Chandelao

Sunder Rang - Handicraft from Chandelao

 

 

Just outside the Garh of Chandelao village you will find a building hosting our Arts and Craft project; Sunder Rang. Here we work with the women of Chandelao in making traditional Rajasthani handicraft.

Rajasthan is a region famous for its diversity and richness in arts and craft, for example embroidery, pottery, block printing and weaving. These artesans are in competition with modern and industrial products and the designs do not in many cases live up to what the market requires. Therefore many artisans can’t live on their profession and stop practicing the traditional crafts. In some cases the knowledge is about to disappear. 

Our aim is to maintain and support the local craft skills and develop high quality products with unique Rajasthani designs, thus create a sustainable source of income for the women in Chandelao village.

Sunder Rang means beautiful colours and to us that name symbolizes the colourful clothes of the women and the bright turbans of the men but also the richness in culture, crafts, nature and hospitality you find in Rajasthan.

Traditional Rajasthani Crafts

At Sunder Rang we will work with the traditional craft techniques. The project has started with the textile section; embroidery, tailoring and weaving. We will in the future expand our project with the other crafts.

Embroidery

The colour and vibrancy of Rajasthan extends into its embroidery as well. A wealth of motifs and design can be found in the Rajasthani textile crafts.. Women in the villages embroider their family’s garments as well as the clothes of the household cattle - the camel, the bullock and the horse are often decorated with beautifully embroidered clothes. The motifs range from floral patterns, to human and animal figures and abstract designs. There is no limit to the inovative range of patterns. The thread used varies from the finest silk and shining gold coloured thread to the thickest wool.

Tailoring, weaving and textile work

Rajasthan has a long tradition of textile production and with that comes a very skilled craftmanship of tailoring, sewing and other textile works. There is a huge variety of fabrics available locally the most popular being block printed cotton but also the finest of silk, velvet and syntethic materials are widely available.

At Sunder Rang we are trying to maintain and preserve Rajasthani textile traditions such as quilting, by incorporating the technique in new designs.

The art of bead work combines textiles and beads in a decorative way. Transparent and semi-transparent beads are used to produce embroidery and ornamental decorations. This craft developed in India during the 19th century under influence of the European traders. They brought beads as articles of trade.

Blockprinting

Hand-block printing is an integral part of the cultural heritage of Rajasthan. Hand block printing is not only a traditional form of putting motifs and colour on fabric, mostly cotton, but is also an eco-friendly form of printing on textiles. Metre upon metre of fabric is printed meticulously by hand using hand carved wooden blocks and vegetable dyes.

Silver work

A variety of metal items, (brass, bronze, silver and gold) are crafted in Rajasthan. The Rjasthani silversmiths have gained considerable renown both within India and internationally due to their superior skills. Beautifully patterned jewellery boxes and caskets, candle stands, incense stick stands, jewellery, daggers, idols and figurines of deities, birds, animals etc are cast out of shiny silver. Traditionally the Rajput royals displayed their wealth by ornately crafted silver canopies, door and window panels and sword hilts.

Tribal jewelry of Rajasthan forms part of the rich handicraft heritage of the state. Big hanging earrings, chunky necklaces and intricate bracelets are favourites among the Rajasthani people. The women and men take pride in their traditional jewellery and Rajasthani womenfolk treasure their heritage. The pieces of jewellery are often heirlooms and passed down in families.

Carpet weaving

Wool is traditionally used in carpet weaving but Rajasthan carpets and rugs are often made out of silk and cotton fibre. The art of carpet and rug weaving was actively promoted in the region under the patronage of the Mughal monarchs and the Rajput royals. Camel wool has in recent days become a highly appreciated yarn in rug weaving. There are different techniques of carpet making in the area and the craft is usually passed on within the family. We found our weaving specialist in the village Bisalpur, about 15 minutes from Chandelao, who is training the Sunder Rang inmates.

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