Bamboo Craft, Sabai Grass Products, Wood Work

Today, we bring the story of another amazing artisan, who work is in bamboo, sabai  grass , jute, and the bark of dates plant to create unique products .

Santosh, from Burdwan district, is  passionate about fine workmanship and handcrafts .Some of his work in bamboo craft includes a briefcase (light weight and bullet resistant), which he claims cannot be found else were.

Huge table and floor lamps made from cane creates a beautiful effect ( in chequered pattern) when switched on.

Hand bags made from bamboo are also attractive, light weight with a lot of room.

Miniature Models of various machine/ vehicles and buildings , using wood , metal, rubber are his passion.

Sabai grass products made by him include coasters, door mats and bags.

Yet the product that I loved the most were wooden ties,that are flexible enough for be folded and kept in your pocket.All his products are eco-friendly and biodegradable.

So here at MIHARU we will supply wooden ties and also get him to make a range of wooden bowties, like the ones we picked from net.

 So anyone interested may mail us at bengalcraftmart@gmail.com 

Kantha Embroidery

Kantha is a type of embroidery popular in Odisha and West Bengal. Kantha comprises of the simplest stitch of embroidery - the running stitch.

Originally it was used to join layers of old saris, to make quilts. 

Kantha embroidery is generally done on cotton and silk fabrics.Kantha running stitches are used for making floral motifs, images of birds, animals, and geometrical figures. It is also used for making blankets and quilts by stitching five or six layers of cloth.

Lot of Kantha stitch karigaars are based in Birbhum District. A saree with complete Kantha stitch from corner to corner takes around a year.

Various stories are also depicted in sarees like those of parrots, peacocks or lotus flower.

Friends if you are interested in knowing more about the stitch, getting something unique made or just visit these artisans. Feel free to mail us at bengalcraftmart@gmail.com

Lantern, Handicraft from Shantiniketan

I am on my journey to discovering, learning and re-designing handicraft of BEAUTIFUL BENGAL.

Here is a story of a passionate artisan who loves to create new products to satisfy his creative urge apart from it being his source of income.

Meet Sapan Chitrakar, 64  from Bolpur who is basically a Sola work artisan but also in making of lanterns, which were used before India’s independence. He also creates replicas of structures and objects out of metal sheets.

For past few years he has been a part of creative workshop of Viswabharti University of Shantiniketan, teaching the students his craft. This has given him a new lease of life and his interest in work has ignited once again.

He loves to make new designs out of metal scrap, like the railway engines, helicopters, monument as per demand.

We are here to become a bridge between the artisan and a craft lovers. If you are looking for something unique made of metal sheets, would like to help this artisan, arrange for workshops to be conducted by him, pls get in touch with us at bengalcraftmart@gmail.com

Pous Mela in Shantiniketan

West Bengal is rich in handicrafts and with so many artisan clusters around , I need to decide the kind of craft and artisans I would like to work with. The pous mela in Shantiniketan  would show me the path I have to traverse in the coming months.

Though I have visited these crafts shows for many years but this time it is with an aim to work with crafts people. The various artisans will be Kantha sarees, Dokra (brass artifacts), terracotta horses, leather bags,

Jute n bamboo products, hand loom silk with baluchari weave, wood carving, stone craft, conch shell and so on.

In search for  artisans who would make nose studs, finger rings, anklets and bracelets for us in Dokra,

work with kantha craft on cushion covers, source tangail fabric (instead of sarees) for cushion covers.

New product ideas , meeting people with similar interest, clicking interesting pics to share. 

Others interested in handicrafts of Bengal could join . Friends wanting to know about poush mela or handicrafts of Bengal may write to us. Will get back with more enthusiasm to tell you stories of BEAUTIFUL BENGAL.

With Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.....Golden Moments

Overwhelmed to receive the award for Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur from our District in southern part of West Bengal from the hands of our Past President Dr Abdul Kalam at ITC Sonar Hotel being selected by FOSMI (Federation of Small & Medium Industries) for my work with the artisans of Bankura District by suggesting new and innovative designs using Baluchari material and Dokra products and marketing them through my outfit MIHARU across the country and also beyond.

Please see my website www.miharu.in and give your suggestions which would encourage me in my mission. Also if you appreciate my attempt to revive dying handicrafts of Bengal pls 'like' it www.facebook.com/miharudgp

Snippets of the Golden Moments with PAST PERSIDENT in today's newspapers Sanmarg, T2 ,Business Standard

Winner of Outstanding Woman Enterpreneur at 12th FOSMI Awards for Excellence.

Discovering Bankura

Bankura , a old  and crowded village in West Bengal is where I stay. Two daughters growing and busy with their own school chores, led me to search for some work that was creative and could be done from home.

Based in this area for last 15 years, I had discovered the rich handicraft and hand-loom sectors in and around Bankura. Beautiful traditional products, artisans with state level awards, poverty and declining value of the craft is a common feature in this District.

The various crafts in this region are Dhokra (brass figurines) made by “ lost wax technique” in Bikna.

The terracotta work from Panchmura is mainly about making of Bankura Horse and other fragile terracotta figures.

Stone Craft from Susunia , were the artisans have themselves turned stoned faced with all hard creative work but no buyers and gradually opting for other form of work. 

The Baluchari weaved pure silk fabric from Bishnupur was used to make sarees on Jacquard looms. This fabric is truly Indian in colour, feel and depicts mythological stories from Ramayan and Mahabharat.

As the journey has just begun , I plan to visit many more handicraft clusters, design new , utility products based on traditional craft  ,explaining the artisans and understanding the possibilities.

So here is “MIHARU” an attempt to work with people in our place , for our handicraft for a new beginning.....

First Products

Months of search for artisans who were ready to listen to me, understanding the possibilities and finally coming to deigns that could materialize we created our first set to products that were beautiful and our best creation still date.

Baluchari cushion and Dokra utility products.

This Baluchari Cushion was based on story of Indian Mythology, painstalkingly weaved on Jacquard loom with 100% pure silk.

This Dokra Clock in with the four tribal figures playing musical instruments as the clock ticks.

This Dhokra frame with deer inspired by nature. As I admired this frame all the animal walked into my design land to  be part of these dhokra frames .......but required the right market.