IUK@75 - Creative Collaborations

Fashion Strand Creative Outputs

Meet our craftspeople

Madhubani painting

Name - Narmada Devi  
Age - 55
Cluster - Shilpsangh Mahila Cluster
Gram Post - Ranti, District - Madhubani
Bihar, Pin - 847214

Madhubani painting (Mithila painting) was traditionally curated by the women of various communities in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. It originated from the Madhubani district of the Mithila region of Bihar.

Artists create these paintings using a variety of mediums, including their own fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks. The paint is created using natural dyes and pigments. The paintings are characterised by their eye-catching geometrical patterns.

There is ritual content for particular occasions, such as birth or marriage, and festivals, such as Holi, Surya Shasti, Kali Puja, Upanayana, and Durga Puja.There are three main themes in Madhubani art: religion, social scenes and elements of nature. Hindu mythological figures and scenes from sacred texts are very common subjects, featuring popular deities like Radha and Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha, Saraswati and Laxmi.

Madhubani art has five distinctive styles: Bharni, Katchni, Tantrik, Godna and Kohbar.

Mrs. Narmada Devi from Bihar is a well-known artisan who has 40 years of experience and is famous for her distinctive style. She has been associated in the training of ladies in nearby communities, and has been awarded by Shilpsangh Cluster for her work.

Handmade Jewellery

Aari Jardozi

Name – Md. Kaushar
Age- 40
Cluster - Shilpsangh Mahila Cluster
Gram Post - Bareilly - UP
Uttar Pradesh
Contact no - 9811428604

Aari zardozi is purely hand embroidery that encompasses the beautification of fabric with a needle, colourful yarn, pearls, beads, quills, sequins and Kohbar.

Zardozi or Zar-douzi, also Zardosi , is an Iranian and Indian-subcontinent embroidery type. Zardozi comes from two Persian words: zar or zarin meaning 'gold', and dozi meaning 'sewing'.

Mr. Md. Kaushar, who is from Bareilly but is presently working from both Delhi and Bareillry, is a well-known artisan who has 20 years of experience and is famous for his unique style of working with Aari Zardozi to create handmade jewelleries like earrings, chokers and tiaras.

Sikki Craft

Name – Manju Devi  
Age - 35
Gram Post – Madhubani
Cluster - Shilpsangh Mahila
State - Bihar
Contact no - 8298801433

Sikki grass crafts are various handicrafts that are made from a special kind of grass known as sikki found in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India. Before use, sikki is soaked in water to make it more pliable as it is coiled around the munj. The colouring is achieved by boiling sikki in different colours.The resulting fine golden fibre is used in weaving to make toys, dolls, and baskets.

Mrs. Manju Devi from Madhubani Bihar, is a skilled artisan who has  20 plus years of experience and has been involved in this craft since she was a child. She has trained over 25 women in her community under the government scheme of Saras Jeevika, and has been curating beautiful toys, dolls, and baskets. The craft of Sikki weaving is a good illustration of sustainability in modern-day times. These grass products are lightweight, organic, and biodegradable along with great life as they are very strong.

Sujini Embroidery

Name – Gudiya Devi
Age - 38
Gram Post – Muzaffarpur
Cluster - Shilpsangh Mahila
State - Bihar
Contact no - 9304736134

Sujani (or Sujini) is one of the most widespread forms of traditional art and crafts prevailing in Bihar. It is a traditional quilt made in the countryside areas of Bihar by women generally in their free time. This embroidery is used to curate products of great appealing value, ranging from household items to furnishings such as bedspreads, wall hangings, cushions, and bolster covers, as well as clothing items like saris, dupattas, and kurtas.

Mrs. Gudiya Devi from Muzaffarpur Bihar, is a trained artisan who has 20 plus years of experience which she learnt from her mother and grandmother. She is imparting training to women in her community, under the government scheme of Saras Jeevika. She makes customised sarees and dupattas and has worked with a few good designers.

Lippan Art

Name – Ramju Kumbhar
Age- 40
Cluster-Aajivika
Gram Post - Kutch
State-Gujarat
Contact no - 9825993890

The meaning of 'Lippan' is 'clay' or 'dung' in local Gujarati, and the word 'kaam' means 'work'. Lippan Kaam is basically mud-relief work that combines mirrors. It is used to enhance the interior and exterior walls of the round houses that these communities live in. Mr. Ramju Kumbhar from Kutch is a well-known artisan who has 25 years of experience and has been awarded for his accomplishments in various festivals like Mitti Flok, Kutch festival, and the Kutchhi art trust by the Prime Minister of India and Chief-minister of Gujarat. Kumbhar Ramju makes the traditional Lipan mud-&-mirror art from Kutch, Gujarat on wall plates and diyas. He also leads classes and workshops for students and whoever else wants to know about this beautiful art.

Leather Toys

Name – Md. Asad  
Age- 42
Gram Post - Indore
State-Madhya Pradesh
Contact no - 9131984784

Clean furless leather from the skin of animals is used in making leather toys and animals. These toy animals were retailed at Meena Bazar locally and then spread out to many places all over the country and abroad. In the 90’s, the textile mills closed in Malwa. People living in the lanes nearby who had been labourers in the mills started learning the craft from existing leather toy makers. Now there are in total more than 5000 people skilled in making leather toys. Md. Asad’s ancestors were involved with this craft and he has been practicing it since the age of five. Along with traditional leather toys he also creates contemporary toys out of fabrics and conducts workshops for students in different design colleges.