Tangible traditions

Are you a handicrafts enthusiast? Well, if your answer is in the affirmative, then the recently concluded Dastkar Nature would have definitely piqued your interest. The annual event presents an opportunity to meet and interact with craftspeople, allowing enthusiasts to dig deeper into India’s traditional crafts.

“Nature 2019 was the annual celebration of life and nature. [Being] a confluence of tradition, indigenous technologies, and craft, its core is the Dastkar family of craftspeople — over a 100 different skills and traditions — using colours, motifs, and materials that are made from or inspired by nature,” said Laila Tyabji, chairperson of Dastkar.

Tyabji also revealed that every year they choose a theme inspired by nature. This year, it happened to be the fish and different craftspeople interpreted the living being in different ways. There was not only a wide variety of crafts, but visitors also enjoyed workshops and demonstration, culture performances, and delicious food.

Ambika Devi, one of the craftspeople, said that, “Among all of the Dastkar events, I love Nature the most since it is the oldest and we have been attending it for years. For this bazaar, we had developed our Madhubani motifs in a range of black and white fish motifs and various other motifs in colour.”