women working in small units. About 170 Madur weavers are attached to this Rural Craft Hub Initiative.
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Madurkathi Bag 1 Product Type- Balti Bag
Dimensions- 16inch x 7 inch Price- Rs 280
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Product Type- Conductor Bag
Dimensions- 16inch (L) X 11inch (B) X 3inch (W) Price- Rs 220
Madurkathi Bag 2
Bag made by the artisan on his own. He was also taught how to make the pattern of the bag on his own.
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