The word Pichwai comes from 'pichh' meaning back, and 'wai', meaning textile hanging. They are made by members of the Pushti Marg sect, founded by Shri Vallabhacharya in the 16th Century. Originally, pichwai paintings were used to decorate the temple of Shrinathji (Shrinathji ki Haveli) in Nathdwara, hung behind the deity to celebrate different seasons, festivals and events in Lord Krishna's life.
In order to help the jute industry, the government on Thursday decided that 100% food grains and 20% sugar will be mandatorily packaged in jute bags.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said, "It will benefit about 4 lakh workers engaged in the jute sector along with thousands of farmers."
Jute is primarily grown in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh.
If the Indian map was depicted by its craft clusters, it would be a vibrant diamond, housing pockets of handicrafts along its length and breadth. The map would feature deep zaffre Jaipur pottery in Rajasthan, burnished Bastar metal art in Chhattisgarh and russet wooden toys in Sawantwadi, Maharashtra. Tinkling Kutch metal bells would form the rivers of Gujarat and ivory marble would sit atop the mountains in Uttar Pradesh. As you traverse the craft-dotted landscape that enriches the country, you’ll witness a grand spectacle of vivid colours and magnificent designs. Rajasthan, for instance, has nurtured and celebrated centuries-old crafts within...
It is this tendency to associate ourselves with a false notion of what we are told defines ‘modern’ without crediting the past it is based on and built up on, that lands our new breed of people floating baselessly. The creativity which flourished in the past is the mother of all innovations today and the forms of it existent today as craft clusters, often the most ecofriendly… teaching everybody who went too far from nature what life on earth should truly be about.
As one of the largest employment generators after agriculture, Indian handicraft sector is a key means of livelihood to India’s rural and urban population. The need of the hour is a deep and complete view of the sector, its constituents, and its people.
