Beyond Pattachitra and Talapatra Chitra, Here’s a Lesser Known Leaf Craft of Odisha
Beyond Pattachitra and Talapatra Chitra, Here’s a Lesser Known Leaf Craft of Odisha

By Niroj Ranjan Misra

Weaving palm leaves together to make decoration pieces, and weaving traditional headgears with siali leaves are the ancient crafts of the Bhumij tribe. A Balasore-based charitable trust is working with villagers to keep the craft alive.

Weaving palm leaves together to make decoration pieces, and weaving traditional headgears with siali leaves are the ancient crafts of the Bhumij tribe. A Balasore-based charitable trust is working with villagers to keep the craft alive.

The GI-tagged Kallakurichi wooden craft of Tamil Nadu
The GI-tagged Kallakurichi wooden craft of Tamil Nadu

By Satish Malviya

Kuppu Swamy grew up watching his father and grandfather working with blocks of wood, from which would emerge beautiful idols. He is a Kallakurichi craftsman too. His wooden carvings range from a foot to four to five feet high idols of Gods.

Kuppu Swamy grew up watching his father and grandfather working with blocks of wood, from which would emerge beautiful idols. He is a Kallakurichi craftsman too. His wooden carvings range from a foot to four to five feet high idols of Gods.

Women in Odisha’s Keonjhar use paper waste to make papier-mache craft, achieve self-reliance
Women in Odisha’s Keonjhar use paper waste to make papier-mache craft, achieve self-reliance

By Ashis Senapati

Around 70 women in Odisha’s Keonjhar district are keeping the ancient papier-mache craft alive by utilising paper waste. These collective efforts have also resulted in these women eking out their livelihoods as the products they make are highly marketable.

Around 70 women in Odisha’s Keonjhar district are keeping the ancient papier-mache craft alive by utilising paper waste. These collective efforts have also resulted in these women eking out their livelihoods as the products they make are highly marketable.

Odisha: Vital for Tumba Craft, Bottle Gourd Ensures Livelihood to Tribal Families in Rayagada
Odisha: Vital for Tumba Craft, Bottle Gourd Ensures Livelihood to Tribal Families in Rayagada

By Ashis Senapati

Owing to the sheer abundance of its presence in Indian kitchens, the humble-looking bottle gourd is seldom taken seriously. However, the vegetable known for its bland gustatory appeal, is a vital source of livelihood for the tribal Tumba artists in Odisha. They make intricate decorative products by drying, carving and painting these vegetables.

Owing to the sheer abundance of its presence in Indian kitchens, the humble-looking bottle gourd is seldom taken seriously. However, the vegetable known for its bland gustatory appeal, is a vital source of livelihood for the tribal Tumba artists in Odisha. They make intricate decorative products by drying, carving and painting these vegetables.

Dhokra craft brings back smiles on the faces of artisans in Odisha's tribal heartland
Dhokra craft brings back smiles on the faces of artisans in Odisha's tribal heartland

By Ashis Senapati

Pursuing the ancient Dhokra metal craft has not only helped many tribal residents in Odisha to earn a living but also ensured that they stay close to their families. Their products are also provided linkage to the markets by the Odisha Rural Development And Marketing Society. Details here.

Pursuing the ancient Dhokra metal craft has not only helped many tribal residents in Odisha to earn a living but also ensured that they stay close to their families. Their products are also provided linkage to the markets by the Odisha Rural Development And Marketing Society. Details here.

Kartik Purnima and the traditional miniature boat craft of Kendrapara, Odisha
Kartik Purnima and the traditional miniature boat craft of Kendrapara, Odisha

By Ashis Senapati

The otherwise quiet village of Posei in Kendrapara district bustles with activity before Kartik Purnima when its artisan families get busy making miniature boats that are sailed on water bodies to commemorate the state's maritime history.

The otherwise quiet village of Posei in Kendrapara district bustles with activity before Kartik Purnima when its artisan families get busy making miniature boats that are sailed on water bodies to commemorate the state's maritime history.

Reviving the Kashmiri Craft of Namda Making
Reviving the Kashmiri Craft of Namda Making

By Fahim Mattoo

Namdas, the coarse, sheep-wool floor rugs can be found in almost every Kashmiri household. But, Namda weavers are on a decline. Farooq Ahmad Khan, a 40-year-old weaver, is using a new nano-felt technique to make the Namda craft more versatile.

Namdas, the coarse, sheep-wool floor rugs can be found in almost every Kashmiri household. But, Namda weavers are on a decline. Farooq Ahmad Khan, a 40-year-old weaver, is using a new nano-felt technique to make the Namda craft more versatile.

The Dying Craft of Kashmiri Wooden Utensils
The Dying Craft of Kashmiri Wooden Utensils

By Sadaf Shabir

Ali Mohammad Najar from Budgam, Kashmir, is painfully aware that he is perhaps one of the last custodians of the craft of wooden utensils, which were once integral to every Kashmiri kitchen. The craftsman now works as a labourer and repairs wooden roofs to make ends meet.

Ali Mohammad Najar from Budgam, Kashmir, is painfully aware that he is perhaps one of the last custodians of the craft of wooden utensils, which were once integral to every Kashmiri kitchen. The craftsman now works as a labourer and repairs wooden roofs to make ends meet.

When he is not growing millets and wheat, farmer Trilokchand Mandan sculpts masterpieces in wood
When he is not growing millets and wheat, farmer Trilokchand Mandan sculpts masterpieces in wood

By Amarpal Singh Verma

A farmer from Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan has made a name for himself and his village with his wooden sculptures that he handcrafts using only non-mechanised tools.

A farmer from Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan has made a name for himself and his village with his wooden sculptures that he handcrafts using only non-mechanised tools.

क्यों प्रसिद्ध है सहारनपुर की दस्तकारी
क्यों प्रसिद्ध है सहारनपुर की दस्तकारी

By Jigyasa Mishra

मुगलों के आगमन के साथ शुरू हुई काष्ठ कला, सहारनपुर की पहचान बन चुकी है और देश, विदेश तक लोकप्रिय है। आज भी सहारनपुर में कई परिवार सिर्फ़ इसी काम के भरोसे अपना जीवन यापन कर रहे हैं।

मुगलों के आगमन के साथ शुरू हुई काष्ठ कला, सहारनपुर की पहचान बन चुकी है और देश, विदेश तक लोकप्रिय है। आज भी सहारनपुर में कई परिवार सिर्फ़ इसी काम के भरोसे अपना जीवन यापन कर रहे हैं।

Follow us
Contact
  • Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226010
  • neelesh@gaonconnection.com

© 2025 All Rights Reserved.