WHY CRAFTEZY BELIEVES THAT GUJARAT IS A PRIME SPOT FOR THE INDIAN HANDICRAFTS AND TEXTILES MARKET RIGHT NOW?
Art, Craft, and Culture of Gujarat
Gujarat is situated on the western coast of India. Whenever we hear the word ‘Gujarat’, dance forms like Garba and dandiya, delicacies like jabeli-fafda, dhokla and so on come to our mind. However, it is also famous for its rich arts and crafts.
Workmanship of the artisans of Gujarat is world famous. It has a rich heritage of textile-based industry. The state has important ancient sites from the Indus Valley Civilization which makes it rich in culture. The region of Kutch is famous for its embroidered articles and hand paintings.
Reasons Why Gujarat Can Be A Prime Spot
- Handicraft across the villages in Gujarat is a way of life. Instead of taking this work as a profession, artisans see it more as a source of passing their exquisite legacy to their future generations.
- Gujarat Tourism has used marketing and advertising techniques wisely to popularise the art and culture of their state. This in turn has attracted huge crowds from across the world.
- The exclusive range of these works of craftsmen and woven imbued with the social and cultural beauty of the region from where they have sprung are indigenous and archetypal in nature.
- Indigenous tribes from the outskirts have mastery in their art which cannot be plagiarized. These skills take years of dedication and hard work to master.
- For the production of textiles, raw materials like cotton, catechu, cochineal, indigo, kesudo, henna, marigold flower and so on are easily available.
- Since it is a labour-intensive job and needs extreme detailing which takes numerous hours, it helps in fetching a decent amount of money from across the world.
- Variety of products are uniquely wrapped in the mist of antiquity and exporters are willing to handle small orders which provides a huge advantage to the handicraft industry.
- There is abundant and cheap labour across the state. Low capital investment is required to start a small cottage industry of this kind. The Government of India through its Make in India campaign promotes these industries too.
- There is a rising appreciation for handicrafts by consumers in the developed countries. People in these countries seek widespread novelty and have large discretionary income at their disposal to spend. E-commerce platforms have facilitated direct marketing too.
Explore Gujarat’s Handicraft Treasure
- Patola from Patan
- Bandhani Craft
- Warli Paintings
- White Metal/Meenakari
- Rogan Painting
- Traditional Woodwork
- Sadeli Art
- Khadi
- Leather work
Patola from Patan
Patan Patolas are double ikkat sarees that means they feature dyed design on both sides. It is believed that a patola saree can wear out or tear but will never fade in its colour. The material used to make these saris is totally natural, free from any type of chemicals. These sarees carry motifs of birds like parrots, peacocks and animals like elephants. Geometric designs and floral designs are usually preferred by Muslim Communities. Traditional designs bear names like chowkadi, chhabdi, chokta, laheriya, navratna, paan, phulwadi, panchful and sarvariya. Gujarat exports Patola saris to various countries like the USA, South Asian countries and so on.
Bandhani Craft
History suggests that this craft is one of the oldest which dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is a highly skilled process involving dyeing a fabric tied tightly with a thread at several points. It is extremely high demand and costly too. The colours used to make it are all natural involving mainly use of colours like red, yellow, blue, green and black.
Warli Paintings
Warli Painting is a traditional art form emerged from the district of Dang located in Gujarat. These paintings mainly depict local belief, traditions and culture. It can be painted on cloth or on paper. Boiled rice along with water is used as a glue in these kinds of paintings. This form of painting fetches a lump sum of money from interested customers using online platforms like Craftezy usually.
White Metal / Meenakari
Meenakari means to place paradise onto an object. Artisans from across the state expertise in colouring and decorating various metals like white metal and bronze using elegant colours and detailed designs. These metal crafts are exquisite and come in various forms starting from sculptures, utensils, vases to tables and boxes. Prices of these metals vary according to their quality and form.
Rogan Painting
Rogan painting is widely practised in the Kutch district of Gujarat. This form of painting has decreased over time because of increasing consumerism. It is a textile art originated from Persia which came along the Mughal rulers. In this form of painting the artisan uses a stick along with thick dark colour which is heated and kept on his hand prior to placing it on the cloth. It takes years to master and is usually passed from generation to generation. It lacks proper supply and is extremely high in demand. Bhuj district of Gujarat mainly supplies this form of painting. It fetches a decent amount of money from consumers worldwide.
Traditional Woodwork
Sadeli Art
If you follow social media, you must have come to know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a wooden box in Sadeli craft to President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Sadeli art originates from Iran and is practised in Surat Gujarat. It is a highly skilled technique that involves fabrication of various patterns on woods. Technique may seem to be complex at first but is quite simple. Nevertheless, a huge amount of skill and patience is required. Sadeli is used to decorate photo frames, boxes, furniture, windows, and containers
Khadi
Khadi is a hand spun natural fibre which played an immensely important role in the independence of India. During the pre-independent era Mahatma Gandhi promoted its use across the country. It is spun into yarn using a charkha. It is a natural fabric, cool in summer and warm in winter. Due to this special feature, it is in high demand worldwide. Gandhiji used it as a symbol of against oppression. It has created a legacy from then on. Many followers of Gandhi across the globe prefer to use khadi.
Leather
The Marwadi Meghwal community of Kutch, Gujarat are major producers of the leather work. Earlier, the craft was used to make saddles for animals like elephants and horses and accessories for war. Now it is used to make leather bags, shoes, ropes, footwear, hand fans and so on. Men and women work together to carry out and complete necessary decorations to give these works a great look. These intricate works attract huge crowds across various e-commerce platforms.
Gujarat is a Prime Spot for the Indian Handicrafts
The handicrafts industry plays a significant and important role in the country’s economy. Gujarat has immense potential of becoming a hub for handicrafts all over the world. This sector has suffered a lot in recent times because of the outbreak of Covid-19 and poor manpower management. However, due to various advantages like abundant labour available at a cheap rate, availability of raw materials, promotion of art and culture by the State Government and various other reasons, it has an upper edge as compared to other states or countries. It has the capacity and ability to cater to international consumers. The Rann Utsav that is a yearly festival which is celebrated in Kutch region of Gujarat too demonstrates the exquisite and wonderful art and culture of the handicrafts industry of Gujarat.
We hope that Gujarat emerges as the capital hub for handicrafts exports across the globe and is known for it apart from Jalebi- fafda and Garba and dandiya.