Friday, Feb 14, 2014
New Delhi
Thousands of people have over the last 10 days been visiting an international crafts fair that has become a calendar fixture in India’s northern state of Haryana.
The International Surajkund Crafts Fair, an annual event, was this year held from February 5 to 15 at Faridabad. It is organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in collaboration with Haryana Tourism.
Spread over acres of land, the stalls with thatched roofs at the fair lend a rustic charm and are an amalgam of colour.
Designed to highlight untapped rural talent on a national platform, the fair was first organised in 1981. Only handmade items make the cut and these include a wide range of items such as pottery, paintings, textiles, silk apparel and jewellery.
Rajesh Joon, Nodal Officer, Haryana Tourism, explains, “Since many of the age-old crafts traditions, passed down the generations, have been on the verge of extinction in many countries, steps were taken to ensure their propagation.”
The fair features crafts from various countries.
Among them are the bark-cloth table mats and paintings with village life motifs produced by artists from Uganda as well as Thangka paintings from Bhutan and Warli paintings from India.
Owek Rita Kisitu, minister of state for tourism in the Buganda area of Uganda, said, “Bark cloth is made in the region of Buganda, from the bark of a fig tree and comes in various shades of browns. Due to complexity in making this cloth, which takes about two weeks — from getting the bark from the tree to producing a fabric out of it, the artwork is slowly disappearing, as the present generation looks for convenience rather then delving into intricacies and preserving art forms.”
Ten Dorji, showcasing the Thangka paintings at the Bhutan stall, said, “Art is not valued and artisans cannot survive if they do not get the right price for their efforts in creating a painting made of gold, silver and stone.”
“Thangka painting is done on a special fabric, which is repeatedly painted, rubbed and dried for three days to smoothen it. Originating in the Rigsumgunpa region of Bhutan, it can take 8-10 months to create one painting. The 300-year-old art would earlier take a decade to draw the intricate designs,” says Dorji, also the President of Bhutan Handicrafts Association.
Indian artist Naresh Shankar Bhoyen brought the Warli paintings of Maharashtra to the fair.
Describing the art form, he says, “It was earlier practised to beautify home walls and later got translated on cloth. We would first give it a thin cow dung base and make tribal designs with rice paste. But now, white colour is used, as it lasts longer. It takes several days and lots of patience to produce one piece.”
By Nilima Pathak Correspondent
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
