The art of the leaves

The art of the leaves 

Mehendi is the art of drawing beautiful designs using Henna leaves paste on your hands and feet. Traditionally women have been the recipients of this luxury of someone else decorating their hands and feet but with men wearing earrings and all these day, who knows, tomorrow they might indulge in this art as well. ha! 

The Henna leaves paste design when left overnight dyes your palms dark orange or brown. The final product is then flaunted in festivals, marriages and ceremonies as a symbol of happiness and well being. These days women don't wait for A special occasion. I would just put this temporary tattoo to celebrate myself. 

India / Rajasthan (Wiki lead) commercially grows most of the Henna plants in the world and Indians, Pakistanis Bangladeshis and Afghanis are the largest attempters of this art. The leaves of these plants are dried, powdered and packed for sale. Whoever wants to indulge in this art can buy the powder and mix it with  just enough lemon juice or strong tea to make a thick paste. This paste is then transferred to a waterproof cone made of paper or plastic sheet. Once filled, the mouth of the cone is sealed with a tape tightly so that it doesn't leak the paste. The farther drawing end of the cone which is mostly not open is slightly cut with the scissors such that a thin line can be drawn through it. 

The real art begins now. The great unknown artists of this art (atleast one in every block in the country) manage to press the top of the cone with the distal phalanx of the thumb and the metacarpal bone of the index finger just enough to dispense a tiny dot and swiftly moving the position of the tip of the cone to create a line connecting the dots. The really trick for perfecting this art is practice practice practice. 

PS:Excuse the light in the video. The only source of light I had at the mall was the sunlight by the window and people kept passing by disrupting the source of light.   

Music:From the Indian movie "Kahaani". 

Aari Taari Hand embroidery work - India

'Aari Tari' Hand embroidery work

The Mughal Empire brought with it many treasures to India back in the 1500s. One of them were the skilled craftsmen who did hand embroidery work on the grandiose clothing the King and the Queens or should I say the 'Badshah' and their 'Begums' wore in those times. 

Today I visited one "Rahman Bhai" who has been doing this 'Aari Tari' work for the past 30 years. He is so skilled now that his hands can move about doing the embroidery work even with his eyes closed. When I asked him how he learned this art, he said he bunked school back  in those days and spent time with his Ustad to learn this art in Kolkotta. 

Look at the above apparatus for 'Aari Tari', called 'Adda'. The piece of cloth to be embroidered on is tied tightly and stretched in the 'Adda' and with the needle (specially hand made by the artisan himself - in the picture below), the hand drawn design is embroidered. 

Depending on the desired look of the design, a silk, metallic or woolen thread is chosen for the embroidery. As you can see in the video below, Rahman Bhai uses his right hand to insert the needle on the drawing and the left hand under the 'Adda' to hook the thread at the tip of the needle to create this beautiful art work. 

And that's the end product.

Thanks to Rags boutique for letting me in. :)

Tribal art work from the remotest areas near Bastar - Part 2

Tribal art work from the remotest areas near Bastar - Part 2

Since all things Indian begin in God's name, here 
"||Shri Ganeshaya namah||"

Continuing from my last post, today I am going to introduce you to the family who create these amazing art works.


These two brothers are beating on the heated piece of metal to give it, it's shape. you can see the underground handmade furnace. The wife with the little kid in hand is spinning the blower to maintain the heat temperature in the furnace. 

This guy below is hiding from the sun under the net shade and carving the metal piece. 

These men from the same family are carving the wood for making beautiful wood works that we hang on our walls. They can hardly speak any Hindi. As Varsha Ma'am told me, they are very shy people and usually there is an interpreter who translates them for us and us for them. Living in such remote areas, they hardly have any visitors which makes them even more shy of talking to us.  

They first draw the design on the wood, then carve the wood as per the design followed by smoothing the edges and polishing the end product. The tool sets they use are ages old. They have no markets near by to walk up to and buy new tools. 

 

It is said that once a craftsmen has carved lord Ganesha for years, he cannot even if he wants to carve any other figure. The expressions of Ganesha are so engraved on his soul that he can carve another Ganesha even in his sleep. 

 

There's Radha Krishna above carved by another such excelled craftsmen. 

 

Above is Dattaguru, which Varsha Ma'am got custom ordered for herself. Since this was the first of it's kind, a new skilled craftsman took up this job. 

 

Beautiful handwork by the tribal of India.

Valuable insights provided by 

Mrs. Varsha Tatwawadi

Owner of 'Raanbawari'

--An outlet of artefacts of Bastar (NGO)

Ph: 91- 9975055418 

Tribal art work from the remotest areas near Bastar

Tribal art work from the remotest areas near Bastar

Bastar is a district in Chattisgarh next to Dantewada (where coincidentally my Dad spent quite sometime working really hard in his youth). India contains within it, 70% of villages and 30 % of cities where educated communities like us reside. Within the 70% villages in India where there is hardly any continuous supply of electricity, just enough water to survive and colleges for name sake, there are regions in the interior where no mode of transportation can reach, casual population like us is recommended not to visit (because of dangers from settled naxalites). The roads are not developed, the area comes under the forest department, there is threat to life from wild animals, there is just enough food to survive, no government assistance since the area is not recognized as a village, there are people residing creating these beautiful works of arts without the new age furnace, without modern tools, without much incentives and with limited raw material available in the vicinity. Unbelievable but true. 

Some of their art works are displayed below. 

Door handles made of mixed metal (Brass copper and zinc)

Purely completely handmade with measurements provided not by scaling units but by the tips of the fingers.  

One line is never the same as the next line. One dot is never the same diameter as the previous dot. That's the beauty of handmade.  

They make their own molds and their own handmade underground furnace.

Their designs are their own and very unique. One cannot find these designs any where else.  

   

Look at the details in this metal design above. This is a family art work, the bread and butter of the whole family. They are not a community. One family lives up hill and the other 6-7 kms away downhill. But each family is large, almost about 3 generations large. 

The bullock cart carriage that used to carry people from one place to other in the olden days.  

Handmade Mr. Camel completely handmade. You just have to provide them a picture and they make into a metal piece for you. 

Bottle openers from the British Raj times. We didnt need the openers those times, we didnt have any bottles at all.  

The under valued people in India creating some invaluable piece of arts with their magical hands only.

Valuable insights provided by 

Mrs. Varsha Tatwawadi

Owner of 'Raanbawari'

--An outlet of artefacts of Bastar (NGO)

Ph: 91- 9975055418 

Happy Holi: Day 1

Happy Holi 

The Indian Festival of Colors 

Day 1: 

Today is day 1 of the Indian Festival of colors called Holi. Today we light a fire and pray around it. The holy fire burns down all the evil and only goodness remains. 

To celebrate the goodness that remains, today my dad has brought all kinds of sweets and snacks, every family member's favorite sweet is present in the combination below I think. 

And my little nephew is getting ready for tomorrow's colorful celebrations already. 

More colors tomorrow! :)

Imitation half priced brocade

Imitation half priced brocade 

Brocade is nothing but the technique of embossing existing fabric with designs using gold silver or colorful silk/satin threads. Traditionally the embossing was done with real gold/silver coated threads over 100% pure silk fabric. Thus the fabric was unique, expensive and exquisite. This was the golden era where Indian kings and queens of different states usual everyday costume was made of these expensive exotic fabrics and jewelry used to be made of kundans and jadau and real pearls. 

Then times changed and similar imitation fabrics were manufactured for normal average population who couldn't afford wearing gold silver coated costumes every day. Thus imitation brocade was invented. Imitation brocade is nothing but embossing of not so expensive thread on a not so expensive but attractive piece of cloth. 

Imitation brocade is equally fancy and way more cheaper than the traditional brocade on 100% pure silk. 

In my non metro city's wholesale market this brocade is available for $ 7.5 per meter (100 cms)

If you want to incorporate imitation brocade into any of your creativity,  write to me (aphroditescollection@gmail.com) and I will mail some fabric to you. My supplier has about 20 designs and color combinations in this imitation brocade.  

If you so desire any other fabric, I d love to send some your way too. I want to make creative friends online and what better way than helping them get what they want. :) 

Happy Fabric! 

Ganesha and Rudraksha

Ganesha, The remover of all obstacles in our lives is the very famous Indian God. Many Indians before starting any new project, any new celebration praise Lord Ganesha and wish for his blessings for an obstacle free experience. The Elephant God, as he is known by in the west is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati ( Indian archetype of Greek goddess Hera). 

It is strongly believed by Hindus around the world that wearing a Ganesha in your neck saves you from all unknown troubles, removes barriers between you and your destination, removes difficulties in your personal and professional lives and retains peace and tranquility around you. 

Ganesha is also the lord of knowledge. Apart from going to school and studying before the exams, students pray to him for good results and success in their educational life. 

Rudraksha, 

The holy beads in the picture holding the Elephant God pendant are the seeds of a holy (considered by Hindus) tree called 'Rudraksha'. The string of these beads are auspicious for an individual and supposedly protects you from all evils and keep you safe. I remember as a child, my grandfather gifted a string of six beads to my mum with his blessings in it for safety and security of our family. 

Indian saints are usually seen wearing a string of these holy beads around the neck. As per Ayurveda, wearing these beads has a very positive effect on a person's heart. People with anger issues are also recommended wearing these Rudraksha beads. The vibrations from these beads are said to remove any trends of ageing from a person. Indian mythology is filled with Saints wearing these beads and meditating year after year for ages and still looking ageless. 

Love this combination of Ganesha and Rudrakha, a source of true tranquility. 

Ohhhh forgot to mention the designer of this beautiful necklace Aarti K, Vile Parle, Mumbai

If you are visiting India this summer (which has already started....)

My dear dear friend Jane from Cleveland is visiting Bangluru (Bangalore), India this month. I am writing this blog keeping her in mind :) 


India is a beautifully diverse and a must visit country in a lifetime. You will witness the beauty and the color yourself but there are some things you must be very careful about. They are listed as below. 

• It has gotten tremendously 'hot' climate-wise right now so no need for warm clothes. Save space in your luggage for taking back lots of goodies. 
• Bring with you or buy sunscreen lotion that has SPF count of 25 or higher. The sun here is not very kind on the lighter skin. Getting out in the sun without (high SPF count sunscreen) is not recommended at all. 
• Indians are very friendly people. If you invite a local Indian on a visit to the nearby market place or mall, I dont think they would refuse. You will have good company and be safe from the unknowns. Your Indian friend will also help you bargain and the shopkeepers wont rip you off. 
• If by any chance you are moving around alone, 
• If you take a cab, ask the cab driver to charge you by meter reading even before you decide to sit in it. Then once he has agreed, take a picture of the cab's license plate and email it to the person who knows your whereabouts. After reaching your destination, when it's time to pay the cab driver, ask for the rate card. Match the reading on the meter to the reading in the rate card and pay the price that's listed next to the reading on the rate card. 
• If you are in a metro city, the cab drivers are required to be paid by meter. If they refuse to take you to your destination without meter reading, dont take the cab. 
• Best is hire a car and a driver from your hotel for the duration of your stay. The most safest option. 
• When you are shopping at a shop, you like something and you ask the price for it, the shop keeper tells you the price for that item (and if the item doesnt have an MRP {maximum retail price} on it), then divide the selling price by two and that's the actual cost of the item. It could be even less.  
• Please do not eat anything uncooked (like salads). Relish on everything that is hot and cooked. No worries there. Fruits can be peeled so they are safe. Ice cream is good. Soft drinks- no no. Hot almond flavored milk- go for it. Pickles, vinegar onions, chutneys, peanuts - not recommended. 
• Bottled water: Big Red Alert here. Bottled water is not always sealed and bottled. Please avoid the ones that are paper wrapped around the cap. When you are handed bottled water MAKE SURE that the deal of the cap is intact. Sometimes people refill tap water into the bottles and resell it. 
• Be very alert with your gold earring and neck chains when out in public or a crowded place. I would say avoid unknown crowd altogether. I would also recommend leaving valuable jewelry at home.
• I wouldn't trust the hotel safe at all. Keep minimum cash with you. Credit cards are accepted at almost every restaurant, multiplexes and shopping mall these days. Keep your passport and papers in your purse at all time. 

I am going to eat dinner now. More in m next blog. If you think of anything specific that you need to know, please comment and I would be happy to answer. Good night in India.