Today Jaipur woke up with a romantic weather. And on this beautiful day, amid the drizzle and the clouds, it was amazing to find youngsters romancing with quick lime, jaggery, marble dust, fenugreek, and broken mirror pieces at Jawahar Kala Kendra.
Yes, they were present to attend the one-day workshop on age old art of Rajasthan –Araish and Theekri.
The workshop was carried out by a conservation artist Kavita Jain in association with the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID) as a part of a 15 day program titled ‘IIID Design Yatra’
‘IIID Design Yatra‘ began on June 24, with an idea to create awareness about the popular crafts and arts of Rajasthan into the young minds.
Araish is an age old technique which has been used to create smooth surfaces. One can find these in old palaces and havelis, and on myriad surfaces, both external and internal, in the form of plaster, floor finish, borders and painted frescoes on elements of local architecture.
Thikri, or mirror inlay, or glass mosiac, is yet another traditional art from the Mughal era. The art, which is found in some of the historical monuments of Rajasthan.
It was overwhelming to see so many youngsters at the workshop, who were learning the details of these fine arts from some of the experienced craftsmen.
The best part is there will be numerous activities for Jaipurites, during ‘IIID Design Yatra’ like heritage walk, discussions and seminars, architectural photography workshop, exhibitions, cartoon workshops and many more. Most of the workshops are free of cost and those interested can join or make an on spot registration.
Such workshops, no doubt will help youngsters of Jaipur to get an opportunity to learn the age-old techniques so they can blend the same with contemporary ideas and come up with a totally new form. Besides when the old art and artists meets new artists, magic is sure to happen.
While the students had fun leaning the art, the artisans were glad to spread knowledge about the art. Even though the art cannot be mastered in a day, Jaipur is looking forward to our new generation to learn the art thoroughly and take this beautiful tradition onward.
Story by Namita S Kalla
Namita is a proactive and experienced writer. In the past she has worked for various newspaper publications and has also freelanced for different magazines.
Jaipur Beat 