Seasonal demand for the handcrafted wooden dolls

is mostly from non-resident Indians

No Dasara is complete without Gombe Habba, the festival of dolls. It’s a time-honoured tradition where dolls of all varieties — mud, brass, wood and even cloth — are displayed. And this season, handcrafted Channapatna wooden dolls are in demand, especially among non-resident Indians.

A majority of the customers are NRIs from the U.S. and the U.K. who are seeking dolls that are handcrafted the traditional way and not mass produced, say artists. “There are merely 200 artisans who practise the traditional lathe making and use original lacquer-ware, a craft that is protected as a geographical indication,” said designer Atul Johri, who is based out of Channapatna and works with local artists.

However, such dolls come at a steep price during Dasara. While on a recent trip to Bengaluru, M. Raghava, who teaches anthropology in the U.S., ordered a set of four Channapatna dolls for Rs. 4,200. “We also paid Rs. 17,800 for a set of 150 mud dolls” he said.

Many handicraft emporiums in the State have started shipping orders. “We have NRIs who order them during Dasara. I think it’s nostalgia that drives the demand,” says Kiran Grandhi from Raaga Arts at Jayanagar.

Varna, a handicraft store in Malleswaram, has noted a demand for Channapatna dolls among the NRIs. “Forty per cent of our customers are not from India. Our bestseller is ‘Jathre’ a five-piece set which costs Rs. 2,000,” said proprietor R.N. Arun Kumar. “NRIs place orders for doll sets that can easily be shipped and Channapatna dolls are light but sturdy.”

But the price rise is seasonal and artisans often do not benefit from this. Consider Mr. Johri’s example of the market chain: if a Channapatna artisan gets Rs. 100 per doll, the doll commands a price depending on the market demand and the distance travelled. The price in Bengaluru would be approximately Rs. 700, but in the export market, that same doll can retail at Rs. 3,000. “It’s an unorganised market, with an abundance of middlemen calling the shots,” Mr. Johri added.

And after Dasara, the prices fall drastically as does demand.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – October 08th, 2016

Chennai :

At Ashvita Nirvana in Besant Nagar, at a workshop on crochet making, nearly 12 ladies are hard at work trying to make their own coaster out of crochet. Anne, the instructor for the event, walks around, helping them out in the nuances.

Though having no background in the field, Anne and her husband Rakesh run ‘Happyknots’ crochet business in Bangalore. Anne was in Chennai to conduct a workshop, where City Express caught up with her. A medical transcription trainer for nearly 12 years, her talent in crochet began when she had a baby a few years ago. “Jewellery, hair accessories, clothes, dreamcatchers, curtains, sofa covers….you name it and it can be done the crochet way. Initially, I took the help of a family friend, and later learnt through online tutorials,” she beams. It took nearly five years for Anne to master crochet making.

How many are interested in making crochet? “Crochet is not a dying art; it’s just that people do not have the time and patience to learn it,” she says. “Apart from this, the art can be perfected only through years of practice. Crochet items initially were made only with wool, but today it can be made with any material like, thread, jute fabric.”

As Anne teaches one of the ladies how to start kneading the thread, she says, “Crochet is one art form which relieves us from stress.” But how? She laughs and replies, “When we do this, we are completely occupied; so we avoid thinking about anything else.”

Looking at the accessories she made for her daughter such as hair bands and rubber bands, her family encouraged her to pursue it. Anne began to receive orders which motivated her to start Happyknots. “We don’t get many orders for crochet; only a small percentage of people are interested. Customers prefer works, which have us use our creativity to fuse other forms of art into one,” she smiles.

Anne feels that many people today want to learn the art, but lack training. “More than going for a class and knowing how crochet is done, people need to know the right technique to make the product easily,” she adds.

Anne is known for her fashion accessories and designs (which includes hair and jewellery) using crochet.

For orders, call 09844538518 or visit HappyKnots on FB

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / Vidya Gowri Venkatesh / August 04th, 2016

Unique hobbies

We all have that one person who brings a turning point in our lives and makes us discover something in ourselves that we never even knew existed. For Shashi Kumble, it was her mother, who, she says, was a great teacher. “My mother wanted to make sure that we, me and my two sisters, all learnt something during our summer holidays to ensure that we spent our time productively. Her friend had a tailoring class and we were sent there to learn tailoring. I was not very good at it so she sent me for knitting instead; something which I couldn’t do very well either. It was at that time that crochet caught my fancy.”

What started off as a simple interest soon became a full-fledged passion. Shashi started making many items and these became popular gifting options for her friends, many of whom were getting married at that time. But then life caught up. Her mother passed away, she got married and found a job and forgot all about crochet. “It was only very recently that I took it up again,” she says. “I found my mother’s old knitting books and other paraphernalia one day and suddenly felt the urge to pursue my passion once more. I went with my husband to the Jayanagar market and got the required things and bought a crochet book from Amazon. I had to sort of relearn the entire process because I was so out of touch but I was happy.”

There has been no looking back after that. She made scarves, Afghans and doilies and later on graduated to baskets, cushion covers and bags. Talking about the journey till here, Shashi says, “I did a lot of experimentation initially. Like while making the Afghans, I didn’t go by any particular design but instead, made it very colourful. It was at that time that my apartment held a ‘monsoon mela’ and invited residents to put up stalls. My family kept encouraging me to give it a shot so I went and registered. I had very few things to sell and absolutely zero idea about the price or the cost incurred. But all my items were sold out in a matter of minutes.”

After that, her popularity spread through word-of-mouth and through social media. She started getting a lot of orders from outside as well as from her own relatives, mostly because her products are not the usual run-of-the-mill ones you see. “The baskets I make are in demand because they are so unique,” she says. “The cushion covers, mobile covers and hanging mobiles are also sought-after. I make a variety of bags using wool and thread and I get these lined, stitched and zipped for a professional look. Another distinctive item are the crochet chains with pendants in them. Also, I usually don’t repeat patterns unless specifically asked to do so.”

She has got a lot of appreciation from people. Her colour sense and innovations have garnered her praise, with one person even saying that ‘she has magic in her fingers’. “It is remarks like this which motivate me to continue with this hobby,” says Shashi.

Her products are crossing borders now. Relatives and friends outside the state and even outside the country have been asking for her creations and she has been busy sending these to them. “The scarves are very popular. I am also making them in cotton and silk now. Also, there is a feeling among people that crochet scarves are for women only. That is not true. There are many designs which will suit men also because they are not lacy.”
Talking about one more common misconception, she says that crochet is very different from knitting.

“Knitting is done with two needles, crochet uses only one.” She has included such things alongwith information about her products in her newly-created blog through which she reaches out to interested people. “But the selling is secondary. At the end of the day, I do it for my happiness,” she says, smiling.
(Shashi can be  contacted on 9902270086)

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Metrolife / by Rajitha Menon / DHNS – August 08th, 2016