The camel skin is cleaned with the help of a scraper or “rambi”. The hair is also removed with another “rambi”. The damp skin is cut into smaller pieces and pounded flat with a rounded grinder. Thus cleaned and treated, the small pieces of skin are stretched and pasted mounted on to a mould of desired shape with the use of the hands. Any gap between the pieces is checked and refilled with “gooda” (paste). Checked again. This is dried in the sun. When dry, the mould inside is broken and the skin which has acquired the shape of the mould, cleaned and dried. The object is then ornamented with multicoloured lacquer painting of designs of floral and geometric patterns bearing distinct Mughal and Persian influence. Three major craftsmen are namely the Kumhar (potter), the dabgar (the camel skin worker) and Naqqash (the painter).
Gallery
