ouU^")

Srarnunxr
oF cAsE
study of the different pattems of the dresses the people have evolved in
the world would make it cleal tllat these are designed to suit the climatic conditions

generally see the difference in f,revailing in different nations or continents. One can like India' patterns of dresses from continent to continent and from nation to nation. ln a big nation to we see tat pattems of dresses vary from state to state. But the dresses of the people belonging

Banjara community are a unique

c-ese.

It

is identical throughout th country among the

can Banjaras irrespective of the place of their domicile. Because of this unique feature a Banjara the Banjaras have be easily recognized in any part of the country. To maintain this unique feature

They never adopted a commor national pattern of designs with luxuriant embroidery work give the dress making to the tailors. women at home make their needle and applying their native

'

use small sea embroidery skill they make their own dresses lending an artistic blend to them. They love of the shells (kawadya), lead omaments and wom-out coins to decorate their dresses. The So it Banjaras for their traditional dress is rarely to be found elsewhere among any other community' and kept up by is worthwhile to make a detail of the Banjara embroidery, a craft which was innovated the Banjaras as their legacY.

The practicing of the Banjara embroidery is confined only to the people belonging to a particular community viz. Banjaras. The origin and development of this craft is irsepanbly blended with the history of the Banjara people. So let us first see who are these Banjara? How did
they come background of the association of this craft with the above community?

Who are these Banjara:-The banjara people have a great history behind them. Their original homeland was Rajasthan. One version about them is that they were in the ancient days carrying on

l.

the important task of transporting military supplies for the Mogul army and merchandise to different parts of the country. They fulfrlled the important work of communications also fulfilled the important

work of communications also in those days. " those who did successful transportation of goods on
animals and withstood the hazards of long distances were called'Banjara' by the society they served, the govemment they helped, and the army they fed, the Banjara also on their part accepted this terms

honorably".

ln the Maharashtra state Gazetters on Jalgaon district there is a reference to an rmsettled tribe
named Vanjaris as follows: "Vanjaris who once wandered about with their flocks of oxen have now settled down as agricultural workers and have built houses in villages. Their business was to bring

bullocks from Malva, to load them with wheat and go from place to place to sell it. They went down
the ghat even in the Konkan districts but the growth of transport facilities by rail and road has bearly

\/|

srt6cr
r__r,_r"ri
r,j-+,Irt

W
g. ,,=

ix. rnr:i)r=

'|)-"fwn qfrdl sF-ali FJ6, q.. i.rr. lt r;[rd:Iott

hreir

road has nearly killed their trade and that is why they have become rarely sees a tanda i.e, caravan of Vanjari family's campling fiom place to
tents with bullocks and the dirty clothes they used to wear"' The 'Vanjaris' the Banjara can be one and the same community as it is learnt that the

na";i.a]J

referred to by difierent synonyms in dilferent states. According to information

availabletheyareknownbysynonyms|ikeVanjara,Banjara,Banjari,Brinjari'Laman,
Lamani. Lambada, Lambadi, Ladela, Sugali, Gwar, Gwarla etc' 2.Historical background :-The word 'Banjara' is considered to be derived from the original Sanskrit
pronounced in words .Vanijya' the meaning of which is trade. The Sanskrit word 'Vanijya' is 'Banjara' does Gujarati as 'vanajara" in Hindi as 'Banzara' and in Marathi as 'Banjari'. The term
grains. Following not indicate any particular caste or race. It denotes a profession of transporting food (Goldsmith) and 'Lohar' the profession of transporting people by their profession such as 'Sonar' (Blacksrnith), the community which took up the profession of transporting food grains and other

community and their supples from place to place was called 'Banjaras'. Though they were not trading
the profession was simply to transport merchandise they were called as 'Banjara' by the people as generally known to trading called as.Banjara by the people as the trading commr:nity alone was them. given a vivid description Edgar Thurston in his book 'Castes and Tribes of Southem India' has seldom or never of the Banjara in the following words of Moor: "Banjara associate chiefly toge&er which with other tribes. They seem to have no home, nor character, but that of merchants' in

mixing

merchandise, which is the capacity they travel great distances to whatevef parts are most in want of Charitam' greatest part com". Based on the reference made in the Sanskrit book called 'Dasakumar

as nothing but the written in l 16 and 12tr centuries A. D. Shri H. M. llliat has described the 'Banjara' were reported to be sarre ancient tribes which were in existence during 4tr century B.C. The tribes

residinginsmalltentsandhiringouttheirbullocksfortransportoffoodgrains.

Late.PrimeministerSmt.IndiraGandhlsaidoninaugurationoAlllndiaBanjaraconference1966
at Gulbarg4 Kamataka. ..The weaver weave the cloth with golden threads here or there .This adds beauty. Similarly the '

Lambaniesarelikethegoldent}readsintherichlndianculhrralheritage'''

3. Settlement

places in India:- Banirra settlements

The Banjara being nomads for centuries prior to the British advent in Indian sub- continent carrying food grains from one comer of India to another, the Banjara have spread throughout the

country

in

states and union territories. After the dawn

of British Raj the demand for their

commodities gradually dwindled due to the introduction of railways and

of $ot*h

Pcni*c|El'unrlr
Fh0|er:{i1{

$4IglATT,t POPULATION IN VARIOUS STATES OF INDIA

in occupations like cultivation and the Banjara had settled in various parts of the country engaging They are also pieces of lands. Today they are small agriculturists and agricultural laborers'
small in animal husbandry and working as laborers in road and building construction and are also engaged up sedentary poultry farming. Even though the Banjara are no mor nomadic and have taken

chiefly together living in their own encampments called they generally stay together in tandas, usually situated away from cities and towns. ln case of villages Particularly in the state of small huts, away &om the main GAO ttHn i.e. heart of the village. in Khandesh area' Vidarabha area and Maharashtra the Banjaras are spread in coastal Maharashtra Marathawada area and to some extent in solapur district They are not formd
occupa.tions they are even now associated

30

migration in Bombay crty and suburbs. Though they Banjara have now
ity they have no regular and professional craft centers.
-Banjara having their own culture ,traditionand language. hand book on mother tongues in Census' published during 1971 Census the language Banjari is explained as "Name of a speech given after the name of a well known nomadic tribe of india the members of which are found spread of lndia the members of which are found spread

sporadically all over the country. They are also known by different nlmes, like Lambadi' Laman

and Labhan, Sugali etc. Against Lamani and Lambadi also very |arge number of mother tongue returns were recorded from the states of Andhara Pradesh, Mysore and Maharashtra while the returns against Banjari were also from the states like Mysore, Maharashtre and
Madhya pradesh. According to L.S.I (Linguistic Survey of India) information Baniari is a dirlect of Rajasthan spoken all over India under various names of late howerer, the wandering Baol*u have switched over to more or less a settled life and have been in course of time heavily
influenced by the contact languages ofthe areas where they have been residing. In 1961 census the returns being very large against the banes Lamani, Lambadi they figures were indicated separately
the although for classification purposes Banjari and t amani/Lambadi could be treated as one and same language. Bilingual retums have shown that the main subsidiary langUages of these

communities were kannad4 Marathi and Hindi according to the language are.rs were the tribes have been settles". According to 1961 Census figures there were 591,654 speakers of Banjari language

with largest concentration in Mysore with 288,012 and second largest in Mahamshtra with
242,046.T1te pattems

of the

dresses

like kachali and phetiya which the Banjara women wear

are

identical throughout the country. The colour shames and designs are also the same everywhere. How
is this possible among the Banjaras living all over the country to maintain this uniformity?

Handicraft sureey report on Banjara Maharashtra , Director of census operationl98&-stated th{tt the dresses of the people belonging to Banjara community are a unique case- It is identical throughout the country among the Banjaras irrespcctive ofthe place of their domicile. Because of this unique feature a Banjara cen be easily recognized in any part of the country. To maintain this unique feature the Banjaras have adopted a common national pattern of designs with luxuriant embroidery work They never give the dress making to the tailors. Women at
home make their needle and applying their native embroidery skill they make their own dresses lending an artistic blend to them. They use small sea shells (kawadya), lead omaments and wom-out
coins to decorate their dresses. The love of the Banjaras for their traditional dress is rarely to be found elsewhere 4mong any other community. So

it is worthwhile to make a detailed study of the Banjara

.fT

was innovated and kept up by the Banjara as their legacy. The practicing

is conlined only to the people belonging to a particular community and development of this craft is inseparably blended with the history

It is believed that the Banjaras originally hail from Rajasthan and it was from there that they and it spread all over the country. The origin of the Banjara embroidery could also be in Rajasthan
might nave fully developed before the Banjaras dispersed from Rajasthan and settled in various parts ofthe country. Even while in Rajasthan they might have accepted as their cherished tradition to wear
the typical costumes developed by them to maintain their separate identity and when they moved out of Rajasthan they carried with them the art which they developed even in their prirnitive stages and have preserved this ancestral art

till today from

generation to generation. Their arts and crafts in the

form of intricate embroidery works are being done and maintained mainly for their identity by wearing these unique types of dresses. The Banjara women intensely love to wear their traditional
gaments and this intense love richly kept this art intact till very recently though a declining trend in the preservation of this art in being noticed now. The nature of their settlement in separate and to maintain their independent encampments known as tends also helped them to keep their art and identity. The circumstance created by nomadic compelled the Banjara to make their own dresses and
this work was done exclusively by the fernales.

in The Banjara embroidery had been an inseparable part of Banjara culture for generations and wornen and the olden days this embroidery work alone was the sorrce to provide dress to the Banjara
other articles of dailY use.

Shri. Ajit Mookerjee in his book'Folk art of India' makes a reference to the Banjara embroidery in Andhra pradesh as follows. Andhra Pmdesh is also famous for its silk brocades or arums and its

/r

mixed silk and cotton brocades or himrus. Apart from these and other woven fabrics of exquisite pride of place goes to designs, the embroideries of the state are equally attractive. Among these the
the work ofthe Banjara tribes. The common stitches used are the ordinary satin or the herringbone. Mirrors are often used for decoration. It may be seen fron the above that the pattern of

Banjara embroidery is the same everywhere. It also substantiates the claim of the people in the surveyed area that this crafts which is practiced in different parts of the country, as a common origin. *The dress of the Baniara Mr.y,Rupla Naike Writes in his book about Banjara dress miformity as women in designs, colour schemes and patterns is almost uniform in all parts of India. The
designs and models of Banjara women's dress are unique and identical through out the country and they could be easily recognized. The dress making is never given to tailors. During spare time,

)z

their own stitching with their needle and embroidery skill and make their own colour schemes and fastening. The dress is predominantly red in colour are blended in less proportions. They profusely use glass pieces (Kache) led paari) and silver omaments, small sea shells (cowry or Kodi) and silver coins to
dress for use decorate seasons. But the women folk preserve a richly embroidered and specially made during special occasions like festivals called "padarero vesh" or reserve dress. Banjara dress has not

undergone perceptible changes because the women folk live

in 'Tandas' which are away from the

influence of whatever w may call modem."

Gormati lady (lambada) From Andhra Pradesh

Gormati lady(Lamani)From
Maharashtra

Gonnati lady (Lambanis) From Kamataka

.]J

: UNIQUE DRESS ALL OVER INDIA

membership, all Banjaras embroideries are designed for a nomadic life style geometric, floral and animal motifs used by a Majority

of India's village

p"opffiT*i-u

is strikingly different. For dancing and ordinary ceremonial wear, women use traditional skirts, shawls and backless blouses generally made of commercial
embroidery design
are textiles, synthetic yams and locally available mirrors and metal ornaments. The blouses usually flaps omamented on the sleeves and fi.rlly embroidered with mirrors across the front. Embroidered

with metal omaments are added to the blouses of married women. The shawls have embtoidered
at the borders along the top and bottom edges with a wider more elaborate strip of mirror embroidery the kodi sadak' a center top that frames the face. The skirts, hanging low on the hips, are wom with on a long rope of cowries; the waist bands are generally reinforced with sturdy embroidery, worked

red quilted or tw.ined ground. Particularly fine pieces are made for prospective brides. Banjara jewelry wear elaborate twisted and braided hairdos that support and display
women throughout India

tlpical of Rajasthan. The traditional dress is completed with rows of ivory or bone bracelets, now a days made of white plastic, wom on the arms, with silver bangles' most nose gold ring (bhuria), beads or silver coins necklaces.Amongst the Banjaras, the single
and textiles; those styles are

important ceremonial textile is an embroidery approximately 50 cm. square, of many uses including different kind of wedding water pot cover or ritual table covef. It can pre foldedto make up
elaborately embroidered dowry bags.

5. What is Banjara arts and crafts

:-

On the arts, crafts and traditional costBmes of Banjaras'

their nomadism for Rajasthan, which is their original home land, has influence. Further, because of living reflect mostly centuries and also being traveling tradesmen their arts and crafu and maode of handicrafts are temporary in nature and not of permanent and monumental in nature and their arts and

only stressed on their dresses and omaments and the equipments required by them for transporting food grains and other things of daily use. Beyond this they have no arts and crafts of such nature which the sedentary communities of India have. As stated earlier their entire arts and crafts
are

of reflected on their dresses and omaments. There is no mass production and commercial exploitation these items. Their arts and crafts in the form of intricate embroidery works are being done and
maintained mainly for their identity by wearing these unique types of dresses. The Banjara women intensely love to wear their traditional garments and this intense love richly kept this art intact till very recently though a declining trend in the preservation of this art in being noticed now. The nature of their settlement in separate and independent encampments known as tandas
also helped them to keep their art and to maintain their identity'
.

InMaharashtraStateGazetteersonJalgaonDistrict,whiledescribingthe ..Their petticoats are seldom washed and like a wellit is stated as follows :
plaited into 's"tight-frtting bodies and the full petticoats, their silver omaments, over the cheeks, their Hugh silver anklets with gangling bells and the tiers of
raises a doubt as to ivorv bracelets lend thern a strongly picturesque appearance." This reference

prominent and attractive to catch the whether the embroidery work in the dress of the Banjara was so of this in the gazetteer' eye of others; as otherwise, there would have normally been a reference nomadic compelled the Banjara Perhaps this may be an omission also. The circumstance created by Whiles doing so they to make their own dresses and this work was done exclusively by the females. making enrbroidery work in the applied the artistic skill by making so they applied the artistic skill by
dresses

Banjara

of the to spend their leisure time, which they had in abundance, as the female members the men folk alone when they were nomads, had no work other than household duties, while
of merchandise. The idea of embroidery work

n *"r" in their traditional trade of transportation "ngug"d

this rnight have been might have struck accidentally, influenced by the environment in Rajasthan, and Thereafter, a stage might have developed and improved in the long run by trial and error method.

might have absorbed it in come when they developed this handicraft to a considerable extent and part of the land' Even now the craft their tradition as a symbol of identity of their community in any
When the Banjara is being taught through preceptor disciple relationship promoting oral tradition' like cultivation, began to settle in fixed places and engaged themselves in other occupations labor etc. the women also began to extend helping hand to the men in these occupations agricultural

worlq which is really and this curtailed considerably their leisure time to attend to the embroidery pushed this traditional very laborious, tiresome and time consuming with no retums and this has

of a very few persons handicraft to wane leaving at present the survival of this craft in the hands

belonging to Banjara communitY. generations and in The Banjara embroidery had been an inseparable part of Banjara culture for Banjara women and olden days this embroidery work alone was the source to provide dress to the

the

from place to place other articles of daily use as mentioned in the earlier chapters. As nomads moving craft from the time the Banjara in different parts of the country they continued the practicing of this a reference to the of their settlement there. Sheri Ajit Mookerjee in his book 'Folk art of India' makes

Banjara embroidery

in Andhra

Pradesh as follows. Andhra Pradesh

is also famous for its silk

from these and other brocades or arnnn and its mixed silk and cotton brocades or himrus. Apart these woven fabrics of exquisite desisns, the embroideries of the state are equally attractive' Among
in pattern the pride of place goes to the work of the Banjara tribes. Their embroidery is very similar
35

to d'ut

olf"fdl
.

and kathiawad areas. The cornmon stitches used are the ordinary satin or the herring-

Mirrors are ,1,;: :

pften used for decoration. It may be seen fiom the above that the pattem of Banjara

people in the surveyed area t'"nr'lSJlili sqr{re everywhere. It also substantiates the claim of the is practiced in different parts of the country, as a common origin' In the

surveyed villages the craft is claimed to have been practiced by the Banjara ever since they settled there. The Banjara had never considered their embroidery work as an employment oriented craft. For

centuries their females have been doing this work during their leisure time to meet mainly their personal requirement, since in the past, the social custom demanded them to wear their traditional
costumes which they could not purchase from outside and hence they had themselves.

to make these items

bags,

It was their custom to make the articles which they required for daily use like

money prrses, pot-covers etc. however, this position has changed considerably and at present only youngstefi the elderly Banjara women are generally wearing the traditional costumes and most of the
have switched over to skirts, saris and blouses.

only some Banjara families striving to propagate this craft. But they lack the co-opration and involvement of others and this prevents this family from achieving noteworthy success in the
development of this craft and to make it employment oriented

T.process of learning:- It is believed that the Banjaras originally hail from Rajasthan and it was from there that they spread all over the country. The origin of the Banjara embroidery could also be

in Rajasthan and it might nave fully developed before the Banjaras dispersed from Rajasthan and settled in various parts of the country. Even while in Rajasthan they might have accepted as their
cherished tradition to wear the typical costumes developed by them to maintain their separate identity and when they moved out of Rajasthan they carried with them the art which they developed even in their primitive stages and have preserved this ancestral art till today from generation to generation

8.Source of learning:As mentioned earlier only the Banjara women are doing this embroidery work. They are doing this not rnainly for commercial purpose. They do it with an urge to maintain their tradition and as a hobby and make use of the end products mainly for their personal use. When the mother is doing the embroidery work the child is beside her with the traditional instinct and curiosity. Thus watching the mother working on her needle the child also begins to attempt on the craft even at a very young age
and the other perfects the

skill of the child in the craft by giving guidance wherever necessary. Thus

the main source for leaming the craft is their respective mothers.

g.Items produced: - The material used for production of articles by banjara is natural- These

by Banjara women in their garments viz. Kachali and

iXra*"gha/"of

their daily use like zolana, ch*nchi, khalchi, daxani, galano,Bagloo,

i ,Kothalo

and the

like no belief of purity or pollution

is associated

with this craft.Each item in use were hand made with artistic look ' Kachali: This is a blouse with bare back. The uniqueness of a kachali is the pattem of its designs
consisting of multi-colored pieces of cloths stitched together to from a pattem. The colours of the cloths used are predominantly bright. Generally red and black colour schemes, designs and models
the used for kachali are almost the same all over the country and this enables any one to recogrrize observed closely has many Banjara women in any part of the country. A typical kanchali

if

portion of a distinguished features as compared to other ordinary blouses. The front part is the main kachali and it consists of three parts viz. chhati, peti and bahi. The upper part of the kachali i.e. chhati

two sets is used like a bra, as in the olden days there were no wits. The back portion is bare except for provided of strings known as dori which are used to fasten the kachali by the wearer as no buttons are in it. The first set of strings is at the back top portion of the kachali to tie them round the neck and the plain portions of the second set is at the middle portion at the joint of the embroidered and the covers the stomach khadapa piece to tie them round the back do the wearer. The length of the kachali are also used. In and it is squarish in shape. Small sea shells (also known as kawadya) and old coins prices of silver, olden days small quantity of silver was also used in the kachalis. With the soaring and grace to the nowadays lead has bcome the altemative and this is used in abundance to lend shine fancier by kachali. Brides have a different kachali made for themselves. It is made much more for the kachali attaching mirror pieces on both the sides of chhati, the upper part. The designs used
kachali. meant for brides are also different from other kachalis. Unmanied girls do not wear it is a skirt like garment used by the banjara women. It consists of four parts. The top

^.

Phetiya:

portion is called lepo. It services as a cloth belt attached to the phetiya to tie it round the belt attached t the phetiya to tie it round the waist. In the lepo the banjara women exhibit their skill in embroidery

with different blend of designs. Below the lepo is attached ghero. This consists of two plexus in two (also known contrasting bright cooers generally black and red. The portion below this is called sabab
as

chiq and for ties fine textured printed cotton fabric is used. The bottom portion of the phetiya is

called lawan and this also is a masterpiece of ernbroidery' Znlslnaz This is a shoulder bag with exquisite embroidery work and a long strap to hang it over the shoulder. On the edges of the bag sea shells (kawadya) and balls made of woolen yam of different colours are attached to add the beauty of the bag.

a square shaped bag used

to keep bread bhakari).

iall cloth used to keep the prepared flour of wheat ready for making chapatti
This cloth artistically decorated with embroidery work is used as a show-

Gadano: This is a dish cover used to cover drinking water in pots and dishes containing eatables.
This is generally used during festive occasions and marriage ceremonies. Pat: this is like a chess board and is used by women to play an indoor game.

Kothalo: It is a sack like big bag used while the Banjara go for shopping'

lg.Quqntity produced:- The

above items of articles are made by the Banjaras depending on their

personal requirement and demand, if any, from others. Availability of spare time is also an important

factor as it will take a number of days and even months to Danish the work on even a single piece as
they are not doing the work at a stretch on even a single piece as they are not doing the work at a

stretch on a full time basis. Now a days some people are trying to awarethe importance of traditional
garments of commrmity and these garments were wom on festive occasion

11. raw materials:- The Banjara embroidery is a very simple art which can be leamed without any difficulty by any one even at the very young age. Needle is the implement required and color threads and chatya and mangii cloths are the main raw materials for this work. The main raw materials required for the embroidery are chhatya cloth, mangii cloth, woolen and cotton threads of different
colours, sea shells (kawadya) hollow frustum shaped zinc pieces (pari) etc. In the.past old coins, glass pieces, silver, lead etc. Where used to decorate the finished products. But at present these are not

commonly used. The raw materials are available in the procurement of these items. The Banjara s purchases these raw materials along with their other requirements when they go to market. She
average consgmption

of the raw materials depends on the quantum of articles produced. During

summer season the Banjara women get ftee time to attend to the embroidery work and hence the
consumption of raw materials during the above season.

l2.Uniqueness:Banjara embroidery (Fine needle work) is created by the women of the tribe using a variety

of technique similar to other textile community like Balouch and other Asian tribes most every day
objects were woven or embroidered by the tribes. Nomads in the past, the Banjaras to day aggegate

in groups separately called Tanda Staying in communes they still strive to prcserve the fascinating
and gnpredictable traditions of their ancestors.Banjara embroidery differs from emb,roidery of kuteh, kasuti, phoolkari doing community. the peculiarity of banjara embroidery is not simple cm is left with out embroidery on piece of cloth. It has its special characteristics and specification as follows.
38

items for routine repairing needles-Banjara women prepares very beautifirl teko'Ghera lavan specific stitches in use are Maki, Nakhara ,Sud'Aadisuiro pote,Javalya,Khilan(Gomer,ek suirdee suir'and dorir)'kaleni'Bhuriya

Vel,

Gadar,in Jali maki While Valtoteko

Bharatkam and Und

jali'

One more

specifrcationofBanjaraembroideryisBackgroundofclothisredcoloredandthreadusedwerealso

redandblackcolored.Sornetimeshalfredcolorthreadsdndhalfothercolorthreadswereused.on
BanjaraTextilesmostpatternsarerepresentedineithersquareorrectangularformBanjaraladies (Mitakiro Vegarano,Vasali,Kataraya) By usig relo creates differentdesigrs by using running stitch

theyusetodesignofPidiroteko.ByusingDhaniyastirchTheyusetodesigrrSapariroteko.Byusing
bharatkamstitchesakadi,Dhaniy4Bakiya,Aati,sasayardant,chungaliphuli'Bamaniphuli,valtesalte Danda designs were cxreated' While using dhekrar phuli,Bajorya,Naral,sapariro teko'Saraty4and Bhant,Masuriyar jali,Ekdani bajori,Zundali md jali stitches,Kundulu aakada,Bajori aakadaBajori
bajori,MasuriBajori,Hathphool,GhoderKhoorBangadiBharat,RumaliBhamt,I.atajali,Sasayardant like peacock' Trees' and Valanayarp hool,Chandarovajalo,sapari Banaymi'Bajphool'Animals'Birds
swastika etc. designs were created'

l3.Present Position craft:-

Thoughthiscrafthasitsownoriginanddistinctionwithrichembroideryworkdonebyhandno
attempthasbeenmadesofarinanorganizedmannertopresrvethecraftandforitscommercial
exploitationbyestablishingartsandcraftscentersashasbeendoneforothersedentarycommunities

inlndia.Thiscraftofsuperbembroideryworkisgraduallyvanishingduetolackofpatronage.The
factsthatitisveryexpensivetodosuchembroideryworkbecauseofthecostofrawmaterials'thatit

requiresalotoftimetodomanuallytheelaborateembroideryworkwhichisnotalwayspossibleto
spareinafastmovingsociety,thattheeffectofthetabooamongstthemthattheirgodsandgoddesses wouldgetangryiftheychangetheirtraditionaldresshasbeguntoweanaway,thattheircontactwith peopleofothercommrrnitieshasstartedattractingthemtomaredimpletypeofdresseslikeothers andthattheeducatedamongthemhavestartedreforminganddiscouragingthemfromwearingthe traditionaldressesastheyaretoohealry,unhygienicandunwieldyinmodemtimescontributetothe

gradualvanishingofthislegendarycraft.Thoughtheeldergenerationisstillmaintainingtheir
traditiontheyoungergenerationhasalreadystartedwearinglightgarmentsasinthecaseofother populationduetosocialinteraction.Thistrendspellsdangerandextinctionofthiscraftalongwith
crafts bread eaming vocation by creating arts and the elder generation is certain unless an craft as a

47

the cooperation on and marketing facilities at the govemment level with

of

it will be credulous

vivid picture of the origin, development and the present -6x. *stated earliereven in the hands of an optimis! if ends in a note of high hope, deceit' one has to face and self a note of high hope, it will b credulous and self

in

1982 reveals the

epilogue oftragedy, a dirge on the the stark reality and therefore one is willy-nilly forced to write the by the years to come unless some concerted effort is made united

extinction of this craft in the

Banjara people to save their traditional craft' the craft perhaps out The banjaras a look of unconcem about matters that may improvement abysmal ignorarrce and stolid apathy"

of

ThiscraftsurvivedforcenturiesonlyduetotheintenseloveoftheBanjarapeopleintheir
with the social custom of the Banjara' tradition and due to the linking of the products of this craft

Economicaspctnevercenturiesaresubjectedtodrasticchangesduetothearoundmarriafor
modemizationinevery,thingandtheBanjarapeoplearenoexceptiontothis.Thetraditionalfervor amongthemhasalmostwanedandsuchastagehasnowcomethattheywillpracticetheircraftany

moreonlyifitismadelucrative.Thiscanbeachievedbyorganizedeffortstocreatemarketing the involvement of more and more prsons facilities for the finished products. If this can be achieved
intheworkandthemassproductionofmaterialswillautomaticallyfollowasthereaxeevennow
suffrcientnumberofcraftsperson,s.Commensuratewiththedemandmoreandmorepersonswillbe

attfactedtowardsthiscraftluredbymoneyandwillacquireexpertiseinthecraft.Butthisseemsto beanuphilltask.Thoughthepersonsinthesurveyedareaaltogetherpresentalookofunconcem
mentioned earlier, there is at least a couple of them about the mattrs that may improve the craft as

,awhotakerealintefestandhavetheirownsuggestionstoimprovethepresentposition.Their
suggestions are as follows:

*Thereshouldbemoretrainingclassesalmostofaregularnaturewithoneyemdrrrationandinthis

oneyeartheteachingpartofthetrainingshouldberestrictedtothefisthalf.Thesecondhalfshould
and the raw materials required should be supplied be utilized for the production of the finished items

by the organizers of the training'

societies should supply raw materials to the co-operative societies should be formed and these labor charges to them' workers and collect the frnished products on paying remunerative exclusively for Banjara embroidery * open show rooms in major towns and cities

Govemment should

items in foreign countries' products and should provide facilities for marketing these 48

_.rG

in the craft should be given loans to purchase raw materials' by intact the traditional articles now produced should be replaced
curtains, bed sheets, pillow-covers etc' and is a result embroidery has already been recognized by the govemment the and the Maharashtra state handicrafts board are encouraging

the all

bomd

Banjarabyassistingthemtoconducttrainingclassesandbygivingcashawards,trophiesand
and exhibitions as an incentive' what certificates to the experts in the craft in handicraft competitions persons to exploit firlly the facilities is actually lacking is the involvement of sufficient number of

environment to involve the government that are being provided by the government and to $eate an training classes at present' it is felt' are not more and more in the development of this craft. Even the in the monthly stipend they get and properly utilized and the trainees, it seems, are mainly interested is found lacking' This position should the spirit to perfect their skill utilizing the facility provided

changeandaspiritshouldbeinculcatedinthemindsoftheBanjarastodeveloptheirtraditional source of income' As develop their traditional craft to make it an additional

minds of the Banjara to
been made by exhibiting the hitherto unknown far as market is concemed a break through has atready

Banjaraembroideryploductsinvariousplacesinlndiaarrdabroad.Eventherearepermanentsales emporiaincertaincitieslikeDelhiandBombay.ThroughtheconcertedeffortsoftheBanjarasthey finished products to the market' The government on can form co-operative societies and push up the theirpartcanextendahelprnghandtothemwherevernecessaryandthedemandforthisalsoshould on the part of the govemment it will be worth emanate fiom the concemed people' At present thinkingwhethertheBanjaraembroideryproductscanbemadeavailableintheKhandiGramodyog long way to find market for these items' Once a Bhavans throughout the country's this will go a

steadymarketisestablishedtherestiseasyandwillbealmostautomatic.Toachievethisgoal;the primerequirementistheconcertedeffortsofsomededicatedworkersineachBanjaratandato
among their own people to keep alive and promote and develop this craft by creating an awareness

developtheirtraditionalcraftandtoconvertitintoasourceofincomefortheirbetterment.Unless of much use' patronage provided by the govemment will not be

this is achieved the assistance and

Thesuggestiontoreplacethetraditionalproductsbyotheritems,keepingintactonlytheembroidery phetiy4 reason that once the traditional items like part of the craft seems to be suicidal for t}e simple kanchali,zolanaetc.arereplacedbyfrocks,tops'curtainsandbedsheetsthesecannomorebecalled

theBanjaraembroideryproducts.Eveninthetraditionalcraftthefinishedproductshaveasmuch one of this is lost them every thing is lost. important as the embroidery part' if not more, and if any
Further.theembroiderypartalonecannotcompetewiththehandicraftslikelacework,kamamkari,

'<I.a
embroidery, chikankari and the like and hence this attempt

will

spell doom to

what is needed is minor alterations in the style and pattem of the finished
requirement. Us

of fine textured cloth as raw materials can also

be

the rejuvenation ofthe craft lies entirely in the hands of those among the banjara

who are capable of organizing themselves and inculcation the required spirit in the mind of their folk to achieve this goal. It is their choice alone which may give it renewed lease of life
or may declare the verdict of death for the craft. one will pray them to come as a Messiah in
the present critical jmcture. So it is need to preserve the languishing banjara hand embroidery
and mirror work.

ls.Organizational Background:- The main objective of organization establishment is to

preserve art and crafts tradition and culture of banjara community Organization is registered

under society registration act and Bombay public trust act. The organization formed by the

Banjara embroidery and mirror work paicting women from Banjara community.
members

All

the

of

goveming body

of

organization

is formed of

100% women fiom Banjara

community. And 90% staff of organization is also women. The 1$ President of organization
was 70 years old and master in traditionat hand embroidery and mirror work and trained more

than 100 women

& girls fiom

Banjara community. Contested for national award for many

times. Present president of organization is master craftsmen in Banjara embroidery and rnirror

work. Who is working as instructress. tn organization. Participated for national award since 2004 to till date decomonstration banjara embroidery and mirror work demonstration in
exhibition. Eld at various places. Parti cipeted in state and national expos like trimurti utsav at
Aurangabad, Rafiv Gandhi hastakala bhavan at new Delhi and at Ashoka Hotel at New Delhi.

Ellora festival at Aurangabad, Gramshree mela at Kolhapur exhibition at Nanded..Presently

organization is working with 600-700 totally Banjam embroidery

&

mirror work artisans.

Organization is working far their welfare by implementing various schemes of textile ministry, Govt. of India like janashree Bima Yojana, Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi swasthya Bama Yojena and

credit grantee schemes .To preserve cultural heritage of Banjara artisans organization is
representing t}le interest for Geographical indication registration in said geographical area as

shown

in

map where this craft

is in

practice.representing organization

is

registered

under Society Registration Act 1860 and Bombay Public Trust Act 1960)

50