Craft Toura journey to traditional Kachchh

an initiative by

Craft tour is my sheer passion for travel, rural Kachchh, meeting new people and exposing them to the same experience that i went through. The craft tour aims to reach all travel lovers, photographers, students, professionals and all individuals who would like to experience a mesmerising experience Gujarat and Kachchh.

My name is Neha, an artist, a potter and a craft lover. I embarked my journey to Kachchh, Gujarat post earthquake of 2001 and got exposed to the rich culture, traditions, crafts and people of Kachchh which i further extended to my recent venture matsya where i do retail, craft tours and projects with Ngos en-gaged in crafts and income generation programmes.

Enjoy this visual taste of the craft tour!

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Mariafrom Portugalillustrator textile designerlikes dogs & India

she came to India to learn block printing and bandhani

Matsya introduced Maria to the crafts

people, so she could do her work

They travelled together, became good friends and because Maria likes to draw and Neha does craft tours, they wanted to show the places they saw together. See what they have to show you!

Nehafrom Mumbai

potter artistlikes organic foodcooks perfectly

The matsya craft storyby Neha and Maria

Itinerary Map

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The first place we visited and where we were going to be based, was the old city of Bhuj, the capital district of Kachchh. It’s a small and welcoming place, a paradise for handicraft lovers, home for palaces and the Hamirsar lake. Is always good to go back to Bhuj and to its familiar faces. We miss Bhuj!

Bhuj City

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Kachchh is inhabitted by various nomadic comunities that migrated from neighbouring regions like Marwar (Western Rajasthan), Sindh or Afghanistan. And one of the best ways to contact with them and see how they dress and live is to travel by the local transports, just like they do. And we did it!

Local People

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The sightseeing and traveling around Kachchh is always amazing and breathtaking, but the time when we used to seat to have lunch, dinner or simply chai, was always a very expected time. Choices are endless, but we simply loved the thali, with millet roti, vegetables, curries and the tastefull buttermilk (Chaas).

Local Food

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These small and simple houses are traditionally constructed by the local people. They are made of mud or thatch and they are called “bhungas”. With alluring patterns on the interiors and exteriors done by women, each community has a distinct style of decorating their own houses.

Mud Houses

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One of the best moments we had was while we were experiencing the sunset on the Karo Dungar, from where we could see the desert and Rann of Kachchh (8,750sq km) and all the way to the other side, where Pakistan begins. It was an incredible sight and we wish we could go back there everyday!

Rann of Kachch

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For Maria, one of the special moments was when we went to Dhamadka and Ajrakhpur to meet the block printers with who she was going to learn and work. They are migrants from Sindh, Pakistan, who have settled in Kachchh 400 years ago and they practice this printing tradition since that time. And after many visits they became dear friends, always ready to receive us with a smile and a cup of chai!

Block PrintingAjrakh

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The most famous craft of the region is embroidery and there we could see 18 forms of embroideries, each one of them representing Kachchh’s diverse cultures, communities, and unique landscapes. We visited the main villages where women proudly stich their art, in Dhordo, Kuran, Vayor, Guneri, Dholaviar, and Sumrasar.

Embroidery

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Bandhani was the other art Maria wanted to learn and it was with great curiosity that we went to visit some tie & dye artists. They do such interesting and traditional designs and they are masters with natural dyes! Bandhani sarees, dupattas and stoles in silk and cotton can be found in the villages of Bhuj, Tera, Mandvi, and Mundra.

BandhaniTie & Dye

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As much as we love fabrics, we had many other craft traditions all around us! There are around 20 textile and non textile art forms and lac, pottery, copper bells and woven pieces are some of the other interesting crafts we could find in Kachchh, mainly in Nirona, Bhujodi and Khavda. We were delighted!

Crafts of KachchhPottery, Lac, Copper Bells & Weaving

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And finally, after some days in a small town like Bhuj, it was good to travel to Ahmedabad, the largest and the capital city of Gujarat, India. This is a vibrant city where we could visit the famous Calico Museum of Textiles, the amazing National Institute of Design and Mahatama Gandhi’s home, the Sabarmati Ashram. It was the best way to end our tour, to treat ourselves with some urban treats and to plan a the next journey!

Ahmedabad City

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To be Continued...

This was a fantastic journey with no end. This journey is a beginning...Like it happened with Maria, who decided to embark on this craft tour with matsya, 6 months ago. She is a designer from Portugal who took the craft tour as a way to visit Kachchh and Gujarat, but specially to be introduced to the Kachchhi artisans, with whom she is been doing a research and learning about Block Print-ing and Bandhani, in the villages of Dhamadka, Ajrakhpur and city of Bhuj.

After the craft tour, where she was introduced to all the resources and people available to teach her these two indian crafts, she started her documentation and had an amazing experience. More than learning the techniques, she had the chance to be in deep contact with the rich culture and people from Kachchh, who always made her feel so welcomed and at home.

So, this craft tour is more than just a travel, is a new beginning for something else and an open invitation for similar collaborations and projects with professionals, designers, artists, students and anyone who has ideas to develop, like Maria.

Come and experience Kachchh with matsya and be amazed with what this journey can bring into your life!

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Thanks to

This craft tour wouldn’t be possible without the contribution and warm welcoming of the crafts people: the Khatri Block Printers from Dhamadka and Ajrakhpur; Bandhani artist Jabbarbhai Khatri; all the other crafts people from villages around Bhuj and a special word of thanks to the Ngo’s in Kachchh.

I also would like to thank Maria Joao Arnaud (www.mjoaoarnaud.com), who illustrated this book and to ev-eryone that generously supports matsya.

Thank you!Neha Gandhi - matsya

e: matsya.crafts@gmail.comw: www.matsyacrafts.comm: 91 9833099522

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neha

maria