The rare golden grass craft

Golden grass craft is a nature lover's delight. A lot of household and decorative items are made using dried grass which becomes yellow and golden in colour. The grass is made of 'Khus Khus' stem. It is sturdy and can be bent to any shape to be turned into items of household use like baskets, boxes, mats, coasters, pen holders, wall hangings etc.

Depending on the size and intricacy, each of the handicraft items takes anywhere between a day to a month to complete. Sometimes a little colour is added to the grass to create interest in the design. But generally the natural golden sheen of the dried grass itself makes it look very bright and attractive. This craft was widely practiced in Orissa till about 40-50 years back as a lot of utility stuff was made using this craft. But as is the story everywhere, due to industrialization this craft also became almost extinct within no time. It was then left to the effort of some individuals and NGO's who tried to revive this craft by giving it a wider market. This craft has been saved, but only just. Only a few pockets like Jajanga village near Kendrapada and Jajapur, in Orissa now practice this craft. Though it is still living, but its future is uncertain.

This craft has got great aesthetic appeal and conforms to 100% natural living. Its because of this reason there is optimism that this craft will also survive the test of time, but as of now it is a rare craft. Its available only locally in different parts of Orissa. It is still trying to establish its market in India itself.

Perhaps the Government can push this village to become an arts-n-crafts village like Raghurajpur and include it in a tourist circuit. In fact this craft should be marketed better because of its rarity and appeal. The craft and the products are great, it only needs to be marketed well.

Appliqué Craft of Pipili

Puri is one of the four holiest places (4 dhams) for Hindus and Jagannath is the reigning deity of Puri. Lord Jagannath's rituals are more of the nature of the daily routine of human being. So fans, umbrellas etc are used to save the lord from scorching heat of Sun or the rough weather. And of course these can not be your regular fans or umbrellas. These are very colourful and are specially made using the applique craft of Pipili. In fact in Chandan yatra, which is one of the yearly events of the Jagannath temple the entire procession is taken out displaying and covering the deities with chattris of appliqué work. Appliqué in Orissa is an inseparable part of temple art and craft, which has been refined to perfection. Shamianas, canopies, umbrellas, lamp shaded, fans made in appliqué process are used extensively in festivities.

Appliqué craft is the process of cutting colored clothes into shapes of animals, birds, flowers, leaves and other decorative motifs and stitching them on a piece of cloth, that can ultimately be used as a lamp shade, a hand bag or even a garden umbrella. Decorative wall hangings and letter holders are also made using this craft. The color, cutting and stitching style along with the themes make this appliqué work very unique. The village of Pipili close to Bhubaneswar, is the site of beautiful appliqué work, created by artists, quite a few of whom have won national award for their craft. This craft form has now also mixed with modern day lives by including subjects like Mickey mouse and other Disneyland characters. However it has not been able to match up to the charm of traditional designs.

Besides being used in the religious function, with the touch of a little modernity, garments of varied designs are also made using this craft. Garments and accessories like purse, handbags etc. are in great demand among tourists. Curtains and bed sheets with appliqué touch are also being made depicting the different characters of religious myth for decoration of houses. But the best selling products are the lamp shades, garden umbrellas and wall hangings. In particular the lamp shades are a big hit as they create a lovely ambience, with or without a bulb in it. And it has a lot of designs and prices to choose from.

Don’t forget to check out our collection of unique appliqué lamp shades , wall hangings, bags and cushion covers.

Trivia
One 54 Mtr. Long Appliqué work based on theme of "Struggle for Independence in India " recognized by LIMKA BOOK RECORDS 2004 as 'Longest Thematic Appliqué.

Pattachitra demo clip

This is a snippet of one of our promotional video on youtube. During a casual visit to Raghurajpur we managed to capture it with our digital still camera. It was totally unplanned and hence the video looks a bit raw. But still it is a beautiful demonstration of drawing a figure in pattachitra style. You'll love the way the artist's brush flows on the paper to create the image. You can watch the complete video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SDwoHAbvC4 .

Happy viewing.

Store launch around the corner

Here is a sneak peek of our site.

We are all set to launch our store on 15th August 2009. 15th August was chosen as the date because it is also the independence day of India.

As promised earlier there are offers that we are giving away on our launch. When you sign up with us you get a discount coupon, which you can use for all your subsequent purchases. To get the discount coupon you just need to register with us with no strings attached. This coupon can be used for every product on the site, even on those which already have a discount on them.

You also get 25% discount on shipping charges. And if you are shipping within India shipping is free. Free shipping within India is valid for standard shipping method only and it is not applicable to express shipping method.

Hope to see you on 15th.