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Basketry
Weaving of the
vegetable fibers to
make wicker articles
for daily use is
still preserved in
the living tradition
of Punjab. Osier
bast, a straw
commonly known as
Sarkanda, is
interwoven with bast,
reeds, rushes and
corn husks to make
baskets. A few
decades ago,
Sarkanda, a tough,
thick elastic grass
used to grow in
plenty. Out of this
grass, roofs of all
sizes (which
provided air
conditioning) were
fashioned in
circular shapes.
After shaving, thin
straws of this grass
were woven into
beautiful carpets
and curtains. The
hand fan, popularly
known as Peshawari
Pakkha, is one of
the most popular and
fascinating handmade
wicker products.
Smaller, fine and
more delicate fans
are called
Kundaladar Pakkhi on
account of their
curled ends.
Chhaj, used for
separating grain
from husk was also
manufactured out of
Sarkanda. Sarkanda
was interwoven with
coloured cotton
threads to weave
Chiks, Bohey,
Pitarian, (useful
household article)
and kind of chairs
called Moorras.
Baskets for keeping
pins, cotton,
buttons, needles,
threads etc., in
different shapes and
colours were also
made from the
combination of
shaved Sarkanda and
coloured cotton
thread and were
taken by women as a
part of dowry.
Called katnees,
these also find
mention in a wedding
song:
Punjabi (Tyari ho
gayi patolaya teri
katni nu phul lag
gaye)
Arrangements for you
have been made O
beautiful one-Katni
has now blossomed
forth. |
 Weaving
Weaving of Durries
(cotton bed and
floor spreads) in
myriad motifs and
designs by young
girls has been a
much cherished
tradition in Punjab.
Stripes,
chessboards,
squares, motifs of
birds, animals and
plants are common
patterns. Durries
also used to form a
part of girls dowry. |
Needle work
Punjab's
proverbially
beautiful women
create a wealth of
forms on Baghs,
Phulkaris, rummals,
scarfs etc using
needle work.
Phulkari, meaning
flower work, is a
spectacular style of
embroidery peculiar
to Punjab.
Considered
auspicious,
Phulkaris add a
touch of colour and
richness to almost
every ceremony.
Using a deep
coloured cotton
cloth as base, women
embroider an
impression of floral
magnificence with
contrasting silk
threads. The thread
is pierced upwards
from underneath the
cloth into free-hand
motifs, The
embroidery is so
intricate that it is
hard to distinguish
between the left and
right or upward and
downward side of the
phulkari. In the
Baghs and Rummals,
the cloth is worked
on the top side
only. The patterns
are not restricted
or controlled, but
bold, free and
highly imaginative
such that no two
Phulkaris are alike.
Phulkaris were
traditionally used
as attire but now
are exported as wall
hangings or sewn as
jackets etc. |
 Leather
craft|
Punjabi juttis
(shoes made of self
cured leather and
embroidered all over
with gold and silver
wires) are famous
world over for their
intricate designs
and high quality.
Even though
gold/silver threads
have replaced the
silver and gold
wires, the quality
of these handmade
shoes has been
maintained.
Lightness of these
shoes is considered
legendary, in fact
ancient craftsmen
had benchmarked this
lightness thus:
shoes should be
light enough for
sparrows to fly away
with. |
Woodwork
Punjab has also been
traditionally famous
for its hand crafted
wood work. Artistic
beds with
comfortable back
rests fitted with
mirrors with carved
colourful legs
called Pawas, low
seats called Peeras
and Peerian were
made by carpenters
in almost every
village. This skill
has also passed into
folk songs (Raati
rondi da bhij gaya
Lal bhangoora)
Weeping last night
my red Swing became
drenched.
In giving lacquer
finish to wood
crafts, in adorning
it with coloured
mirror and in
engraving wood,
inlaying ivory (now
white plastic only)
the workmen of
Punjab have been
renowned and much of
the furniture and
boxes, toys and
decorative pieces
made out of wood are
exported. Areas more
renowned for
woodcarving in
Punjab are Batala,
Amritsar and
Hoshiarpur. |
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Metalwork
The metal workers of
Amritsar are
renowned for their
skill. Various forms
of casting,
soldering, and
decoration
techniques such as
repousse, pierced
work, chasing,
engraving etc are
used by them to make
metal pots,
utensils, objects
needed for religious
rituals (lamps,
trumpet, etc).
Decorative items
like lamp shades and
engraved metal doors
are some of the
items on which these
artisans work. The
figurative engraved
panels of the
Temples and
Gurudwaras are also
much in demand. At
times metal doors
are plated with gold
and silver and a
very fine repousse
work done on them. |
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Chowk-Poorana:
The art of mud wall
paintings
Mud walls of the
rural houses in
Punjab are painted
on festive occasions
like Dushera, Karva
chauth (the day when
women observe a fast
for the well being
of their husbands),
Holi, Diwali etc.
Walls are plastered
with mud and women
draw ferns, plants
and other
fascinating motifs
to invoke the
blessings of Lakshmi,
the goddess of
wealth and plenty. |
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