CRAFT CLUSTER

SECONDARY RESEARCH
 History of Crafts in Chennai
Madras was founded on 22nd August, 1639 when a sliver of land was bought by

three men Francis Day, Andrew Cogan and Beri Thimmappa on behalf of the East

India Company. The British headquarters was established at the historic Fort St.

George. Within a few years the settlers came together to form the village

Madarasapattinam which is now known as Chennai. Our city is famous for their

interesting mix of architecture reflecting the various cultural experiences. We have

architecture that are a legacy from the colonial period such as Fort St. George, St.

Andrews Kirk, and buildings housing offices and shops. Then there is the indo-
saracenic architecture with the larger than life images along the famous Marina

Beach. The city is a major fishing center with Chetput, Adyar and Santhome as the

main trading markets.

An interesting fact is about Kalakshetra, an arts center that was set up by the

visionary Rukmini Arundale in the 1930’s. She revived the traditional designs for the

dance costumes which were redesigned and woven at the Kalakshetra weaving

center.
Chennai because of its geography, strategic location and economic importance is

referred to as the “Gateway of South India”.

Crafts of Chennai

These are going to be four distinct crafts of the Chennai district them being — wood

carving, palm leaf work, Thanjavur glass painting and doll making.

Wood Carvers of Chennai

Wood carving in Chennai is practiced by generations of the wood carving craftsmen.

It is also practiced in Arumbavur which is another place in Tamil Nadu. The wood that

is mostly used as raw materials are mango tree wood and teak wood.

The process consists of cutting the wood to size with sawing machines or hand saws

depending on the size of the wood. The design is drawn with a chalk on the naturally

seasoned wood and it is then carved in many stages. This starts with the rough

carving to smooth chiseling and is finally sandpapered. Most often the finished

carving is varnished and at other times they are painted black or given an antique
finish. Sometimes they are painted with enamel paints, in which case, a coating of

limestone (sunnambhu kallu), is applied before painting.

Palm Leaf Work

The crafts weaved by the palm leaf artisans are influenced by the baskets made for

the Dutch settlers in Pulicat during the period of the East India Company. Palm leaf

has been used extensively for making small containers, hand fans, toys and rattles

for over a century. Men harvest the leaves and they are separated from the stalk and

dried. The women remove the midrib and make splits used to weave baskets and

containers.

Thanjavur Glass Painting

The Thanjavur or Tanjore glass paintings done in Chennai gets its distinctive style

from the Thanjavur icon paintings in the gold leaf and the gesso technique done on

wood. The painting originated during the 17th — 19th century during the Maratha

period. The paintings are gilded with gold leaf and sparkling stones, they are used to

highlight aspects like ornaments, dresses and architectural elements. The

compositions consist of one main figure housed in an enclosure depicted by an arch

or curtains. The paintings are done on deities, courtly and secular portraits.

Glass paintings are done on the reverse side of the glass. The bold outlines and

facial details are painted first so that they appear uppermost, followed by the larger

areas of colour applied over the outlines. Gold paint and aluminium pieces are used

in place of precious and semiprecious stones to stimulate a jewelled effect. The

painting is mounted with its unpainted side on the face so that it is viewed through the
glass. The craftsmen in Chennai were originally from Andhra Pradesh and continue

with their hereditary occupation.

Doll Making

Cloth has long been used as a material to make dolls. The cloth dolls made by the

artisans have a metal framework made of the desired shape and then it is covered

with either straw or plastic scrap. A cloth is stitched over it and the doll is clothed with

a costume specially made for it. The face is either made of wood or papier mâché

and then painted. The products mainly consist of kolu dolls. The kolu or golu is

tradition of displaying dolls during the nine days of Navaratri festival. The dolls are

preserved for future use or passed on from one generation to the next.

Where to get such products in Chennai?

Chennai houses four handicraft emporiums. You can visit the following places to get

your hands on the cultural handicrafts of Chennai and the nation as a whole:

 Central Cottage Industries Emporium, Nandanam

India has been an enigma to many across the globe. A Country that has inspired trends,

aroused curiosity, delighted tourists and at the end of it, all left an impression on the

minds of everybody who has visited it.The World famous Central Cottage Industries

Emporium is the India’s window to the world for nearly over 60 years for authentic

handloom and handicraft products. Post colonialism, seeing the adverse effects of

industrialization on the Indian economy and social milieu, a need was felt to give Indian

crafts its rightful place and enthuse the parched creative spirits of millions of

craftspersons across the country and help them to earn a decent livelihood. In 1952,

cottage was conceived by a band of dedicated art lovers and their consistent endeavour

led to the creation of “ Cottage” – the abode of Indian handloom & handicrafts that

helped to restore the craftspersons pride in their work, recognized their genius and gave

them a viable and honoured future. Sixty years down the lane, “Cottage” with flagship

showroom in Delhi and showrooms in Kolkata, Chennai, Bangaluru,Secunderabad, Patna

and Varanasi stands tall helping India and the world, access to the finest crafts with an

assurance of authencity, beauty and value, setting standards in aesthetics and design. It

also has an exclusive lifestyle showroom at Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan in New

Delhi. The emporium showcases the finest crafts from all over India under one roof

ranging from exquisite sculptures, paintings, artifacts, metal ware, woodcraft, pottery,
stoneware & marble craft, branded Bankura silver, carpets, furniture, furnishings, home

linen, sarees, ready to wear, accessories, jewellery, craft items, herbal products and much

more. Each product is unique reflecting the traditional myths, folklores, religious beliefs,

cultural ethos and rich heritage of India. Also, cottage is largely instrumental in creating

traditional handicrafts and handlooms into high fashion goods to suit modern usage

while retaining the basic ethnic values. It has also engaged itself with craft clusters in

different parts of the country for providing marketing support to the product

development. Cottage has also been playing major role in the revival of languishing

crafts. The emporium has promoted handicraft and handloom on a multiple front,

embracing market research, handpicked selection, design development, impeccable

quality, careful variety, fixed prices, imaginative promotions, a basket of auxiliary services

like customized corporate gifting, interior designing services, packing/shipping facilities,

specialized gift wrapping, ATM, foreign exchange counters etc. Envisaged as a showcase

of the creations of Indian craftsmen, weavers and folk artists the Central Cottage

Industries Emporium has been a favourite with customers in India and the World over. It

has taken special care to make sure that you get a feel of what the real India is all about

through its products, décor, exhibitions and everything else that goes with it.The

emporium has attracted a number of heads of States, Prime Ministers, Ambassadors,

delegates and host of other dignitaries from across the globe. What began as an

endeavour to preserve the traditional craftsmanship and excellence of skill as a part of

national heritage has now become a cultural movement in its own way. It has brought

about togetherness in all the various forms of arts, crafts and apparel of India under one

roof. From a tiny sales depot the emporium has now been developed into the largest

single emporium in the Country with extensive reputation and a stamp of ethnicity,

authenticity and quality on all the merchandise it shelters.

 Poompuhar Handicrafts Emporium, Anna Salai

The Tamilnadu Handicrafts Development Corporation (THDC) was set up in 1973 by the
Government of Tamilnadu. "Poompuhar" , the brand name of THDC and unique
handicraft store that echos the crafts of Tamilnadu.Our products are authentic,
affordable and attractive which are carefully handcrafted, designed and marketed for the
customer. The collections include a lot of designs and statues made from a variety of
materials like Bronze, Brass, Copper, Tanjore paintings, White Metal, Black Metal, Wood
Carvings, Stone Carvings, Cloth, Leather, Jute and Clay, Swamimalai Bronze Icons,
Kondapalli toys, Meenakari, Kalamkari Purse, Garlands, Thanjavur Art Plate as well..

Poompuhar provides marketing assistance to artisans by selling their products through

its 17 showrooms which are located at Chennai City, Chennai Airport, Vandaloor Zoo,
IIT Chennai, Egmore Museum, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli,
Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Swamimalai, Mamallapuram, New Delhi and Kolkata,
Poompuhar has 7 Production Centres located at Nachiarkoil (traditional brass lamps),
Madurai (brass lamps and brass art wares), Vagaikulam (brass malabar lamps and other
lamps), Swamimalai (bronze icons), Thanjavur (Thanjavur art plates), Kallakurichi (wood
carvings) and Mamallapuram (stone carvings).
 Srushti Handicrafts, Alwarpet

 Khadi Gramodyag Bhavan, Anna Salai