Sabai Grass (Botanical name: Eulaliopsis binata Family: Poaceae ( Grass Family) is a tufted perennial grass with basal sheaths woolly with whitish hairs. Locally the fibre or the grass is called Babui Ghash. The grass grows in abundance in the forest fringe areas of Purulia, Bankura and Paschim Medinipore. The Grass is collected by the women and after proper washing and drying the grass is twisted in bundles to form ropes. The Main livelihood is making of ropes and selling it at the local market. Sabai grass is also used in the paper industry. but many artists also make various Sabai based diversified product which has a market at local. Sabai grass is abundant in some pockets of Paschim Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura districts, Around 4000 artists are involved with Sabai Craft in the region.
Process: The grass is first cut and thrashed on the floor properly, to make it soft and easy to be twisted. the next step is to soak the grass in water and keep it for drying. After drying of the grass, they twist it in bundles to form ropes. The ropes are also made through a wheel twisting machine. One operates the machine and another one holds the rope from other side. the ropes formed have rough edges which is then removed after rubbing it on the branches of the trees to remove the extra edges and to make it smooth. Lastly they make the bundle of ropes of about 250 gm, 500 gm and 1 kg. For making Sabai based products the grass is twisted to actually give shape to a product and dead palm leaf is used to bind the same and also add a proper texture to the product. For many products frames are required to actually give shape to the product. the weave is done around the frame. such frames can be used for floor mats, bags, flower vase etc. The grass and the ropes are also dyed to give colours to different products.Sandalwood-carving is done with a lot of precision and is considered to be an auspicious job given its scarcity and high value, its fragrance. Sandal wood carving involves intricate detailing as the pieces are not large of length and require assembling if made in large size with the articles invariably carved with extremely elaborate patterns consisting of interlacing of foliage and scroll work. The products include miniature and larger size models of the Taj Mahal, Qutab Minar and other monuments, ships, chariots, photo frames, mirror frames, key chains etc
Sandalwood carving is the craft that the ivory carvers of Delhi turned to with the ban on ivory in 1989. Sandalwood carried a special aura and was the choice of raw material that the carvers turned too using simple yet fine tools that include chisels/ Kattra, files/Reti, vice, hammers and aari/ saw
Only about five to seven craftsmen practicing this craft in Delhi and are located in Sitaram Gali and Sheesh Mahal Bazaar in Old Delhi.
Sanjhi- the hand-cutting of paper for ritualistic and ceremonial rangolis - is commonly understood in its contemporary form as a ritualistic craft used in temples, and sometimes homes, for the worship of Lord Krishna. It is believed to have originated, according to the thesis forwarded by Asimakrishna Dasa, in his book Evening Blossoms: The Temple Tradition of Sanjhi in Vrindavana, as 'a ritual worship undertaken by unmarried girls all over northern India to obtain a suitable husband'. Thus, while the temple craft is practised only by male priests and their male apprentices, the folk aspect of the craft was, and is, practised chiefly by unmarried girls.
This craft, which involves the cutting of an intricate stencil depicting scenes from the life of Lord Krishna and the use of this paper stencil in creating a rangoli or floor decoration, became a temple tradition (according to Dasa) in the 17th century, 'when the devotional bhakti movement linked it to games played by Radha and the Hindu god, Krishna. While the ritual of sanjhi, in its devotional and decorative aspects, continues in villages and homes in north India, the temple tradition seems to have become confined to three important temples at Vrindavana and a single temple at Barsana, Radha's village.
It is important to remember that all sanjhis, whether a part of the folk tradition or of the temple tradition, are made to be worshipped. According to Dasa: "At the time of worship they are transformed from works of art fashioned by human beings into a divine being, Goddess Sanjhi... the transformation from design to goddess comes about naturally with the offering of food bhoga followed by ritual worship aarti performed with burning wick and an offering of water.'" This explains the fact that effacing each sanjhi the next day and painstakingly beginning to create another one is seen not as tedium but a labour of love, 'to please Lord Krsna'
Presently the art of using the sanjhi is practiced mainly in the temples and homes in Vrindavana in Uttar Pradesh and it is used to depict the different episodes in Lord Krishna's life; these episodes are linked to festivals in the Vraja calendar. The most important of these festivals is the vrajayatra, a period of 45 days in September and October when pilgrims from all over India visit the sites associated with the life of Lord Krishna. During this period sanjhis are used to decorate specific locations and places along the parikrama. The episodes in Lord Krishna's life that are depicted through sanjhis change every day, with appropriate themes adorning specific locations. For instance, at Govardhan the traditional sanjhi is one that will depict Lord Krishna lifting the mountain with his finger. At Barsana, the sanjhi depicts Lord Krishna playing Holi with Radha and the gopis. When the sanjhi is unveiled in time for the evening prayers it is worshipped to the accompaniment of songs narrating stories about Lord Krishna's life. The sanjhi is effaced in the morning and a new characterisation is then made. At the end of the pitr-paksha, a fortnight when Hindus perform rites for and offer prayers to deceased ancestors - when sanjhis are ceremonial - the materials used are then disposed off in the river Yamuna.