Crafts Museum is now National Crafts Museum and Hastkala Academy

There is a very old post of mine on Crafts Muesum, (you can read it here...) Crafts Museum when it was simply that. It was laid back with plenty of open spaces and no crowds. The parking was free and plentiful. The craftspersons would stay for a month and things went that way. All that has changed and the Crafts Museum in its new avatar is buzzing. There are a lot of events being held. Several shows and exhibitions are being mounted by the Museum using pieces from its own reserve collection. It is used as a venue for the launch of books, new initiatives. There are collaborative exhibitions. The recent ones with Inda Art Fair. The recent National Handloom celebration with @weavethefutureofficial, is  a case in point. Stand alone exhibitions have included a beautiful one on Indian instruments, Puppet, Masks, Tarshito’s works, collection of Uzbek textiles of David Housego and Mandeep Negi of Shades of India.

 What though is heartening is that it is bustling with people. There are a lot of young people who come there. Of course, taking selfies and the general horsing around happen, but more importantly atleast there are foot falls. Of course one does feel a disconnect. Most of the youth is dressed in the typical western attire. Then there are the arty ones with ethnic sarees, bindis and more. The seamless meeting of the two as in how Fab India has bridged the gap will be welcome. There are school visits to exhibitions. Lots of art students come to sketch.

Where – Bhairon Marg. This is just at the right turn after Chidiya Ghar, next to Purana Qila towards old Gate no. 1, Pragati Maidan.

Timings – Morning 10 am to 5:30 pim. The open areas, courtyard is open till later. Café Lota of course stays open till 9 pm. Parking is ample and if you have a driver roadside works. Otherwise the parking lot near Bhairon Mandir it is. The entire road is peppered with fountains and wide green spaces, quite a delight to the eyes.

Highlight – The open courtyard and the Ayyanar temple icons have got a coat of geru or the typical red colouring on terracotta. The staff is courteous and helpful. For me the best part is the textile gallery which has been opened on the second floor. It has on display some fabulous pieces made by Shri Martand Singh for the Festival of India. The design vocabulary of borders from Kanjeevaram, block prints from Jaipur and more is a treat to the eyes. The display of Kantha quilts, sarees, brocades is exceptional. The other textile gallery downstairs is also a treat to the eyes. The other galleries abound with interesting objects.  

Insider Tip – Do attend the special exhibitions mounted which are spectacular. The craftspersons called for these exhibitions are extra-ordinary. In most other places of Delhi, the craftsperson have become repeititve. One sees the same ones doing patola, ikat, Manipuri Jamdani or soof embroidery. At the Craftsmuseum I did meet some fine new individuals. A Paithani weaver, a lady doing Sujni and tailoring in West Delhi, a beautiful soof embroiderer who was willing to do job work. Lota Café has on offer very interesting fare for food. The open courtyard has several artisans displaying their work. The shop run by CCIE has a good range of products.

 

National Handloom Day on 7th August

If you are in Delhi on 7^th of August look out for the National Handloom celebration. The celebration start in real earnest a week or to be particular 1^st of August onward. What is exciting is that the officials pull out all stops to put out a great show. In this process one witnesses handlooms of the country at its best. There are also live demonstrations of weaving taking place. One gets access to some fantastic weavers from across the country.

7^th August 1905 was the day when the Swadeshi Movement was launched. It was launched in Calcutta Town Hall. It was aimed to promote domestic and indigenous goods and products. Primarily amongst them the handloom which was a way to boycott imported goods especially apparel. To commemorate this and give a boost to the domestic production especially those woven by hand, the National Handloom Day was launched. The first one was held on 7^th August 2015 and inaugurated by the PM Shri Narendra Modi. Since then the celebration has swelled and participation increased.  There is a genuine attempt to create awareness about our long forgotten weaves and handwoven products. What is even more exciting is that the celebration brings some of the best craftsmen and their products to Delhi.

Where – 1. Crafts Museum (it is now called National Crafts Museum and Hastkala Academy) at Bhairon Marg is where a lot of action takes place. There are exhibition, exclusively created shows, launches and more.

2. The Handloom Haat at Janpath has a thematic sale on. It again brings together some excellent handloom weavers. It is an ideal place to shop and source.

3. This year, there is a one day exhibition with some leading handloom brands at Hotel Ashok called Naad.

4. The most important part of the celebration at Bharat Mandapam where Sant Kabir Awards and National Awards will be given. There is more celebration at Bharat Mandapam.

Timings – It is held for 10 days from the 1^st of August to the 10^th of August. Please check with individual venues for more information.

Highlights – It is the display of handlooms which is the cynosure of all eyes. Some old brocades from Varanasi, Tamil Nadu has been put on display at the Crafts Museum. There is an installation curation with FDCI and India Art Fair which has participation by seven separate entities.

Insider Tip – This time, there is a demonstration by a lady weaver from Manipur using the loin loom. It is a breath of fresh air to see someone from there. Otherwise, it is the usual people from Delhi who come. There is a brocade weaver from Benares who is excellent in weaving Tanchoi, brocade weaving, jala technique and amru. The treat is the Kani weaver from Kashmir who makes the exquisite do rookha Kani shawls. The weaving technique which is sung out for the weaver to understand and weave. The song for his weave is also kept there.