India Craft Week Shop

Kavad: The epitome of preserving Faith!

How Kavad links to Ramayan, and the struggle of Ram Temple.

According to the legend, Shravan was a young boy accidentally killed by Raja Dashrath (Sri Ram's father), while carrying his blind parents in a 'kaawadi' on his shoulders.

In his final moments, Shravan requested Raja Dashratha to bring the shrine to his parents so they could continue worshipping the Gods.

This poignant tale served as the inspiration for the concept and art of storytelling through Kavad.

Another legend of Kavad has been, when Mughal emperors like Iltutmish, Khaliji, Babur, Aurangzeb, and others started to demolish local faith and deities.

It met with a soft resistance called 'Kavad', a unique form of art and storytelling emerged to preserve Hindu faith and traditions during Mughal invasion.

In 12th century emperors like Jahangir ordered the desecration of revered deities and temples, and Aurangzeb's general Taj Khan destroyed numerous temples and villages in and around Udaipur. Temples associated with imperial enemies were also targeted.

During these tumultuous times, people were fearful of going out to worship, as many temples in the vicinity had been destroyed.

In response to this crisis, the ancestors of Kavad artists began to create portable shrines.

These , known as Kavads, featured intricate narratives of Gods, Goddesses, local heroes, and saints on their panels.

They played a pivotal role in preserving and passing on the of Hindu mythology and traditions.

Wandering priests, known as kavadiya bhatt, played a crucial role in narrating the stories depicted on the Kavads.

These priests travelled to the homes of jajmans (listeners) with their Kavads, unfolding the panels of their shrine to recount the stories.

How have played role in saving our and despite invasions! These traditional crafts are testimony to that!

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Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Buy finest hand crafted objects that can add to your health & happiness only at https://indiacraftweekshop.com/

A picture is worth thousand words, and a is of our timeless and ! Buy crafts not because you would use them, buy crafts because they grow with you intellectually, emotionally!

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More than profits we are concerned about , so that our kids like extinct animals, don't see on and say C for 'Camel Belt Braiding', D for Dhokra, K for Kavad etc

They would still see largest 'living ' in front of their eyes, and millions practicing

I don't know how far we will go in the crafts for future generations,

But we want to hold millions of artisans from getting unskilled, and not getting converted into a daily wage labor (as per UNDP 40% of artisans in India has become daily wage labor since 1990's)

We aim to 'Preserve ' acquired over thousands of years, for present and for the future

and want to retain i.e. India to the world.

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Craft is epitome of Human Civilization!

Check out the range of Hand-made and handcrafted products only at https://indiacraftweekshop.com/

At India Craft Week every has a , 2023 was dedicated to but 2024 is dedicated to our . Introducing the Calendar, a to our . Let's remember them every day, month & year and do something for them.

Order your Loom Calendar now at https://indiacraftweekshop.com/shop/ols/products/loom-calendar

Once 2024 is over, convert it into 2025 calendar, or photo album or a scroll painting!
, for your and !

While is a sector, is known for the . One of the key idea is to combine the shortfall of one industry, and adapt them into meaningful solution.

Craft can solve the next big problem of waste generated by the Fashion Products through a meaningful afterlife use, and convert these overproduction, waste into packaging solutions. There are artisans who have created from 'Rags to Riches', using , , , , , and

Not all the time you need a new material, when old is gold. That's why we always say, Craft is the only sector, that can solve all problems!

But the question is why buy products that will generate waste, why not buy a product that never creates a waste, and give millions of people a livelihood!

As a consumer you can decide which direction you want to take, consumerism or sustenance?

in Tholu Bommalata (Leather Puppetry)

your opponent's moves: Instead of solely concentrating on your own strategy, study your opponent's moves. Figuring out opponent's strategies helps you in better alternate strategy.

the best possible moves: Always question whether the piece you are moving is the best one to move in terms of how effective such a move will be in thwarting threats from your opponent as well as putting you in the most advantageous position.

have a plan several moves ahead. A strategy based on one move at a time is bound to fail. The best strategies involve multiple moves and projected outcomes.

what your pieces are worth: Inevitably, you will be put in a situation where you have to give up some of your pieces in return for your opponents. Always be mindful of the value of the pieces you are giving up and the ones you are taking from your opponent.

your pieces quickly and well: Time is crucial in chess and it is particularly important that each piece be brought to its own position of greatest advantage and efficacy.

from

Remain Original: And that is what no one can copy, and will never 'hurt' people sentiments/faith

Developed in partnership with Creative Dignity, and with support from Tarasha by Titan

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A craft if changed loses its authenticity,
and that is one of biggest challenge when you try and
adapt them into contemporary design!

And one such form was , when the
proposal for came, we were so
cautious that we dont change the form

We really had to evaluate what best can be done in
Tholu Bommalata (Leather Puppetry), without changing
its form

So, no lampshades, key chains or trays, how can we
still retain the forms of the god and the ,

The puppets in this case are usually made from the
waste leather, painted, visible from both
sides,

But with changing generations ‘Leather Puppetry
Performances’ became things of past, and people
hardly buys them anymore

Even few puppets sold at haats and bazaars, customer
had major complaints in terms of dimensional stability

So, the key challenge was, how do we

1. Maintain
2. Make ‘ ’
3. Link
4. And help it become part of our daily lives

After spending few weeks on ideation, we designed this
lamp based on the story of ‘Bal Hanuman’

All the above problems solved as it has complete
dimensional stability, multi-media, functional products,
and no changes in the original craft form.

More than a ‘Lamp’, it became the element of ‘Faith’.
The project was in partnership with Creative Dignity
and was part of Tarasha, an initiative by TITAN

Interestingly, in the whole process we discovered ‘Why
do the paint god and goddess?’

And the answer was “Craft were seen in isolation, they
were part of life, they were contextual, and have
originated with certain values’

The value is beyond ‘money’ to ideology, faith, rituals,
festivals, celebration and what not, almost in every part
of life craft bonded us

Due to their intangible value, they had/were

1. Very long life
2. Emotional Fulfilling
3. Multi-Purpose
4. Culturally and Religiously relevant
5. Had incredible stories and knowledge to share
6. Skills and part of growing up culture

And all the attributes made these products
and !

They were always more than just products!

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Each India Craft Week Shop product is crafted by the most celebrated & experienced masters in the field, and therefore we promote only authenticity.

We want you to adore a genuine craft, if you are investing time and money into them and that too from the masters who have revived these dying crafts!

How two have same name, but different , , and

Yes, we are talking about from West Bengal, and metal work from Chhattisgarh!

It is considered ; commonly known as , Women of the Rajbanshi have been weaving jute into mats, bags, and other products for generations.

Interestingly, everyone must have used jute at some point of time in office, home, but do you know how it is being made?

80% of jute grows in humid and wetland of west Bengal, and this raw material is cultivated in rainy season of July.

Jute is also a plant-based fibre, and how incredible is the traditional know-how of extraction to making of finest .

It is believed that the Pandavas in incognito, took shelter in the palace of king Birat, ruins of which are seen at Bairhatta, besides crafts the place also has a huge significance.

Since these women weavers belong to an ancient community originally from the Koch Dynasty, and the name Rajbanshi means the lineage.

These women traditionally had been an agricultural community, cultivating mainly rice, pulses and maize and jute.

And from the agriculture cultivate such textiles!

The term ‘Dhokra धोकरा-Dhokri’ is used for elders in our language, like ‘Chokra-Chokri (छोकरा- छोकरी’ for young, since this craft was so old due to its origin, that Govt. of India termed it Dhokra.

Dhokra hashtag Work is the oldest hashtag hashtag of hashtag , Chhattisgarh. A place known for its origin.

It dates back to Mohenjo-Daro or Harrapan civilization, practiced by tribal communities, creating god and goddess. However, Baghel believes that it is around 30,000 years old

The Dhokra Metal item is produced in 12-different stages, even to make smallest item it takes minimum 5-6 days, and for large items few weeks to month. To bring color shades we use Zinc जस्ता, Copper तांबा, Glass शीशा.

How incredible our culture is! Buy rare heritage items ONLY at https://indiacraftweekshop.com/