Do you dream of your children becoming a farmer or an artisan? Even if the answer is a yes, one dreams big to become a businessman dealing in carpets and hiring other artisans rather than becoming one himself. However, times are changing and there’s a big effort to rejuvenate the art of carpet weaving in Rajasthan.

Carpets from Rajasthan are customarily notable for fine-quality and hand-hitched woollen-fibers. Jaipur, Ajmer, and Bikaner are primary places for this specialty. Jaipur has been a major center of the Mughal rule for carpet weaving. It is believed, carpets were initially fabricated in Rajasthan when weavers from Afghanistan started to settle in the royal ateliers in the 17th century. Ever since, they have flourished here, with their high-spirited colours and geometric motifs finding their way into showrooms across the globe.

Pattern is an integral part of the hand-made knotted carpet. Patterns like flowers, arabesques, rhomboids and occasional animal design were common produced and employed as design with varying degree of stylization. Each of these designs has a unique meaning. For example, the circle, zigzag and tree signified eternity, light and happiness respectively. Later, Persian style was amalgamated with Indian design giving rise to Indo-Islamic carpet.

The art of carpet weaving has a rich history.

Speaking about the basic reason of carpet weaving going obsolete now a days, Nand Kishore Chaudhary, founder of Jaipur Rugs, which is reviving the culture of carpet making, explains, “It won’t be entirely right to say that carpet-weaving is going obsolete, but there is undeniably a lot of competition from machine-made carpets. It takes hundreds of man-hours to design and produce a rug. But for a machine, copying that design and mass production takes just a few days. The loss of opportunity and market for the weaver is huge. Therefore, the challenge lies in educating the customer about the value and significance of the handmade carpet industry.”

There is no single-proven method to resuscitate traditional art of carpet weaving. But aid is always available to those who seek help. Chaudhary agrees, “It is very important to bridge the gap between the artisan and the consumer to help spread awareness about the lives of artisans involved in this craft.”   

According to him, the size, intricacy of design and quality of the rug matter. It takes at least a month to create one. A pure silk rug takes about a year. Procurement of raw material and finishing are also hand-done that takes 15-25 days to finish a rug.

An artist’s artwork is incomplete without a beholder’s eye. Similarly, the hard work and dedication of a carpet weaver goes in vein if there is no one to buy. As Chaudhary suggests, “Buyers often come as customers but depart as family. Their reaction mostly involves amazement and awe at the intricacy of the designs and the timeless craftsmanship that has gone into the making of the rug.”

The millennial generation, he feels, loves conscious luxury products and they like to connect with the weavers and know the stories behind the rugs they buy.

Sharing about his vision entrepreneur says, “Business should be compassion and purpose driven. It should grow in a sustainable and inclusive manner and connect the story of the artisans and their art to the desires of the consumers.” The idea, he says, is to eliminate middlemen.