Salt Deserts of Kutch - Kutchi Bhujodi Handwoven Raw Woolen Shawl

Rs.5,500

Availability: 1

Product Code: 4016-N23-02

Made/ Mkt. By: Vankar Babubhai Ladhubhai

Box- L.W.H | Wgt:40 x 35 x 25cm | 1000g

Tags:Handspun shawl Handwoven shawl Traditional shawl kutchi shawl Women Raw Woolen shawl Unisex Shawl handwoven woolen shawl bhujodi shawl kutchi weaving

Salt Deserts of Kutch ❅ Raw wool Stole, Shawl & Dhabro

CRAFT`S STORY
PRODUCT INFO

Ever been to a music concert? …. Well the one that plays in the houses of Bhujodi is a wee bit different, not just in what you hear but also in the instruments that play. The musicians of Bhujodi play on … from morning to dusk, meditatively. Their orchestra constitutes of spin wheels for strings, wooden loom for beats, and for vocals there are chirping birds, sojourning the mud ledges for grains and water, offsprings giggling and playing pee-ka-boo across the courtyard, Mooing cow in the corner and almost certainly, filling the background will be either the folk tunes or the old bollywood melodies.

All of this manifesting into a concert, not just ears get accustomed to, but hands follow too. Meditatively weaving motifs out of a deeper conscience we call genetic inheritance. Each woven fabric carries with it, millions of such consciences, intertwined with the warp and the weft, closely put together to form the fabric of life.

Bhujodi, a 500 years old village in kutch is the mother to this need-fully evolved craft, shouldered by 200 of its weavers today. The craft is said to have evolved as a need to cover against weather, at the time barter system was practiced as a method of exchange. ‘Rabaris’ being the original nomads and cattle rearers provided wool, milk products and grains to the village and ‘Vankars’ took up to weaving cloth. While rearing cattle pretty much remained the same, the Vankars with an indigenous technique in hand had breakthroughs one after the other.

The basic structure of the loom remained the same, but it evolved to a more convenient model with time. The one in use today has the shuttle movement controlled by a foot-over pedal, as against the slow process of passing it through the warp manually. The fabric got finer with speed and variety of yarns available. The motifs however remained traditional and characteristic of communities. Like wheel, weaving is an invention that revolutionized the way we saw life there after, the basics holding valid till date.

While some wool from locally grown sheep is still used, they also procure silk from Bangalore, acrylic from Ludhiana, wool from Badmere and cotton from various places, to cater to the increasing demands. The fine cotton has enabled them to create more intricate and colorful designs. Such pieces may have 70 threads per square inch instead of the usual 24. Weaving of a piece may take days to months, depending upon the intricacy and newness of the design.

The yarn in its raw form is soft, breakable and capable of getting entangled easily. To get rid of these properties, a thin paste of wheat flour with water is boiled and the bunch of woolen strands is soaked in it. Soon after sun drying it in the fields, a layer of the paste covers the strands. These are then separated by combing them apart with a brush.

This bunch of strong strands is then taken inside the house, where several people are engaged in different stages of the weaving process. Some are busy cranking a machine that spins the thread onto a spindle, preparing the weft. A woman is working at high-speed to prepare the warp thread on a wooden frame called ‘chaukhta’. In the corner, a man is weaving on a shuttle loom. Vankaar Mosi Belji explained that, through the means of division of labor, it’s the men who sit on the loom as it needs a lot of stamina, while women take care of the auxiliary processes like making yarn on the charkha, laying it on the loom and adding value to the woven articles.

Inside his room, carpets, shawls, stoles and placemats were neatly piled. Some had bright colors others dark, and still others retained the natural color of the fibers. Many of them contained small round mirrors that were so naturally into the woven design.

Apart from Bhujodi, Vannora, Kota, Jamthara, Sarli, Bhuj, Kadarthi are other villages in Kutch region where weaving happens. Weaving as a process goes around the year apart from the rainy season, when work hits a lean because of practical reasons.

Not relying too much on today’s education system, the vankars train their future weavers from a very tender age. Growing around the traditional looms in the household, the kids learn by seeing, even before they develop conscience.

Craftsmen
Made by	Woven by: Shri Vankar Babubhai ladhubhai
Village	Ratnal, Kutch, Gujarat
Returns and Exchange
Note	The products in this category are non refundable. Refund is only applicable in case of defect or damage.
Material
Made of	Raw Wool
Instruction
About Sizes	240 x 100 cm.
Note	▶ The product is made of raw wool, purely handwoven from kutch so expect the texture to be little coarse. ▶ The products in this category is handmade. These might slightly differ from as seen on digital screen.
Care	As the fabric is naturally dyed, though artisans pre-process and wash fabrics before the production, still care should be taken during first 3 washes, as some of the natural dye material may wash off during initial washes. The natural dyed fabrics should be hand-washed or mild machine washed separately in cold water with mild detergents. These fabrics should not be bleached or scrubbed and should be reverse dried in shade. The fabrics should be ironed on reverse to preserve its charm.

I have always had profound love for Indian handicraft and I have decorated my house with such items which is when I first found Gaatha and have been coming back to them since. Very responsive and the quality is always amazing

Bhavik Mehta

I received my saree today. The folks at Gaatha were very responsive when I had some questions before placing the order. The saree is absolutely beautiful! In fact it is so much more pretty in person. The cotton is soft to touch and drapes likes a dream. Very pleased with my purchase!

Meenu Devrani

I just received my two scarfs. I love them, so beautiful. Now I know where to order my Christmas gifts. Thank you very much.

J. Vogt

I first ordered one brass kitchen set and other home decor products from Gaatha and the quality was extremely good. Thank you Gaatha

Aparichita Sen

Everytime I buy a saree from you guys, everyone keeps asking me where I get them from. It makes for a great gift as well... so creative and artistic, fabrics feel great

Archita Nair

So delighted to find the Gaatha shop filled with a treasure trove of handcrafted products! The shopping experience was smooth and I received the Ajrakh saree that I had ordered in less than a week. Loved the saree and look forward to more shopping with you. God bless

Kalpana Padhi Das