A TEA BREAK WITH CRAFTSMAN CHAND - TN Accessory Special Feature
The process of
creating an exclusive Tarini Nirula Accessory is a meticulous one. From
inspiration and ideation to sourcing and execution, it’s a culmination of
passion to create, promote Indian craft and spread happiness. Today, we’d like
to talk about the beautiful embroidery that adorns each accessory and what goes
behind the making of the designs.
We sat with one of our many star artisans, Karigar Chand, to talk about how he came to be part of this rich tradition of handwork and how his role pans out with Tarini Nirula Accessories.
Tell us something about your family and occupation
I have a family
of 7 people, comprising 3 sisters, an older brother, mother, father and me. My
father is into agriculture and it’s his source of income.
I was 13 years
old when I realized that making my name in hand embroideries is my ultimate
goal.
Tell us about your journey, your story, and your inspiration
Everyday while going to school, I crossed a place on the road where artisans used to work on embroideries. Watching them create such beautiful embroidery made me curious to learn them. I was never much into studies. As soon as my studies of the day used to get over, I went to embroidery workshops to learn all the different styles. At the age of 14, due to shortage of money at home, I left school and started working in a factory as a Karigar for hand embroidery, even though my mother never wanted me to leave my studies at such an early age. I started working on a salary of Rs.200 a month. At the age of 15, I moved to Delhi.
What styles of handwork do
you do?
Aari, Zardosi, Beadwork, Tille work, Dabka work, French knots and other embroideries depending upon requirement of the design.
What is your favorite style
?
I love to create Aari embroidery, and zardozi is a quick follow-up to that.
Since how many years have
you been creating embroidery?
It’s been 11
years for me.
Do you think this is a profession that doesn’t have too many women in it?
There are
plenty of women Karigars working in Gujarat and Lucknow. Sometimes, you may not
see as many women as it is often a family decision.
I love this profession; I enjoy doing embroideries, playing with material. Till the time my eyes and hands work, I'll work. I do want to pass this art of embroidery to my future generations too and want to provide them with the best of education.
How do you feel working
with Tarini Nirula and her team?
It’s great because she knows her embroideries and vision – I like seeing how her ideas are so different and modern and yet she uses handwork that has been passed down from generation to generation. Her success helps me build my livelihood and her personal encouragement with guidance from her and the team means a lot for me to continue working.
TN Accessories is deeply grateful to the Artisan community for their talent, hard work and hands through which magic flows!
Posted on Jan 08 2017