block the irrelevant

Thought behind the thought
One of the main reasons why we sometimes don't reach our destination is because we stop along the way and spend time doing things that really do not matter. We take unnecessary detours, stop to understand things in detail, which are probably very irrelevant to the journey that we are making. It is only when we focus on the important, and block out the irrelevant, that we make progress.

About the Craft
Blocking something to focus on something more important is a technique used in craft as well. As in the case of Batik printing, the craft of creating wonderful textiles.

Originated in India, the art of batik has come a long way from being a mere handicraft. The word batik actually means 'wax writing' and is a process of decorating cloth by covering a part of it with a coat of wax and then dyeing the cloth. The waxed areas keep their original color and when the wax is removed the contrast between the dyed and undyed areas gives the pattern.

The history of Indian batik can be traced as far back as 2000 years. Indians knew resist method of printing designs on cotton fabrics and Batik tapestries were often elaborate illustrations of the art, culture and traditions of the days of the yore.

The art of batik is a three-stage process of waxing, dyeing and dewaxing (removing the wax). There are also several sub-processes like preparing the cloth, tracing the designs, stretching the cloth on the frame, waxing the area of the cloth that does not need dyeing, preparing the dye, dipping the cloth in dye, boiling the cloth to remove wax and washing the cloth in soap.

The characteristic effects of the batik are the fine cracks that appears in the wax, which allow small amounts of the dye to seep in. Batik wax exercises an important function in the process of batik printing. Proper usage of wax results into an impeccable batik work. 30 per cent beeswax and 70 per cent paraffin wax are generally applied. The common batik fabrics that make for excellent batik prints are cambric, poplin, voiles, and pure silk  and natural colors derived from barks of trees, leaves, flowers and minerals are generally used.

Credits and Source of information

http://www.india-crafts.com/textile_products/batikprinting.html
http://charancreations.blogspot.in/2011/10/indian-batik-technique-used-in-printing.html
http://blog.artoflegendindia.com/2010/12/batik-paintings-ancient-art-of.html
http://hhec.tradeindia.com/indian-batik-fabrics-234759.html
http://www.livingstonetextiles.com/2013/04/indian-batik-check-100-cotton-fabric/
http://www.desicraftshop.com/products/elephant-pattern-kalamkari-cotton-fabric-indian-block-print-fabric

cast yourself into a new mould

Thought behind the thought

I want to be different person every other day! Sometimes, I picture myself as the super career woman who I just read about in the newspaper, sometimes I am fascinated with the celebrities showing off their glamorous selves. At times, I want to be that supermom and super homemaker who gets everything right when it comes to home and kids, and even manages to look amazing while she is at it!
And then I wonder how I could cast myself in that mould, and become the person I want to be. Why is it so difficult for me to change myself? The answer lies in the fact that to become someone else, you have to first lose a bit of yourself, become fluid, give up the rigid frameworks that bind you (at times frameworks that you, yourself have created). 
And above all, you have to brave the heat of the situation and face the consequences of the transformation. Unless that happens, you will remain your old self!

About the craft
Candles are possible, only because Wax gives up its rigidity, becomes fluid and allows itself to be cast into a mould. That is how a blob of wax transforms into a beautiful candle!

Candle making was developed independently in many places throughout history.
Candles were made by the Romans beginning about 500 BC. These were true dipped candles and made from tallow. Candles were made from whale fat by the Chinese, during the qin Dynasty(221–206 BC). In India, wax from boiling cinnamon was used for temple candles. In parts of Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, where lamp oil made from olives was readily available, candle making remained unknown until the early middle-ages. Candles were primarily made from tallow and beeswax until about 1850, but subsequently have been made from spermaceti, purified animal fats (stearin) and paraffin wax.

Contemporary candle making has gone beyond the standard cylindrical design. AQ lot of interesting shapes and processes are used today to create fascinating candle craft!

One is amazed at the creativity and skill of the candle makers who mould and carve wax in a very unique way to produce amazingly beautiful candles!

https://youtu.be/b5Pfkq8TuCQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=77&v=WAND45ThcO8

Credits and Source of information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_candle_making
www.clickindia.com
http://interiorish.blogspot.com/2015/01/30-decorative-candles-adding-creative.html
http://val-emagrecendo.blogspot.in/2014/05/candle-designs-ideas.html

the game

Thought behind the thought
Play the game of life. Follow the rules, make your moves. Wherever you may begin , whatever line of action you may follow, be sure to move on and ahead. And most importantly, aspire to win! That is the crux of life.
A game of chess tells us just that. You have been assigned a certain place to begin with. And there are a set of rules  for how you move and where. The only aim is to play the game well and win!

About the Craft and Design
A beautifully complex game, played with equally beautiful boards and pieces!

The game of chess, played world over today, is believed to have originated in India during the Gupta period (280-550 C.E) The words for "chess" in Old Persian and Arabic are “Chatrang” and “Shatranj” respectively — terms derived from "Chaturaṅga" in Sanskrit, which literally means an army of four divisions or four corps.
Chess pieces were actually in the shape of an army of the time. During those times, a king’s army was comprised of hathi (elephants), ghoda (horse), oont (camel),paidal sanik (soldiers) and the Raja (King) and his senapati (general). The commander later became the queen in modern chess after the game reached Europe, though the senapati was the one the most important posts in an Indian king’s army. Much like today’s queen in chess, during the fight the Senapati was the person in charge and also the leader of the entire army. In those days, if the king was killed or captured the defending army had to surrender.

Ivory Chess set, Rajasthan, India

Painted and Laquered wooden Chess set, Rajasthan, late 19th or early 20th century, one side predominantly red, the other side predominantly green, kings as elephants with closed howdahs, queens as elephants with open howdahs, bishops as warriors riding camels, knights as horsemen, rooks as warriors on camels, pawns as foot soldiers, all the pieces elaborately decorated in gilt.

Modern chess players no more use such elaborately crafted pieces for the game. Contemporary Design has an entirely different visual vocabulary than traditional design. From the elaborate to the minimal, from the mimetic to the abstract, design concepts have changed with the times. So have the materials and processes that are used for crafting. 

It is certainly difficult to choose one over the other, both being beautiful in their own way! But one thing is certain, the game remains as engaging as ever ..... inside the 64 square matrix, or outside.

Credit and Source of information
http://www.crumiller.com/chess/chess_pages/indian/IndianPaintedLacqueredFiguralChessSet.htm
http://en.chessbase.com/post/hindi-and-the-origins-of-chess
http://picclick.com/ANTIQUE-VTG-INDIAN-INDIA-GILT-FIGURAL-CHESS-SET-261243854432.html
http://jotarofootsteps.blogspot.in/2013/03/intoxicating-india-2013-jaipur.html
http://www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com/accessories/modern-chess-set/
http://www.chessbaron.co.uk/chess-E2003.htm
http://www.beautifullife.info/industrial-design/creative-tool-chess-set/
http://www.thechesspiece.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Copper%2FSteel-Contemporary-chessmen
http://www.crystalchess.com/cc_collect.asp

silver

Thought behind the thought:

Recently I was offered mithai by someone who was blessed with a baby daughter. As per Indian traditions, mithai is offered to friends and family on happy occasions. As I picked up a piece to  relish it, I noticed the presence of the magnificent edible silver leaf adorning the mithai. Gold and silver are omnipresent in the Indian culture. These precious metals have been included in our food, clothing, jewellery, paintings, furniture and just about every aspect of our lifestyle. Indian culture is all about celebrating art, culture and in general the vivacity of life. Gold and silver find themselves woven into every festival, every celebration and everyday life of us Indians. 

About the Art:

The rich and royal history of India talks about kings and queens and exuberance. It tells us stories of how India was a land of wealth and culture. We have scores of museums in India and across the world that showcase this heritage in the form of artefacts, relics and objects of historic value. The wonderful traditional art of weaving, gilding, architecture, painting and wood work portray the finer aesthetic abilities of the artisan of the yore.

Zari is one such traditional art form that’s truly remarkable. Jari or Zari is a thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver, used in traditional Indian garments like sarees, kurtas, topis’, and dupattas and most exquisitely used as brocade in saris.

City of Surat , Gujarat is the world’s largest producer of all types of Zari and Zari embellishments like threads, Cantile, laces, ribbons, borders, trims, fringes, edges, cordonettes, cords, etc. The art of Zari work has always been an inherited family business or craft that was transferred from father to son for several centuries now. Women and men from different communities are artisans that painstakingly craft items out of Zari through weaving, embroidery, crocheting, braiding, etc.

The manufacture of Zari thread involves winding or wrapping a flattened metallic strip made from pure gold, silver or metal polyester film on a core yarn. Usually the core yarn used is pure silk, art silk, viscous, cotton, nylon, polyester, P.P., mono/multi filament, wire, etc. Zari available today is of three kinds. Real Zari is made of pure gold or silver, Imitation Zari is made from silver electroplated thin copper wire. The last and the most economic one is Metallic Zari made of slitted polyester metallised film. In ancient times only Real Zari threads were produced. After the invention of electroplating process, Imitation Zari came into existence to cut the cost of precious metals. Copper is the most malleable and ductile metal after Gold and Silver hence silver electroplated copper wire replaced pure silver. Today colours and chemicals are used to create or impart a golden hue to make it appear like real Gold. The precious metals & copper too became dearer due to huge demand in various modern industries. Prices of Copper are steep as well and hence the cheap alternative of metallic Zari is rapidly replacing traditional metals like Gold, Silver and Copper. 

The Jari work business like most other traditional crafts are hard hit by rising costs, changing fashion trends, demands from consumers and lack of skilled craftsmen. There is little money for the artisan and thousands are exchanged by dealers. This is causing major problems to this industry. Procuring good raw material is also becoming increasingly difficult.

This intricate and delicate art form needs patience, practice and a keen eye. Tremendous hours of backbreaking work result in the creation of exquisite designs. There are now several projects and NGO’s trying to salvage this industry from its riddling issues.

Credits:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zari

https://kanwaljahan.wordpress.com/articles/process-of-thread-making/

http://trade.indiamart.com/details.mp?offer=6250707712

http://www.chetnalace.com/laces

http://www.dollsofindia.com/product/stoles/green-banarasi-brocade-stole-with-golden-zari-border-silk-GN80.html

http://wovensouls.photoshelter.com/image/I0000ZTdsXunGm.M

https://beautyballs.wordpress.com/category/ethnic-sarees/page/2/

https://www.indiacurrents.com/articles/2005/04/04/silver-coating

http://www.dollsofindia.com/product/bags/dark-brown-party-bag-with-zari-work-beads-FI62.html

http://www.utsavpedia.com/motifs-embroideries/zari-the-ultimate-precious-metal-weaving-art/

standing tall

Thought behind the thought

It is so easy to blame one's circumstances for everything! For every failure that we meet, we think of something or someone that blocked us from achieving success. It cannot be that life burdens some people with problems all the time and lays a red carpet for others. What is it then, that differentiates the survivors from the losers?

The way they make the most of their situation, of course! Just like the coconut tree, that stands on a sandy beach, with seemingly unstable anchoring, and faces gushing wind day in and day out. And still manages to stand tall, gracefully and effortlessly!

There's surely a lesson to learn there. No matter how difficult it may be to hold on to the ground, no matter how much the winds may make you sway, you can still hold your head high and look beautiful too!

About the Craft

The coconut (nariyal in hindi) is justly known as the 'kalpavriksh', or the tree that can fulfill all your wants. Every part of the tree is put to good use. The trunk, the fronds, the fruit, there is no part of the coconut tree that does not lend itself to use, and beauty!

 Small pots and pans, spoons and ladles made out of coconut wood/shell. 

Carving a coconut shell into jewelry takes a lot of skill too.

Watch the videos below to see how amazing coconut craft is created!

Making of coir from coconut husk

Credit and Source of information:
http://handicrafts-india-info.blogspot.in/2014_08_01_archive.html
http://www.slideshare.net/1_Ketaki/coconut-craft
http://stthomasfinearts.in/handicraft.html
http://www.craftandartisans.com/wooden-comb-hair-ornaments.html
http://www.craftsinindia.com/wholesale-handicrafts/coconut-wood-jewelery.html

for more, do visit http://www.craftrevival.org/voiceDetails.asp?Code=302
do read: Coconut: The Art Of Coconut Craft
by Vijaydatta Lotlikar, Master Craftsman, Ed. Fredrick Noronha

me inside me

Thought behind the thought

Am I really what I seem to be? Is anyone, for that matter? I always feel that I have a number of 'me's and 'myself's hidden inside the person that I outwardly appear to be.
And they are an infinite set, no doubt! All the big and small 'me's neatly nestled within each other's shell. And if one were to open the outer shell, one would discover another shell inside, which in turn would open up to show one more!
And so it goes on. A 'me' within a 'me' kind of existence!

About the art
Is that what the Russians thought when they created these wooden dolls?

A matryoshka doll , also known as Russian nesting doll, refers to a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. The first Russian nested doll set was made in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter at Abramtsevo. 

Traditionally the outer layer is a woman, dressed in a sarafan, a long and shapeless traditional Russian peasant jumper dress. The figures inside may be of either gender; the smallest, innermost doll is typically a baby turned from a single piece of wood. Much of the artistry is in the painting of each doll, which can be very elaborate. The dolls often follow various themes, but the 'mother' and family remains the favourite.

The name Matryoshka may be derived from Russian female name Matriona. In old Russia among peasants the name Matriona or Matriosha was a very popular female name. Scholars say that this name has a Latin root "mater" and means "Mother". This name was associated with the image of of a mother of a big peasant family who was very healthy and had a portly figure. Subsequently, it became a symbolic name and was used specially to image brightly painted wooden figurines made in a such way that they could taken apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside one another.

The first Russian nesting doll set, consisting of a peasant mother and her 7 children, was painted by Maliutin.

Credit and Source of information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll

http://russian-crafts.com/crafts-history/nesting-dolls-history.html

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY973FjGdpuT8aWoiqIFZPaS0P1PZN81kh30EYVJBBElsAdhCrI5q7_whUYAj-sm1eLcGA3zc0_xClxwP4scYRT82u7pD37vg2GRzY6MWgRU9TNcl1Ceb7LIUXTrYoiB8myYfEKXcJx4FN/s1600/rus+legacy.jpg