The leather industry, including leather footwear, is one of the oldest traditional industries in India. India has a capacity of producing about 900 million pairs of leather footwear and 100 pairs of leather shoe uppers44. Leather and allied industries in India play an important role in terms of providing employment to a large number of artisans and also earn foreign exchange through exports. Main clusters: The major production centers in India are Chennai and Rapine in Tamil Nadu), Mumbai in Maharashtra), Agra, Lucknow, and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Jalandhar in Punjab, Delhi, Carnal and Faridabad in Haryana, Kolkata in West Bengal, Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Calicut in Kerala. Artisans involved: Leather footwear manufacturing employs over one lakh people Across the country45. According to Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI),2,091 tanneries are functioningg across the country28. Raw mThe rawrial used: Hides of cattle, buffalo, sheep ,and goats are the main raw materials Used for leather footwear production. Generally, it takes 7 to 21 days for hides to reach the tannery after the animal has been skinned. Other raw materials used for manufacturing leather footwear are synthetic materials, laces, adhesives, MCR (micro cellular rubber) sheet, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) & TPR (thermos plastic rubber) unit soles. Manufactured is designed based on market demand and raw material requirement is estimated
India is known worldwide for its leather products. In rural areas, hide from cattle and camel is locally cured and after tanning, it is used to make different items. Leather products such as jackets, lampshades, pouches, bags, belts, wallets, and stuffed toys are exported from India in large quanquantitiesather bags & wallets account for maa jor portion of total exports. Main clusters: Leather products are produced in several regions, as different regions have different leather products to offer. Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and UP are the top states in terms of manufacturing (leather products excluding footwear) units. The Council for Leather Exports plans to establish six more leather clusters in the country by 2017. Artisans involved: The leather industry employs about 25 lakh people47, mostly from weaker sections of society. The country is fan acing acute shortage of human resoThe rawes. Raw material used: India has plenty of raw materials, as the country haworldof the worlds Cattle/buffalo,the and 11% of sheep population
Carpet industry is one of the oldest industries in India, and isexport-orientedrt oriented industry. Various kinds of carpets are manufactured in India. These include hawoolented woollen carpetwoolened woollen carpets, woolene woollen durries, and pure silk carpets. There different designs hold different meanings48: Circle â?? Eternity Zigzag â?? Water and Lightening Swastika â?? Guiding light in darkness Meandering line â?? Continuity of life Tree â?? Bounty Entire carpet â?? Emblem of Eternity Entire pattern â?? Visible world of change Main clusters: Over the years, various carpet weaving centre have emerged in India. Eaccenterre has its own competitive advantage. Majocenterses of carpet production are Badoni, Varanasi, Mirpur, Agra, Jaipur, Bikaner, Kashmir, and Pan pat, Gwalior, West Bengal, Uttara hand, Karnataka and Elluru in Andhra Pradesh. Artisans involved: Indian carpet industry has over 2,500 exporters-cum-manufacturers and two million artisans49. Raw material used: Major raw materials used for carpet manufacturing are fibre and or yarn form, dyes, chemicals, auxiliaries and ancillary materials
India is one the leading producers of rugs in the world. Various kinds of rugs produced in India are namda (felted rugs), gabba (embroidered rugs), wooden pile rugs, cotton rugs, etc. When compared to rugs and carpets, durries are light, often Reversible, and usually made with cotton. Durries have found daily use in rural villages of India. Different parts of India have localized durrie tradition. The panja durrie is amongst multitude of styles. Main clusters: Rug production is concentrated in the following regions: Agra, Bhadoi, Mirpur in UP, Jaipur in Rajasthan, Pan pat in Haryana, and Kashmir in Jammu and Kashmir. Regions known for durrie making are Pan pat, Bhavani in Tamil Nadu, Navalgund in Karnataka, Warangal in Andhra Pradesh, and Jaisalmer and Barer in Rajasthan. Artisans involved: Raw material used: Generally, cotton and wool are used as primary raw material for durrie Making. Main tool used is a vertical frame composed of two horizontal beams on which the warp is fitted
Handloom industry represents the rich cultural and traditional heritage unique to India. India is a major handloom producer in the world, accounting for 85% of the total production globally53. India produces a variety of products using all kinds of fibres and yarns of varying counts to produce the widest range of products. Handloom contributes 14.6% to the total cloth production in the country (excluding wool, silk and yarn). In 2010-11, handloom production stood at 6.9 billion square meters. Further, the industry has the largest infrastructure with 23.8 lakh weaving looms54. Main clusters: There are 470 handloom clusters, of which 230 clusters have more than 1,000 weaving looms. Out of these 230 clusters, 41 clusters have over 25,000 weaving looms55. Major clusters in India are Bahraich, Bhuj, Karimnagar, Patan, Varanasi, Nawan, Shaher, Boudh, etc. Artisans involved: Handloom industry is second largest employment generator in India, next only to agriculture. It provides employment to the low income sections of the society, with 86 % handloom weavers/workers living in rural and semi- urban areas. As per the Handloom Census of 2009-10, there are 23.8 lakh handlooms, employing 43.3 lakh handloom weavers and allied workers1. Raw material used: Raw materials cost constitutes a major portion (40-60%) of the total production cost of handloom products. Yarn is the main raw material used in handloom production. Handloom industry consumes a diverse range of yarns from natural viz. cotton, wool, silk, jute to artificial viz. synthetic, Cellulose and multiple blends of such yarns. Other materials used are chemicals, dyes, etc.
In textile hand embroidery, embellishment is made on fabric with threads and sometimes with other materials. Various types of hand embroideries are practiced in India. Each type of embroidery is different from the other and has its own beauty and significant value. Cardoza, one of such embroidery, is one the world famous textile hand embroidery craft. Main clusters: In India there are many popular embroidery clusters such as Chikankari and zardozi of Lucknow, katha of Bengal, fulkari of Punjab, kutchi embroidery of Gujarat and kashidakari of Kashmir. Cardoza has been traditionally prevalent in Lucknow and the six Surrounding districts of Barabanki, Unnao, Sitapur, Rae Bareli, Hardoi and Amethi. Lucknow zardozi has been accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) registration. Artisans involved: The Lucknow zardozi cluster supports an estimated 1.75 lakh artisans. Around 2 lakh people directly involved in the supply and value chain in the cluster. Further, the Chikankari cluster of Lucknow provides employment to 2.5 lakh people. Raw material used: Basic materials used for this craft are cotton and silk threads of various colours, mirrors, beads, metal wire, cotton, silk, leather, fish skin, teeth, bones, feathers, horn, shells, beetle wings, tassels, coins. Raw material used for Chikankari embroidery includes untwisted mill yarn (Muga), silk, crepe, organise, cotton, terry-cotton, chiffon, muslin or Tussar Yarn.
Hand printed textiles is a craft in which cloth is dyed with hand or Printed using shapes. Various types of hand printing practiced in India are block printing, batik, kalmkari (hand printing by pen) and bandhani (tie and die). Main clusters: Process: Sanganeri style printing Some of the important centres of this craft are in the states of Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad, Machalipattnam), Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi, Farrukabad), Orissa, Madhya Pradesh (Bagh, Behrongarh, Indore, Mandsar, and Burhanpur), Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Kutch), Maharashtra and Rajasthan (Bagru, Chittroli, Sanganer, Jaipur, and Jodhpur). Originally natural dyes were used for printing, however, in the current scenario they have been replaced by chemical and artificial colours. Hand printing is undertaken on both cotton and silk fabrics of varying counts. Main tools for hand printing (block printing) are wooden/metal blocks of different shapes, paatiya (table padded with jute and covered with cloth on which the fabric to be printed is spread across), brushes (for cleaning the flocks of wax), heating vessel (to maintain temperature of the mendh), indigo vats, steel chisels, and metal sheets. Block printing is a common art practiced all over India. Steps involved in Mendh Ki chapai (block printing)of Rajasthan are shown below. The process in its entirety takes about 15-20 days. Washing and Drying are carried out after every step. Sourcing of raw material Grey fabric is sourced from Erode in Tamil Nadu
Woodcarving is an ancient craft practiced in India long before the age of ancient stone sculptural age. It is the artistic practice of shaping and decorating wooden objects into diverse utilitarian and decorative handicrafts items. The most common varieties of wood used for this craft are teak, sal, oak, ebony, mango, sheesham, etc. Wood carving is a time consuming process. Small items of carved Wooden handicrafts may take a week to be made. Large items requiring elaborate carving may take few months for their manufacture. Main clusters: Saharanpur is world famous for its wood carving and is known as â??Shisham Wood Villageâ?? or â??Wood Cityâ?? of India. Other important Centres of wood carving in India are Manipur, Bhopal, Nagpur, Chennai, Madurai, Mysore, etc. Kashmir is famous for walnut wood carving. Artisans involved: Number of artisans involved in some of the clusters are59: Saharanpur: Over 250 artisans and 15 self-help groups (SHGs) Manipur (Kakching): Over 266 artisans and 17 SHGs Bhopal (Sheopur Kalan): 300 artisans and 25 SHGs Nagpur (Bhandara): Over 300 artisans and 30 SHGs Khairpadar: Over 529 plus artisans and 25 SHGs Raw material used: Raw materials used for wood carving are wood, babul Gond (gum), Potassium permanganate, Chandras (lac grains in acid), harmach powder (for an antique finish), wood preservative, varnish, materials for embossing, fevicol, zinc, colours
Indian Wood Inlay / Marquetry is the process of decorating the surface of wood by setting in pieces of material such as ivory (traditionally), bone, plastic, shell or wood of different colours. Products with inlay include doors, jewellery boxes, plates, boxes, bowls, cigarette cases, and figures of animals, especially elephants. This craft form was brought to India from Persia in the 18th century. Mysore is home to heritage structures beautifully adorned using wood carvings with inlay work. Royal Indian processions, landscapes, pictures of Gods and Goddesses, scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana are depicted using shade effects in this craft. Main clusters: The craft is concentrated in Mysore and Bengaluru in Karnataka. Other places where this craft is practiced are Bijnor, Punjab, Saharanpur, and Uttar Pradesh. Artisans involved: As reported in 2005, the craft involved over 2,000 artisans in Mysore cluster61. Raw material used: Maadi, lac, champa, yellow fanas, dark red rosewood along with Plastic and bone, is used for inlay work62. Rosewood is sourced From auctions at Kushanagar, Tithimathi and Dandeli. Fibre boards are also used to cut down on the cost. Different color woods like white cedar, chill pine, rubber wood, red sandal, jackfruit wood etc. are used to add multiple colours to the art piece. A mixture of wax and charcoal is used to fill fine details.
Wood turning involves the use of lathe on which a rapidly rotating piece of wood is shaped with a chisel to create cylinders spheres or cones. The beauty of this craft lies in painting the smooth wooden shapes. Usually, the turned piece is coated with coloured lacquer. Today, lacquer ware Production has diversified in response to changing markets. It now includes jewellery, decorative pieces, household utility articles and educational articles such as skipping rope handles, chess sets, pen holders, paper weights and rubber stamp holders. The softwood lacquer ware toy business is on verge of closure due to government apathy, stringent export norms and rising input costs. The European Union, Australia and the US demand for certifications and eco-friendly compliance markings on this craft. Main clusters: Etikoppaka in Andhra Pradesh is the hometown of lacquer ware. Other important centres are Ernakulam, Chennapatna, Chitrakoot, Davanagere, Medak, Sankheda, and Varanasi Artisans involved: The Etikoppaka Mutually-Aided Cooperative Society comprises 165 artisans63. Raw material used: The industry is totally dependent on forests for the primary raw Materials. These forest-based products are the wood of the hale tree (or other species like teak, oak, ebony, redwood, rosewood, red cedar, pine, etc.), lac produced by the insect Technadria lacca and the leaves of the talegiri (Pandanus odoratissimus). Synthetic materials used are paints and pigments. Lithophone (compound of barium sulphate and zinc Sulphide) is used to give opaqueness to the lac.
Wooden furniture is the biggest component of the Indian furniture market, accounting for about 65% of the total furniture manufactured in India. Main clusters: Although, wooden furniture manufacturing activity is spread across India. Main centres are Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Surat, and Vadodara in Gujarat, Srinagar in J&K, Jalandhar in Punjab, Sikar in Rajasthan, Cooch Bihar in West Bengal, Bareilly and Ghaziabad in UP About 300,000 people are employed in the Indian furniture industry. Wood is the main raw material. Various types of woods are used with popular ones being Walnut, Sandalwood, Teak, Sheesham, Mango, Deodar, Ebony, Redwood, Rosewood, Red Cedar, and Sal. Teak account for 50% of the wooden furniture. Other materials used are adhesives, nails, and finishing materials such as stains, basecoats, glazers, and enamels. Tools used include hand saw, hand planer, sand paper, hammer, nails, hand drill, chisel, brush, etc. In Jodhpur64, manufacturing wooden furniture involves the following processes: Procurement Wood is procured in the form of planks of 4.5 inch width and 3-6 feet length
Stone carving is an ancient art, in which pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. India produces an exquisite range of artistic and decorative stone crafts. The industry evolved from stone carvings for temples and mosques to utility items like candle stands, incense stick holders, jewellery boxes, etc. Main clusters: Stone carving clusters are Agra, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Jaisalmer, Cuttack, Cuddapah, Bankura, Kanchipuram, Patna, Mysore, Rajkot, Gwalior, Puducherry, Mahanandi, etc.
Indian artisans are skilled in making cut, shaped, and polished beautiful objects from odd blocks of stone and marble. One of the Most attractive work of art that comes from various stones is stone inlay work. Marble inlay is one such exquisite art, which is integral part of the cultural heritage of India. Stone inlay can be broadly divided in three categories: Fine inlay â?? This type of inlay is supremely intricate and involves minimal use of machinery. The skill of the craftsmen is rightly put to test in such type of inlay. Medium inlay â?? This is a little bigger than the fine inlay and Hence can involve some use of machinery. The designs of this inlay are not very small and the pieces to be inlayed can be of bigger sizes. Monumental inlay â?? This is the largest type of inlay work and is not practiced in India currently Italy being the hub of this craft. Main clusters: Rajasthan is known for the inlay on table tops, flooring, and wall Decorative. In Jodhpur, inlay is done on yellow Jaisalmer stone. Agra is famous for Parachinar work which is a very minute and precise inlay work.
Cane and bamboo act as an alternative to wood which takes more time to grow and is costlier. Cane and bamboo are renewable resources that are abundantly available, especially in the North Eastern Region of the country. Cane is largely used for furniture making, whereas bamboo is used for making jewellery and decorative utility items like lamp-stand, umbrella handles, partition, screen, flower pots, baskets, walking sticks, tool handles, fishing rods, tent poles, ladders, toys, fans, cups, mugs, Mats etc. In recent years, uses of cane furniture have considerably increased in different classes of population. Main clusters: Assam (Lakhimpur, Bongaigaon, Guwahati, etc.) and Tripura (Agartala, Nelaghar, etc.) Are recognized as prominent places for cane and bamboo products both nationally as well as internationally. Assam is home to about 50 species67 of bamboo. Other major cane and bamboo handicraft centres are Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh in North Eastern region, West Bengal, Kerala, and Orissa
Filigree is an extremely ancient technique dating back to 4000 years ago. The silver filigree work in India encompasses various steps that are required to give the items a perfect grandeur. Silver filigree work is a style unique in itself. Filigree work is performed on silver and involves significant precision and technicality. The artefacts manufactured comprises alloy that contains over 90% of silver. With changing times, artists have been using new methods to compete in the market. Main clusters: Two major clusters of silver filigree in India are Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh and Cuttack in Orissa. The practice in Karimnagar is about two centuries old. However it is also practiced in Warangal in Andhra Pradesh
The metal crafts of India display intricate craftsmanship and fine art in shaping gold, silver, brass, copper into exquisite designed images, idols, jewellery, and utility items. Different categories of handicrafts that come under metal ware are brass metal ware of Moradabad, metal bidri work and bell metal in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and so on. India is the largest brassware producer in the world. Moradabad cluster alone reports ~INR2, 500 crore annual turnover of brassware. Main clusters: Major clusters of metal ware are Brassware: Moradabad, Murshidabad, Madurai, Salem, Cuttack and Haryana. Whereas, major centres of bell metal ware are Salem, Cuttack, Murshidabad, and Tiruchirappalli. Moradabad cluster has 850 export units and 25,000 metal craft industrial units, and is said to house ~29% of the metalwork- artisans in India73. Bell metal consists of copper, zinc, tin, iron and mercury. Acid. Basic tools required for making brassware include oven, lathe, hammer, tongs, pincers, files, scrapers, hand operated drill, chisel, vessels, crucible, wax, mallet, hand blower, buffing machine, etc
Bidriware is a metal handicraft that originated in Bidar, Karnataka. The term Bidriware originates from the township of Bidar, which is still the chief centre of the unique metal ware? It is a form of encrusted metal ware, where one metal is inlaid on to another. Bidri products include a diverse range of objects including hukka bases, bowls, boxes, candle stands, trays, jewellery and buttons. The craft contains complicated sequences of metal inlay on a zinc and tin alloy base. Bidri has its roots in the Persian technique of inlaying gold and silver on steel or copper. It travelled from Iran to Ajmer in Rajasthan in the 13th century AD, and from there to Bijapur and flourished during the reign of the Deccan Sultanate. Main clusters: The art is mainly practiced in Bidar in Karnataka and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. Apart from these, it is also practiced in Aurangabad district in the state of Maharashtra and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh.
Jewellery making is considered as the most distinctive and highly artistic Craft in India. India has well-established capabilities for hand-made jewelry, both in traditional and modern designs. Currently, Indian imitation jewelry market is around INR 8,000 crore, which is expected to reach INR 15,000 crore by 201576. Main clusters: Major centres of handmade jewellery are Delhi, Moradabad, Sambhal, Jaipur, Kohima (Tribal), Nellore, Mysore, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, etc.
Pottery has been called the lyric of handicrafts because of its irresistible and universal appeal. There is a wide range of pottery and clay crafts in India. Some of the most popular forms of pottery include blue pottery, black and red pottery, roulette ware, and dull red & grey ware. The craft faces severe competition from industrial goods made up of aluminium and plastic. India has a rich tradition of clay crafts and pottery throughout the country. Asharikandi in Assam is the largest cluster in India, where terracotta and pottery craft is found. Other clusters are Bhadrawati, Bulandshahar, Nizamabad, Pune, Chandrapur, etc. Potters is the fourth largest amongst the artisanal groups in India. It is estimated that about 10 lakh people79 are involved in this craft. The main raw material for this craft is ordinary clay, derived from the beds of water bodies. One major challenge for the potters is the rapid depletion of suitable clay. Water, catechu, red-soil, cattle dung, firewood, sand paper, hay, wood, ash, bricks for the kiln etc. are other materials used in pottery
Most of India's musical instruments need to be made with precision using very specific materials for different parts of the instrument. Indian musical instruments have high level of structural design and complexities to derive the unique sound for making it rhythmic to extract Indian music. Some of the popular instruments are sitar, flute, shehnai, tabla, sarangi, and ghatam. Jodhpur, Ranchi, Tiruchirappalli, Vishakhapatnam, and Kolhapur are important centres for musical instruments craft. Materials used depend on the type of instrument; however, some basic materials used are wood, leather (sheep skin, buffalo skin, and goat skin), twine or cotton thread, brass, ivory and yarn
