Kindness is not without its rocks ahead. People are apt to put it down to
an easy temper and seldom recognize it as the secret striving of a generous
nature; whilst, on the other hand, the ill-natured get credit for all the
evil they refrain from. -Honore De Balzac, novelist (1799-1850)
Dear Wheelchair Woman! Devastated to learn of your terrible accident! Our hearts go out to you, Gilliana. It was frustrating enough for you to have recuperate after your more than successful hip surgery but to be nastily injured in this biking accident is certainly a tough hand to be dealt. Do hope that all will go well over the next period of healing and recovery.
Thanks, again Patrick for stepping up. Judy took March 19th; I have put you down for February 28th. I will pick up the empty spots. Carole Great. Thanks and Cheers, Patrizzio!
Wednesday, a date indeed. I may also see you on Monday night at the Dream Cafe. Just returned from a short swim and some hot tub/Steam sauna therapy. Balm for body and mind. Lovely Rita is prepping for the Sunday gathering of the clan. Saw Gordon for a post swim coffee, and then a brief stop at Paul's where an Irish whiskey was much appreciated.
I mentioned Kutch in my last post (“Unconnected in Kutch”) and said that I’d be writing more about it in due course. So . . .
“Kutch” is actually an old spelling, but remains prevalent even though the official name is now “Kachchh.” It’s a district of the state of Gujarat containing most of the Rann of Kutch and the Little Rann of Kutch, which are two different — though contiguous — areas. (I’m not sure why the entire region isn’t just a single “Rann”). I’ve seen the Ranns described as “salt marshes” and “salt deserts,” which wouldn’t seem to be quite the same thing. What I saw was definitely dry and barren, including an impressively enormous salty, crunchy, flat area known as the White Desert. But I believe that the Ranns can be flooded at other times of year, perhaps accounting for their attributed marshiness. The area is home — as one guidebook describes it — to a “jigsaw of tribal groups.”
“Kutch” is actually an old spelling, but remains prevalent even though the official name is now “Kachchh.” It’s a district of the state of Gujarat containing most of the Rann of Kutch and the Little Rann of Kutch, which are two different — though contiguous — areas. (I’m not sure why the entire region isn’t just a single “Rann”). I’ve seen the Ranns described as “salt marshes” and “salt deserts,” which wouldn’t seem to be quite the same thing. What I saw was definitely dry and barren, including an impressively enormous salty, crunchy, flat area known as the White Desert. But I believe that the Ranns can be flooded at other times of year, perhaps accounting for their attributed marshiness. The area is home — as one guidebook describes it — to a “jigsaw of tribal groups.”
Kutch is known for its handicrafts, especially textiles, which are bright and colourful in contrast to the arid landscape. During my short time there, I visited several villages and saw many types of handicrafts in process. Of course, there were also opportunities to buy. I’m not much of a shopper (photographs are my favourite travel souvenir) but I did pick up quite a few small and one larger (by price) item.
Even if my knowledge and understanding of the handicraft traditions of Kutch was comprehensive, it would be impossible to summarize them in a blog post. But here are a few selected examples.
3. A Khatris craftsman in Ajrakhpur executes the first process in ajrakh block printing. This crafting tradition uses hand stamps to create complex patterns on fabric that will be made into items such as shawls and sarees.
Even if my knowledge and understanding of the handicraft traditions of Kutch was comprehensive, it would be impossible to summarize them in a blog post. But here are a few selected examples.
3. A Khatris craftsman in Ajrakhpur executes the first process in ajrakh block printing. This crafting tradition uses hand stamps to create complex patterns on fabric that will be made into items such as shawls and sarees.
A repeated process of washing, dyeing, printing and drying is used to add new colours in successive stages. We saw many sarees lying flat on the ground when we visited Ajrakhpur, weighted down by stones, as each saree has to be completely dry before the next colour stage can begin.
4. The “indigo hut” in a Bhujodi weaving community. Bhujodi weaving is mostly done using pit looms, operated by both hands and feet. Here, different shades of indigo yarns are prepared for weaving.
4. The “indigo hut” in a Bhujodi weaving community. Bhujodi weaving is mostly done using pit looms, operated by both hands and feet. Here, different shades of indigo yarns are prepared for weaving.
5. A Khatris craftsman in Nirona demonstrates rogan art, in which coloured castor oil jelly (a sort of paint) is used to create freehand designs on fabric. It’s not clear in the image, but the painting process is not done using a brush. Rather, the castor oil jelly is pulled into very thin strands using a small stick. The strands are then carefully manipulated and dropped onto the cloth to create the design.
The next image shows a completed piece of rogan art. If it looks suspiciously symmetrical to be freehand, that’s because the artist does half of the painting on one side of the cloth, then folds and presses the other half against it to create a mirror image. (This was my “larger-by-price” purchase, by the way).
The next image shows a completed piece of rogan art. If it looks suspiciously symmetrical to be freehand, that’s because the artist does half of the painting on one side of the cloth, then folds and presses the other half against it to create a mirror image. (This was my “larger-by-price” purchase, by the way).
I was invited to try a bit of rogan painting myself and the results of my efforts can be seen in the next image. There is one sample of my “work” and three of the craftsman’s. I’m sure it’s difficult to discern which one is mine – ha ha!
6. Finally, a Salvi craftsman in Patan works in a truly extraordinary textile crafting tradition: double-ikat weaving.
Although India is where I became aware of it, ikat is not unique to the sub-continent. Besides India, it is most prevalent in Indonesia and Japan and is also done in other Asian countries and parts of Latin America.
Ikat weaving is an incredibly complex process, the essential feature of which is that resist-dyeing is used to create a pattern on the yarns BEFORE the actual weaving starts.
Although India is where I became aware of it, ikat is not unique to the sub-continent. Besides India, it is most prevalent in Indonesia and Japan and is also done in other Asian countries and parts of Latin America.
Ikat weaving is an incredibly complex process, the essential feature of which is that resist-dyeing is used to create a pattern on the yarns BEFORE the actual weaving starts.
Each individual strand of yarn is dyed with an specific pattern of colours which lines up with other dyed strands during the weaving process to create an intricate design.
In double-ikat weaving, both the warp and weft yarns are dyed. (“Weft” — that was a new-to-me word!) It’s really difficult to convey the complexity involved in ikat weaving — and my understanding is quite preliminary anyway — so again, the interested are referred to Google for more detail.
The weaver seen in the image below is continuing a tradition that has been in his family for generations. Their weaving accomplishments are reflected in the collection of awards and clippings proudly displayed in their workshop. The project underway in the image is a saree. It will take about three months to make and will be priced at INR 28,000 (= CAD $520), which seems extremely reasonable, considering the amount of work involved. The workshop currently has three years’ worth of back orders.
The weaver seen in the image below is continuing a tradition that has been in his family for generations. Their weaving accomplishments are reflected in the collection of awards and clippings proudly displayed in their workshop. The project underway in the image is a saree. It will take about three months to make and will be priced at INR 28,000 (= CAD $520), which seems extremely reasonable, considering the amount of work involved. The workshop currently has three years’ worth of back orders.
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