Kutch lacquer rolling pin ~ Belan { E }

Colour permeates every single activity in an Indian’s life, more so in our villages. In Kutch, Gujarat, colour pervades not just the gorgeous clothes of the Kutchi people but even the small, nondescript items of everyday use. Spoons and ladles, chakla – belan (board and rolling pin), toys, stools, dandiya sticks, everything is covered with psychedelic patterns and merging zig zags of contrasting colours.Most of the process of making lacquer-ware is done on a manual lathe. Babool wood, which is found locally, is mostly used for the products. Once the wood is cut into basic forms, each piece is individually put on the lathe and smoothened using wooden tools

 

 

The lathe is manually powered using a stick and rope arrangement. A rope is wound around the object to be worked on and is pulled with the help of a stick attached to it. This generates a rotating motion on the object, which can then be manipulated further.