All India handicraft week 2021: The essence of Indian handicraft

India is a significant provider of handicrafts to the global market. Although India claims to have a substantial export of handicrafts, the industry still has a lot of untapped potentials. This makes for a very good reason to celebrate, from the 8th to the 14th of December, the annual All India Handicrafts Week.

The Small Scale and Cottage Sector is very important for the socio-economic well-being of artisans as it gives work to nearly 7 million craftsmen (including those in the Carpet trades), many of whom are women and members of the weakest sections of society.

The week is held with great excitement in every state of India in order to draw attention, support, and awareness for indigenously created handicrafts. The major goal is to raise awareness of locally or imported created handicrafts from various parts of the nation.

The entire weeklong observance is a wonderful time of year for all craftsmen around the country since it offers them a fantastic opportunity to get recognized and highlighted for their outstanding work. The arranged display over this week gives millions of passionate handicrafts workers all throughout India a lot of hope and potential. It is a wonderful event that serves to preserve the heritage and culture of handicrafts throughout the years. The week-long event has five primary components: a buyer-seller conference, a handicrafts show, artistic performances by Indian artists, a live presentation by national honors craftspeople, and Indian cuisine exhibitions.

Let us move the goalposts and bring you to the six fascinating facts about Indian Handicrafts from Kashmir to Chennai, so you can understand why Indian Handicrafts are cherished and famous internationally.

Employment & Handicraft
The Indian handicraft sector employs a large number of craftspeople, including women and individuals from backward and disadvantaged civilizations. In India, the handicraft sector is one of the most important sources of employment for women. The handcraft sector employs around 38 lakh women craftspeople.

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Kashmiri Pashmina shawls

The handicraft scene in Kashmir is dominated by the Pashmina shawl. Pashmina wool is the finest kind of wool accessible naturally, and it can only be discovered in Himalayan lands. However, it takes four years for a Capra (Hircus sheep) to mature enough to provide its hair for the making of a Pashmina shawl. When compared to standard wool, Pashmina wool absorbs more water. The truth is that if the pashmina shawl goes through a ring, it is an authentic Pashmina.
You can find the original pashmina at Janpath's Kashmir Emporium. Jagdish Kumar, a shop attendant says "These shawls and pherans are brought in from Kashmir. Especially during winters there's a huge variety and new versions."

Traditionally Madhubani painting

Madhubani painting is a well-known folk art from Bihar. In 2012, Madhubani art created by artisans on tree trunks and thus setting up open-air art exhibitions,  aided in the battle against deforestation in Bihar. Women and girls in Bihar's Madhubani area discovered this creative technique to combat the problem and rescue hundreds of trees. To give the walls a greater texture, Madhubani paintings are done with natural colors and a mixture of cow dung and mud. Artists employed only natural colors in their work, such as turmeric, pollen, or lime, and indigo blue. Kusum flower juice was used to make the crimson color, red sandalwood, and rose.

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Jaipur items define people's culture and innovation

Jaipur has a rich tradition in handicrafts. From this state, comes Jaipuri gota-patti work which is incorporated into choli, jackets, or kurti to impart royal elegance. These are brightly coloured and elaborately constructed and formed to fit certain body proportions. They are adorned with mirror work, beads, and sequins, coral and shells, and creative-cut work to add an ethnic flair. Juttis or mojaris are worn by both men and women in Rajasthan. There are leather shoes made of sheep, camel, or goatskin, and are embellished with elaborate stitching and ornamentation. To complete the look, different kaan-bali,payal,bangles,bichua and finger rings are worn. Sarita devi who's mother has been putting a stall at Janpath since 1970 says  "All the materials we sell are handmade, originally from Gujarat. We put these stalls from 11 am till 10 pm, we don't give any rent for them, Indira Gandhi set-up these stalls and since that time all the stalls that we put are free of cost."
You can find the variety in the lanes of Janpath, there're many women who have put up their stalls since Indira Gandhi's term as the Prime Minister, 1970.

Blue pottery is in high demand both in India and internationally

The term "blue pottery" refers to the striking blue hue of the dye used to portray the ceramic pattern. The craft of blue pottery dates back centuries, however, it is worth noting that it did not start in the city of Jaipur. It is an imported technique that was invented by Mongol artisans and brought to India with Muslim monarchs in the 14th century. Initially, it was exclusively used to decorate mosques, tombs, and forts with brilliantly painted tiles. With the passage of time, blue pottery ceased to be merely an architectural accent and found a home in the hands of Kashmiri potters.

Wood art is also one of those phenomenal crafts of India

Wood art is another one of India's remarkable skills. Wood carving is one of the oldest art techniques used to create ornamental wooden objects.  Wood carving has been practiced in India since ancient times, as evidenced by old wood-carved temples in Uttar Pradesh. While Sheesham is the most often used wood, mango, walnut, deodar, ebony, and sandalwood are all popular.