Using leather, multi-coloured threads, mirrors and cotton cloth the craftspersons of the Meghwal Community from the Banni and Pachchhan areas of Northern Bhuj create the most astonishingly gay and cheerful leather panels, mirrors, chappals and other decorative and utilitarian items made of leather.
Leather work is a striking example of a craft that has successfully moved out of the village milieu into the urban market. The craftspersons fashion products of interest for the larger city markets with accustomed ease. Buying their raw materials locally - leather from Ahmedabad, mirrors from the village itself - they create products that are being marketed and sold internationally.
Craft Tradition
Legend has it that Lord Krishna once killed a devil and freed a thousand women from his captivity. These grateful devotees followed Lord Krishna to Dwarka and brought with them a rich and diverse collection of embroidery stitches from a thousand places. Thus the Rann of Kutch has the reputation of producing the best embroideries in the world, whether on cloth, leather, on any other surface.
Practitioners
Habu Nath Harizan, the craftsman interviewed, learnt the craft from his father at the age of 17. He is now 21, but does not remember or recall how the craft he practices originated.
Famous fo...
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