This article first appeared in My Travelogue by Bhushavali
KUTCH ART & CRAFT
Each village here has a unique handicraft and we stopped at each village to see and understand the crafts as well as, ofcourse, do some shopping!!!! All these crafts are traditional crafts that are being practiced by the families for several generations!!!
Skip to the end for a video of all kutch crafts.
My 1st stop was ofcourse to meet Shri.Ismail Khatri who makes block printed Ajrakh fabrics. I had met him earlier in Chennai and when I decided to visit Bhuj, I called him and he invited me to his home for breakfast as soon as we reach Bhuj! A super heavy breakfast of authentic Ragi and Jowar rotis with super thick home-made yoghurt from the milk of his own buffaloes! I hadn't tasted something like that ever before. It was so yummy, so filling and so authentic!!!
My 2nd stop was to see the Tie-dye craft called Bandhej. I met Shri.Ali Mohammad Isha Khatri. While tie-dye as it is, is not uncommon and is often done as a DIY by many, the intricacy of this bhandani work is just too good to be true! He has a needle like attachment on his finger with which he pushes just a teeny-tiny bit of fabric up for tying!
My 3rd stop was at Bhujodi and I met Shri.Chaman Siju here, who also I had met earlier in Chennai. Those fabrics - are they embroidered or woven? Its a magical space in between!!! The motifs are made manually, 'while' weaving, and not on a fabric! Its a bit like dobby, but not really dobby... Its just beautiful! The various families who practice Bhujodi Weaving here each do fabrics of different weight - from super fine fabrics for clothing to shawls to super thick fabrics for rugs.
Reaching here was unbelievable. I mean, we were on the NH341 and took a diversion into this road which looks like a path to the middle of nowhere, not a soul, not a vehicle, not a building in sight, most of the path! It was unbelievable to even just witness the village, leave alone the craft. Here, we met the family of Shri.Hussein Siddiq Luhar. The specialty of these copper bells is that they are not made with a mould or fire, but by beating strips of metal to desired shape and interlocking the pieces!!! Ofcourse they range from tiny bells for accessories to huge ones for home decor! Traditionally these were used to accessorize cattle!
Reaching the lacquered woodworking village, I felt like I entered a place frozen in time, a century ago... They decorate wooden crockery with multicolored lac patterns using a small hand-operated lathe.
It was evening by the time I reached here. This was the art in Kutch that was the most unusual for me! I met Shri.Abdul Gafur Khatri here, the master Rogan painting expert. Unlike other textile crafts which mostly use plant-dyes, this art primarily uses mineral dyes mixed with castor oil that makes a very a oil-paint like consistency (obviously, right?)! So this is painted on the fabric with a small stick, making super-fine lines. I also managed to see a 3 generation old, traditional Rogan art fabric here!!! Ofcourse, I bought the authentic Rogan art Tree of Life here.
VIDEO OF PROCESS OF ALL THESE CRAFTS
The day was whirlwind to say the least. Here's a video of all these crafts being performed, the products being made. My mind was exploding with information and the beauty of the various arts and the love & simplicity of those people and how truly Incredible India is!!!
The day was whirlwind to say the least. Here's a video of all these crafts being performed, the products being made. My mind was exploding with information and the beauty of the various arts and the love & simplicity of those people and how truly Incredible India is!!!
Ahmedabad to Bhuj: 300km.
FLIGHTS & TRAINS TO BHUJ
Bhuj has an airport which is served only by Alliance Air (Air India subsidary) from Mumbai. Kutch also has the Kandla airport (closer to Gandhidham) that's connected to Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Nashik. The nearest large, international airport is Ahmedabad and several trains are available from there. Trains from Ahmedabad to Bhuj, takes about 6-7hrs journey time.
BHUJ TO NIRONA & OTHER KUTCH VILLAGES
Kutch Tourism is actively promoting this region for the crafts of Kutch esp., during the Rann Utsav on the Rann of Kutch. However, it is not possible to stop at each of these villages depending on public transport. There are some organizations that conduct coach tours, but the best option is to hire a car from Bhuj Railway station/airport for a full day and explore as much as possible.
