 "Crafted with love")
The people of Rajasthan's Sultana, says Mohammed Tofik, are largely farmers. "We grow cauliflowers, spinach, potatoes and lots more here," he continues, adding that every household also works with iron. "From doors to windows, you'll find that everything here is made of iron. Even if we have to keep a tree safe, we'll use iron for that too."
Tofik, a master artisan, shares how the people of Sultana have been working with the metal for generations. Iron is reliable, he says. "You just have to use it properly. Even if it gets rusted, we can sell it for half-rate." He then proceeds to craft a bowl: the quick history of Sultana's iron works and the process of making the bowl is shared with us in just over three minutes.
While creating a thing of beauty as well as utility is Tofik's expertise, bringing stories of craftspeople from Sultana and other pockets of the country is the forte of two film makers: Keya Vaswani and Nidhi Kamath.
"The main focus of our work is to bring out stories about the thriving and revival of crafts across the country," says Vaswani. Graduates of Indian Institute of Crafts and Design, Jaipur, the Storyloom duo specialised in product design, but realised they wanted to "go beyond that". That, coupled with their love for the road and new experiences, gave rise to Storyloom Films.
Under the banner of Bengaluru-based Storyloom Films, Vaswani and Kamath have spun together over 18 narratives in the last four years that document the stories of Indian handicrafts, and the people behind them.
The most recognised of these narratives is Weaves of Maheshwar, a 30-minute documentary on how the riverside town of Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, has seen a revival in the craft of the colourful Maheshwari sarees: more than 200 weavers have migrated to this town since 2012 because of a sustained boom in its handloom business.
The story of these sarees begin with Ahilyabai Holkar, who ruled the princely state of Indore in the 18th century. "She was governing on behalf of her son and often had to gift something to other royal families. She decided that cloth was a good and 'pure' gift and brought in weavers to settle here," says Hemendra Sharma of WomenWeave, one of the groups featured in Weaves of Maheshwar.
Maheshwar is special, say the film makers, because artisans have taken an active interest to include the younger generation too, and the results have paid off.
In the backdrop dyed threads and the sounds of temple bells and the tick-ticking of looms, we also meet US-born Sally Holkar who is credited with reviving the art form here by setting up learning centres for young weavers. "My husband's family were the patrons of the handloom community. It was sort of a symbiotic relationship. The ruling family of Holkar looked after weavers to some extent and the weavers provided sarees for the court of Indore," says Holkar.
Bringing to the forefront untold stories of Indian crafts and textiles will always be the focus of Storyloom Films, explains Kamath. While their first film Threads of Benaras (on silk crafts), was made in collaboration with art historian and textile designer Rahul Jain, the duo has moved to working for fellowships and brands such as Good Earth, Contemporary Crafted Ideas and Tab India.
Currently shooting another project in Gujarat on Patola sarees that easily cost over Rs 1 lakh, the film makers talk about how crafts are getting their due recognition and artisans are clued into market demands. "Master artisans keep tabs on what the market demands, and weavers work accordingly. Up till now these people were working with chemical dyes, but now they are gradually shifting to natural dyes because they know that there are people who prefer that," says Vaswani, adding that students going in to work with artisans has also brought in design intervention.
"Our films are a way of showcasing why we need to value these products and the need to support the community behind them. People will readily invest in handmade things once they realise why these products are costlier," says Kamath.
For more, visit storyloomfilms.com
Tofik, a master artisan, shares how the people of Sultana have been working with the metal for generations. Iron is reliable, he says. "You just have to use it properly. Even if it gets rusted, we can sell it for half-rate." He then proceeds to craft a bowl: the quick history of Sultana's iron works and the process of making the bowl is shared with us in just over three minutes.
While creating a thing of beauty as well as utility is Tofik's expertise, bringing stories of craftspeople from Sultana and other pockets of the country is the forte of two film makers: Keya Vaswani and Nidhi Kamath.
"The main focus of our work is to bring out stories about the thriving and revival of crafts across the country," says Vaswani. Graduates of Indian Institute of Crafts and Design, Jaipur, the Storyloom duo specialised in product design, but realised they wanted to "go beyond that". That, coupled with their love for the road and new experiences, gave rise to Storyloom Films.
Under the banner of Bengaluru-based Storyloom Films, Vaswani and Kamath have spun together over 18 narratives in the last four years that document the stories of Indian handicrafts, and the people behind them.
The most recognised of these narratives is Weaves of Maheshwar, a 30-minute documentary on how the riverside town of Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, has seen a revival in the craft of the colourful Maheshwari sarees: more than 200 weavers have migrated to this town since 2012 because of a sustained boom in its handloom business.
The story of these sarees begin with Ahilyabai Holkar, who ruled the princely state of Indore in the 18th century. "She was governing on behalf of her son and often had to gift something to other royal families. She decided that cloth was a good and 'pure' gift and brought in weavers to settle here," says Hemendra Sharma of WomenWeave, one of the groups featured in Weaves of Maheshwar.
Maheshwar is special, say the film makers, because artisans have taken an active interest to include the younger generation too, and the results have paid off.
In the backdrop dyed threads and the sounds of temple bells and the tick-ticking of looms, we also meet US-born Sally Holkar who is credited with reviving the art form here by setting up learning centres for young weavers. "My husband's family were the patrons of the handloom community. It was sort of a symbiotic relationship. The ruling family of Holkar looked after weavers to some extent and the weavers provided sarees for the court of Indore," says Holkar.
Bringing to the forefront untold stories of Indian crafts and textiles will always be the focus of Storyloom Films, explains Kamath. While their first film Threads of Benaras (on silk crafts), was made in collaboration with art historian and textile designer Rahul Jain, the duo has moved to working for fellowships and brands such as Good Earth, Contemporary Crafted Ideas and Tab India.
Currently shooting another project in Gujarat on Patola sarees that easily cost over Rs 1 lakh, the film makers talk about how crafts are getting their due recognition and artisans are clued into market demands. "Master artisans keep tabs on what the market demands, and weavers work accordingly. Up till now these people were working with chemical dyes, but now they are gradually shifting to natural dyes because they know that there are people who prefer that," says Vaswani, adding that students going in to work with artisans has also brought in design intervention.
"Our films are a way of showcasing why we need to value these products and the need to support the community behind them. People will readily invest in handmade things once they realise why these products are costlier," says Kamath.
For more, visit storyloomfilms.com