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At the Craft Revival Trust, we believe that access to knowledge through mapping and documentation is the basis of safeguarding the intangible heritage of crafts, textiles, folk and tribal arts and the bearers of the oral knowledge systems.
Launched in 1999, the web wiki www.craftrevival.org comprises a constantly expanding Encyclopaedia featuring information on the makers, the techniques, processes and vocabulary of the intangible cultural heritage of South Asia. The encyclopaedia also provides a listing of museums and organisations dedicated to the conservation and promotion of this sector, case studies of prior experiments in cultural and socio-economic development, a bibliography, and a glossary of terms, useful links, amongst many other features (see links above and on right). Today, www.craftrevival.org is the largest available archive of its kind online.
The site also hosts a Quarterly Journal dedicated to bringing new thought, information and work in the realm of the intangible heritage to the fore (latest issue is listed before). The content is sourced from a wide, credible and knowledgeable network from across the world and is recognized for its width of topics and authentic texts. As a current and open-source platform, the journal also serves as a forum for advocacy and empowerment and is now widely acknowledged as a platform for change.
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Hand Block Printing - Mendh Ki Chapai of Jaipur, Rajasthan
Sonal Gaur, Research Associate, Craft Revival Trust
Think of block printing from Jaipur and a picture of small delicate floral buti...
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Kaavad/Painted Mobile Shrines of Udaipur, Rajasthan
Sonal Gaur, Research Associate, Craft Revival Trust
A mobile temple shrine as called Kaavad is created in a small village in Rajasthan. Kaavad is a wooden handcrafted and painted object. Traditionally made in...
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From Kridapatram to Ganjifa - Indian Playing Cards
Swati Gupta, Assistant Programme Officer (Vocational), CBSE
Playing cards have become an inseparable part of the human society. Though it is presumed that playing cards have been around...
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Gyan Chaupar: A Simple Way of Teaching Spirituality
Anamika Pathak, Curator, Decorative Arts & Textiles, National Museum, New Delhi
Gyan Chaupar, the chaupar/game of knowledge/jnana or gyan"
is the early...
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Parsi Embroidery Reviving an Embroidered Legacy
Shivaa Rawat, Research Associate, Indian Heritage Cities Network (IHCN)
The Zoroastrians brought the consciousness of water related rituals and the concept of harvesting water from ancient Iran. The tanka is...
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Paper Cutting / Kagojer Jhalot of Bangladesh
The art of paper cut designs has been a popular form of decoration on religious occasions, weddings and other social ceremonies. Before the use of paper became common, leaves and grass were used. With the introduction of paper...
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Paper Art - Hand Paper Making - Dezo of Bhutan
In Bhutan, paper-making was traditionally practised as a domestic activity. Paper was made entirely by hand from the bark of the Daphne plant and gum from a creeper...
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Handmade Paper of Laos
Fine natural paper, made by hand, from the local saa or paper mulberry tree broussonetia papyrifera, represents an unbroken tradition of papermaking, common across the South East Asian...
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Natural Fibre of Maldives
The weaving of mats of various sizes and shapes, and the making of containers, food-covers and lamp shades from reeds or strips of dried stems of coconut palm leaves, is practised in many islands...
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Farmer's Umbrella & Rain Shield - Ghum of Nepal
The folded mat used by farmers and workers is an ingenuous umbrella that provides complete protection from the rain; unlike the conventional umbrella, it allows both the hands to remain free to continue work. This unusual and...
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Flags & Cloth Paintings of Sri Lanka
In the ancient times, painters and designers created a range of forms and designs on cloth for religious and national ceremonies. Religious paintings on cloth were known as; the inspiration behind...
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It’s Complicated
Ritu Sethi, Chairperson, Craft Revival Trust
In the India of today there seems to be a self congratulatory mood of...
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A Hast Kala Akademi would give Status to Craftspeople
Jaya Jaitly
Should India’s traditional handcrafters occupy an elevated space in people’s minds or should they remain on the pavements...
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To Create a Sustainable Product Design
Swati Gupta, Assistant Programme Officer (Vocational), CBSE
Sustainability is a dynamic concept born out of the environmental debate of the last quarter of a century. The Rio Summit emphasized...
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Crafting Craft A Different Approach
Vishal C. Bhand, Head and Associate Professor, School of Craft and Design at Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan
Craft practices are an integral part of any cultural setting. They provide an...
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The Thick End of the Wedge: Skill Building to Support Livelihoods
M.P. Ranjan, Design Thinker and Professor, National School of Design, Ahmedabad
Crafts are a great source of employment in our villages and towns. However...
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Paniyan Tribe of Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu
Sumana Ravi, Photo-Journalist
Any inquiry into Indian culture is definitely incomplete without a study of the country’s tribal communities. India boasts of the largest...
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Examining the Aboriginal Art Centre Model: A Case Study
Sharmila Wood, Craft Consultant
This is a brief case study of the structure of Aboriginal art centres in Australia. The purpose of this case study is to examine a model that...
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Meet “Lhasa Villages” in Lhasa, TAR
In the heart of the old Tibetan quarter in Lhasa, just a ten-minute walk from the Jokhang temple, is Lhasa Villages. Offering crafts made only by Tibetans, Lhasa Villages is... more.. |
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AIM ‘Art Illuminates Mankind’
AIM” Art Illuminates Mankind is a society registered under West Bengal Registration Act XXVI of 1961, established in 2003. A grass root level social enterprise, a welfare organization it...
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Recommendations for the Handloom Industry
Read about the problem, the initiative, the recommendations... more.. |
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Read
responses and send in your own... more.. |
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View a photo gallery and visual documentation of some of the leading crafts of India... more..
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A hands on guide on how to use simplified craft processes to produce interesting creations. Easy to master the skills and techniques have been detailed step-by-step. Graded by age and level of difficulty... more..
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