Mapping India’s arts, crafts and textiles is like mapping India’s cultural history… And it’s no different in Madhya Pradesh. There’s so much beauty and diversity in every corner of the state, and such exquisite craftsmanship. The colours make our hearts sing. The textures remind us of happy places from the past. And if we’re brave enough to try our hands at making any of the crafts, we’re also rewarded with a sense of peace and mindfulness, away from all the screens and digital disruptions of our everyday lives.
Many aesthetes across India now know about Gond art from Patangarh, the light-as-a-breeze sarees of Chanderi and Maheshwari, and Bagh printing. A few others may also know about the bell metal craft of dokra in Bundelkhand, batik textiles of Behrugarh and durries, batto bai dolls and the sandstone sculptures of Gwalior. But Madhya Pradesh has so much more to offer. Both watching the making of these handmade arts, crafts and textiles, and trying your hand at them, can be deeply calming and rewarding.
The practiced rhythm of Nandana, a style of mud resist block-printing, for instance, can be almost meditative to make as well as to watch. At present, only a handful of families in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch district practise this beautiful art in its original form. The blocks they use have names as beautiful as the designs carved on them… Champakali, Amba, Dola Maru, Jalam Buta and Mirchi. Completely handmade, the Nandana bedsheets, sarees and textiles go through multiple layers of colouring and processing.
The craft clusters in the city of Ashta in the Sehore district are also well known for their weaves. From cotton sarees to bedsheets and stoles are woven by a thriving community of weavers in this region. Days begin early here with the clackity clack of old-fashioned handlooms. It’s easy to lose oneself in the sounds and rhythms of weaving, even as the eye naturally follows the shuttle as it travels up and down the length of the loom.
Basketry is another art form that encourages mindfulness, and it can be a wonderful experience to learn from the basket and bamboo product makers of Burgunda Gali in Mandsaur. Most of them come from families that have been practising this art form for generations, and usually follow the coiled or wicker style. Several tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh, especially the Baiga, Gond and Korku tribes, are also known to be experts of basketry.
There are many such art forms in every district, every village of Madhya Pradesh… Travellers who seek these crafts out, not just as souvenirs, but also as an experience, eventually discover the joy of learning a new skill, of making something with their own hands, and of calming the unquiet winds of the mind.