During our recent trip to Gujarat, we consciously drove 65 kilometers away from the White Desert to explore the intricacies of Nilena, the art capital of Cachi. Nirona has a place on the world map with its excellent ancient handicrafts (such as Rogan painting, bronze bell making, and lacquer making), making this pristine small village a must-visit on every Kutch itinerary.
It takes 7 minutes to walk through the unpretentious narrow village roads. On both sides of the village roads are mud houses and colorful doors. Behind each colorful bracket tells the story of handmade magic. The shopkeeper looked at every passerby with a bleak yearning, and the friendly village children waved enthusiastically, splashing cow dung as breadcrumbs to the next residence.
Logan Art of the Caterry Family
Soon, we came to Khatris’ simple burrow, the only family in India who has been practicing the award-winning ancient Logan painting art for the past four centuries. Realizing that the pink bougainvillea had crawled evilly over the wall next door, I stepped over the small black door and walked into the simple family workshop of Catri. After the visit, it also showed in detail the art form production demonstration that came from Iran 400 years ago. Rogan is Persian, meaning “oil-based”. The reason why Rogan is so rare and expensive is that its color production process is too time-consuming.
A conversation with a current heir revealed that at first, castor oil was heated for about 12 hours and then released in cold water to form a gelatinous residue of Rogan. Other times, they use safflower and flaxseed oil. This mixture is then mixed with stone dyes and binders to produce different colors. The drawing process is equally fun! The craftsman first glues a small part of the paint on the left palm, mixes it with the index finger of the right hand, takes a 6-inch metal rod, dips it in castor oil paint, and starts to weave exquisite patterns on black or any dark fabric on the work.
The Khatri family of Nirona originated in Iran, and their ancestors arrived in India about 400 years ago. They slowly and successfully transformed Rogan’s art into Nirona’s unique craftsmanship. In fact, they are the only family in the world that can keep Logan’s art alive! As part of a long tradition, only male members of the Khatri family can inherit the heritage of the Rogan art form. Today, Abdul Gafoor and Sumar Daud Khatri run a studio in the village, and five craftsmen join, including a lady.
Khatri Abdul Gafoor has won multiple awards for his extraordinary skills, including Padma Shri in 2019, 8 national awards, 5 national awards and 1 international designer award.
What used to be bridal attire in the region is now applicable to all forms of clothing. Now everyone can use Rogan Kaam, and you can hand-paint it on everything from bedspreads to Ghagras. In order to maintain the prosperity of art, Abdul Gafoor Daud also taught Rogan’s painting skills to local women. ‘Great initiative, don’t you think? Due to family secrets, many forms of ancient art have disappeared. Although the Hartrees have painted by Logan for eight generations, their designs are mostly floral or geometric patterns, in yellow, red, pink and blue.
You will find a variety of Rogan designs in its compact workshop and large backyard. Those frames in the workshop are fine, while others in the backyard usually perform the drying process on solid wood Charpai. Among all the designs, the “Tree of Life” is my personal favorite, as is Prime Minister Modi, because he gifted one of these exquisite and detailed paintings to Barack Obama during his presidency. You can purchase this rare and exquisite artwork for customization to decorate your saree, skirt, handbag, tablecloth, wall hanging and even curtains.
Bronze Bell Art by Husen Sidhik
“We create different sounds based on how we strike the bell, so we must remember what kind of sound we want before making the bell. We can make unique sounds for buffaloes, cows, camels, sheep, etc. “
The bell rang, recreating the ancient love story that India and Pakistan once shared. Thankfully, the herder community has witnessed an era without borders. Before the partition, the primitive nomads and tribal herders of Gujarat, Mard Harris, moved freely, as did their livestock and livestock. The love story ends in tragedy, the border is demarcated, the village collapses, but the love for art and culture has crossed the fence. A rare art form is the production of bronze bells from the province of Tehsan (now Pakistan). So far, this art form has been produced in villages near the border.
Nirona Village is located in Nakhatrana Taluka, Kutch, and is also the home of master craftsmen Luhar Husen Sidhik, Umar and Salim Husen. A 5-minute walk from the Khatris Rogan Art Studio into the main market, you will reach the “Bronze Bell Art” family in the village of Nirona. Ask any villager for directions! For more than 350 years, Sidhiks has produced copper art from generation to generation. Husen has been making clocks since he was 12 years old. Therefore, visiting them in their small home studio under the roof of the white building with blue columns is my closest opportunity to get close to the true Islamic heritage of India.
Passing through the cast iron windows, you will find an open-air gallery welcoming you, where a large number of bronze bell crafts are displayed. From bells, keychains, brass bells, candle holders, home decorations, Zummers, Saregama, Morchangs to Suzuki pianos-they have it all! This is a pure scene of the evolution of artistic creativity of generations. Nevertheless, once you hear the Luha community mention the bronze bell by its original name, the tradition will return. Each clock is named after its purpose, size or local currency. Do Dingla, Chota Paila, and Paila Dingla are several nouns looming in the air.
When I entered the copper bell tower, the calm craftsmen attracted my attention to their tireless chiseling and welding. I am very happy to show the legacy of the bronze bell: a deputy patriarch demonstrated the art of hammer hinges, turning the bronze wedges into bronze bells, expressing affectionate music. Their skill and speed will leave you stunned! Soon, Sidhik pieced together a masterpiece of music, without welding, only interlocking. Husen Sidhik’s grandson Faruk told us, “In the beginning, only sweet, medium and bitter sounds were known.
One day, Husen Sidhik decided to abandon stereotypes and try other voices. Six months later, after studying the various sounds it might produce, Sidhiks came up with their own SaReGaMaPaDhaNiSa Bells. Faruk said, you can create anything from the hymn of the sound. In order to design these art clocks, a form of sustainable craftsmanship, craftsmen recycle scrap iron from damaged iron plates and cars. And to decompose scrap iron-they put it in an insulated kiln with burning charcoal until the iron cracks into a smooth surface.
Only natural resources, such as soil and poplar wood used for clapping, can be used to complete the bronze bell set. Speaking of his future plans, Farouk said that our goal is the international market. Visiting this studio made me appreciate the craftsmanship of clock making more. If you want to contact them, this is their number.
Luhar Omar Husen: 9264467925 | Luthal Salim Husen: 9427766528
Nirona Village Lacquer
My heritage journey ended in the residence of the nomadic tribe Wada (or Vadha), who continued to practice and preserve the original lacquer art. I learned that the villages of Nirona and Bhirandiayara had been practicing art from Sindh Province before they were subdivided. Shellac is a resin secreted by female lac insects on sumac trees in Indian forests. This resin is processed, liquefied and used as a brush coloring agent for wood finishing. When exposed to air, the liquefied shellac changes from white to brown.
This heritage of local Kutchi art has been passed down from generation to generation, and even today, migrant families still use hand tools to make crafts. Shellac resin is mixed with different colors and spread on carved wooden products. This setup requires a woodworking vise to hold the wood and a manual leather belt to turn and color the wooden tools. Using manual lathes and some chisels, these craftsmen draw amazing zigzag patterns that make them different from other wood products.
Through these ancient techniques, the men in the family created beautiful kitchen utensils, toys and many other decorations. The women chop wood, make shellac resin, use stones to create natural colors, and use Babur tree gum to make adhesives. Each processed item is decorated with a colorful zigzag design, and peanut oil is applied to maintain its luster.
Whenever your lacquerware starts to lose its luster, apply some peanut oil on it and it will start to look new. Meeting with these traditional lacquer artisans in Kachi is an interesting experience. I suggest every visitor to Kachi explore the hidden treasures of Norina Village. Before leaving, I bought some rolling pins and wooden shovel from the Hotan tribe as a memoir of this insightful trip and contributed to helping the locals maintain this traditional art form.
