Ethnography Hardik Shiroya 201314005

Palak Sanghani 201314001

A sight one sees is wood dust crumbling away, leaving an intricate design behind, and

symbolizing how the fading eyes and wrinkled hands are trying to hold on to a craft

degenerating under sharp laser cutes and digital images leaving behind a marvel that gives

riches to other crafts. The village has seen better days but ironically block printing still

flourishes. The block carvers have decreased, the younger generations are choosing more

profitable careers but there is still plenty of work. Govind bhai Prajapati wants to propagate

his art to the following generations but they are not interested and he feels that they lack

patience. He is teaching the art to his nephew but criticizing his work and lack of perfection

all the way.

In few decades, growing effects of globalization have wrought irrevocable changes upon

this traditional craft. Govindbhai Prajapati says he has enough work and his long term

dying. Craftsmen use a hand drill arrangement involving a bow and driller to drill out the

larger portions from the block. The craftsman is strong enough financially to afford electric

drill and other tools but he sticks to his ages old techniques and he enjoys doing that. The

artisans themselves make the basic carving tools since years and the tradition still continues

when he is carving a block, he is so much involved in the

process of making blocks.

The block makers always have got the liberty to shape, color and finish local wood into

fascinating blocks. They are not designers but compositions come out as they sit elegantly

with their wooden block and chisels. We can here an orchestra of sandstone polishing teak

and chisels chipping away meticulously. The precision is such that lines almost one millimeter

thin and so close together are done perfectly. Block makers give shape to their imagination

through their hand carved blocks. They are so independen

n

whatever he can on his talent, skill and vigor.

Ethnography Palak Sanghani Hardik Shiroya

1

Earlier the block makers used to make all the decisions about the design of the block, there

used to be sketch makers who charged up to 2000 bucks for making designs for the blocks.

Now the designs are made as per choice of the printers and designs are even provided by

them to the block makers who just have to replicate them, they are getting less opportunities

to unleash their creativity.

The skillful art of these gifted craftsmen will continue to live on as long as it is combined

with unique aesthetics of contemporary designers and celebrated by craft conscious

customers. Most of the block makers used to be suthars earlier but now the trend has

changed and they are not the only ones who pursue this art. They draw the design first on

paper and then through tracing paper they transfer the design on wood. Valsadi wood is

used

distort in shape or size. Wooden block is painted white and design is traced on it to increase

contrast and visibility. Earlier khadi and ghadi were used with chalk to paint the surface white

but now poster color is used along with fevicol. There is very little mess, just the wooden

chips and dust. It can be done on a kitchen table. Govind bhai explains that most of his

designs are based on a graph, proper grid and his compass is his most important tool. A

number of blocks may be required for a single motif based on the number of colors and

single mistake would render the block useless. Like the pattern of raindrops on the window,

like the beating of gentle drums, a rhythmic, repetitive pattern is formed.