Bring
Home Tradition
Handcrafted things form a part of style
these days. BeAffable brings exquisite collection of such rural crafts which
are fused with modernity to match your home décor. We have much in store!
v The Dhokra Art
Dhokra art is the folk art form of central and
eastern India. The Dhokra Damar tribes are traditional metal smiths of West
Bengal, distant cousins of Chhattisgarh tribes. This primitive art is much in demand
because of its expressive simplicity, enchanting motifs and forceful form. The
store proffers products depicting animal figures, religious images, bowls,
lamps and likes which have been hugely appreciated for its otherness. The Chirku Mirki pair is going to delight
you with its daintiness.
Dhokra is a non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique. A clay core, roughly the shape of the
final cast image is prepared. The clay core is covered by a layer of wax
composed of pure beeswax, resin and nut oil. The wax is then shaped and carved in with the finer details
of design. It is then covered with layers of clay, which takes the negative
form of the wax on the inside, thus becoming a mould with drain ducts. The wax
is then replaced by the molten metal, often brass scrap. The liquid metal
poured in hardens between the core and the inner surface of the mould taking
the same shape as the wax. The outer layer of clay is then chipped off and the
metal icon is polished and finished as desired.
vThe Warli Painting
Warli paintings are the tribal wall
paintings of the warli tribes of Maharashtra. Warlis are the largest tribes of
Maharashtra living in northern outskirts of Mumbai. Existence of Warli
paintings dates back to 10th century AD, but the style of Warli painting was
discovered only in early 1970’s. Womenfolks mainly used to do the paintings on
the mud walls of the houses. Warli used to be painted on austere mud base using
only white colour with occasional yellow and red dots. Since the 1970s, warli
painting has moved off the walls and onto paper and canvas.
The most important aspect of the
painting is that it depicts social life. Pictures of human beings and animals,
along with scenes from daily life are created in a loose rhythmic pattern. The
paintings are beautifully executed and resembles pre-historic cave paintings in
execution and usually depict scenes of human figures engaged in activities like
hunting, dancing, sowing and harvesting.
These extremely rudimentary paintings,
use circles, triangles and squares. The circle and triangle come from the observation
of nature, the circle representing the sun and the moon, the triangle derived
from mountains and pointed trees. Only the square seems to obey a different
logic and seems to be a human invention, indicating a sacred enclosure or a
piece of land. So the central motive in each ritual painting is the square, the
chauk; inside it we find Palaghata, the mother goddess, symbolizing fertility.
Beaffable Warli products are perfect
blend of authenticity and modernity. Visit www.beaffable.in for exclusive collection of Warli items and give your home a
handmade touch.
vGobar Hastkriti
Sounds filthy? Perhaps yes, at first.
But here is the “dirty little secret”. Let’s start on touching that briefly.
Cow is symbolic of the Earth and cow dung is considered holy. We can think of
it being utilised as fertilizer, as fuel in lieu of firewood or as an
anti-pollutant. However, introducing happy corner in your house with a cow dung
article is beyond imagination. Well! That’s where the magic is created… The
magic of creation!
From Stinky
to Funky -
Methanol gets evaporated from fresh cow dung when dried and the foul smell
starts to disappear which when heated removes the stench altogether. After
cleaning, it is compressed into sheets through machine and heated to make it
hard. The clay is then polished to make it water resistant and finally it is
ready for the artist to give shape to its imagination.
Gobar hastkriti has products ranging
from a small dhoop batti to a puja-ghar, card holders to beautifully painted
wall hangings, traditional toran to marvellous mirrors. Just Explore!
vOthers
Some other interesting, useful and decorative pieces include items like wrought iron products, copper carafe, bajot which can be used in puja room, flower pots made of clay, earthern kadai and such.
Written By Manju Daga
