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The
highlight of a trip to Gujarat for many travellers is the variety
of handicrafts produced by the villages of Kutch district, set between
the desert plains of the Rann and the coastlands of the Gulf of
Kutch. The crafts of Kutch district are well known for their delightful
array of colours and motifs.
Master weavers in Kutch, some of them national award winners, wrork
on traditional pit-looms and produce intricately woven fabrics for
floor, table and bed coverings, cloth bags, shawls, quilts, and
dress materials. The woven fabric is printed using carved wooden
blocks, filled with herbal, mineral and other natural dyes. Bandhini
tie-dye is another intricate process.
Fabric is knotted and the tied portions made resistant to colour
before dyeing, leaving behind a pattern of dots and motifs that
are attractive to the eye. Rogan painting, the art of hand-painting
fabrics using iron rods, thrives in some villages of Kutch.
Embroidery is the historic living craft of Kutch, the vibrant colours
and designs of the artisans of the Kutch district add a touch of
colour to the arid landscape around their villages. Each community
has a distinct style of embroidery, using different stitches, colours
and motifs, and sometimes setting them with beads or mirrors. The
Ahirs, the Rabaris, the Jats, the Mutwas, the Lohanas and the people
of the Banni region have their own embroidery techniques, and within
each community there sub-groups who have evolved their < combinations
and patterns. For centuries pastora women have embroidered their
own trousseau an embellished their dowry packages with exquisit
handiwork, and today the rich embroideries Kutch are an important
source of income for man1 of the craft villages that runn the length
and breat of the district. Occasionally the embroidered fabric are
further decorated with mirrors. Besides textiles, embroidery is
clone on leather for footwear, bag; and other products by the Meghwal
artisans, Applique or patch-work is another popular article o] production
in the craft villages of Kutch.
Other handicrafts of Kutch are silverware, wooclcarving and lacquered
wood crafts, metalwan pottery and mud-wall painting.
The
highlight of a trip to Gujarat for many travellers is the variety
of handicrafts produced by the villages of Kutch district, set between
the desert plains of the Rann and the coastlands of the Gulf of
Kutch. The crafts of Kutch district are well known for their delightful
array of colours and motifs.
