JOIN USTaking literacy to next level
Taleem aadmi ko insaan bana deti hai, says Shabir Ali Beigh, a craftsman from Kashmir, translating the calligraphed embroidery in Urdu, on a stole displayed at the ‘Akshara: Crafting Indian Scripts’ an exhibition by Dastkari Haat Samiti.
And there are many others from all over India, who share their experiences of learning to read and writing on their crafted artifacts.
Shabir remembers how he felt like a child who goes to the school on the first day, when Jaya Jaitly, president of Dastkari Haat Samiti, told him that this project would require him to read and write. “Holding a pen to learn to write at the age of 35, was very tough. I was immensely nervous throughout my training but Jayaji said ‘Shabir you have to be in this exhibition’.” Other artisans too had similar stories to share.
Right from the Hindi alphabet ‘A’ at the entrance to installations of scripts, the pieces are mind boggling. 14 scripts have been calligraphed in varied styles including Kalamkari of Andhra Pradesh, Phad of Rajasthan, Sanjhi of Uttar Pradesh, Madhubani from Bihar and Terracotta from Kerala. The wooden lampshades, silver jewellery, Raas Leela glass paintings, a small wooden cupboard inspired by the age old toy Dasavtaram and fabrics are all products of three years hardwork.
The dupattas which have Kabir’s couplets embroidered on them are a head turner. Shahid Junaid, its craftsman from Varanasi says, “We remember Kabir as a weaver and since he too is from Benaras, we thought of weaving his dohas on Benarasi silks.”
The craftsman sells some of his works at the Experimental Arts Gallery and says, “All this is made on handloom, for which there is a high demand but scarcity of craftspeople. People don’t prefer to work on handloom but they must remember that handloom hai aur hamesha jeeta rahega!”
Sharing the reason behind calligraphy as the theme, Jaya Jaitly says, “Calligraphy represents literacy in its highest form and literacy liberates a human being. Since we work with immensely talented craftspeople, there was a social as well as sreative purpose behind this.
There are 22 official languages in India which are culturally potential yet there is no mention of them. So we combined the two motives and created something that will appeal to all even if you don't know a language.”
The exhibition has become an attraction for known names in Delhi. Designer Wendell Rodricks says, “Despite it being the written word, I am speechless after seeing this exhibition. I was fascinated by the whole process of alphabets. No other country has so many languages and incorporating them in such a unique way opens the viewer’s mind to the concept of art.”
The exhibition is on display till September 21.