Save Shaan e Bhopal
At 5PM, a woman in burqah comes to purchase a golden purse with Zardozi work. The cost of the purse is Rs.500 but she bargained it for just Rs.250. The amount was not meeting the shopkeeper’s investment but still he was compelled to sell as it was his first sale throughout the day & he urgently needed money to pay the dues of his laborers. Such is the condition of a 350 years heritage shop selling exotic batuas.
Bhopali batua is the prestige of Bhopal. It resembles the tradition & culture of the capital city. The craft is linked with Gond tribe who made exquisite ornaments from bones, ivory, wood & shell. The traditional skill later got the blend of Persian art under the patronage of Begums of Bhopal (women rulers who ruled Bhopal princely state for about 200 years). But, now this ancient craft is perishing due to dearth of customers.
Sunil Parekh, the owner of a heritage batua selling shop in Bhopal tells that customers do not pay worthy prices for the purse as they have other cheap options available. He further adds, “Earlier we were not interested in selling but customers were curious to buy. But now we are curious to sell but there are not enough customers.”
These purses are made of cotton & satin cloth with bead, star & zari work on it. It takes around one month to manufacture just three to four purses.
The craftsman first makes a drawing on butter paper. The paper is then put on a piece of cloth. A solution of chalk powder & kerosene is applied on the drawing which seeps through the paper leaving an impression of it on the cloth. The cloth is tightly tied to a square frame called ada. Immediately after it, the artisan makes raised motifs of flowers, trees & animals by stitching leads, synthetic pipes, metals & zaris. Afterwards, the cloth is stitched in the desired shape with lining cloth fitted inside it. Chains, threads, zips & handles are further attached to complete the making of the purse. After putting so much labor, if a person will not get its deserved price, then it shall surely make him/her feel disheartened.
One must not confuse between batua & Bhopali purse. Batua is a small semi spherical shaped purse with beads & stars stitched on its front side only. Whereas Bhopali purses are modern designed differently shaped large & small sized with bead/poth work all over. These purses are gifted by localites to their friends & relatives coming from outside as a symbol of the city of lakes.
One would be surprised to know that the big purse selling shops of Bhopal earn just Rs.1-2 lakh/annum. This low earning & profit is compelling the shopkeepers to switch over to other professions. Some years back, there were about 30-40 batua shops in the old city. But now, just 4-5 of them are left. These left ones are also on their last stage of production & sale. Parekh further tells, “My forefathers started the shop 100s of years back. My ancestors & I continued the family tradition but now my children are getting higher education & they will look for jobs elsewhere.”
Originally, Zari was used for making purses. But today, this craft has spilled over dress materials, wall hangings, bags, lamp shades & other decorative items. Fashion designers are looking for talented batua artisans to give an ethnic touch to their creation. Ms Zulekha Khan had been making batua since past 40 years. Commenting on batua making, she laments, “Artisans do not get price for quality work.” She further adds that she has found suit making more lucrative than batuas. This clearly exhibits the dying condition of batua craft.
NGO’s, state governments & banks have to come forward to support the diminishing artisans. It’s a request to readers that if they get a chance to visit Bhopal, they should purchase these exotic purses & contribute in keeping the fading tradition alive!
Bhopali batua is the prestige of Bhopal. It resembles the tradition & culture of the capital city. The craft is linked with Gond tribe who made exquisite ornaments from bones, ivory, wood & shell. The traditional skill later got the blend of Persian art under the patronage of Begums of Bhopal (women rulers who ruled Bhopal princely state for about 200 years). But, now this ancient craft is perishing due to dearth of customers.
Sunil Parekh, the owner of a heritage batua selling shop in Bhopal tells that customers do not pay worthy prices for the purse as they have other cheap options available. He further adds, “Earlier we were not interested in selling but customers were curious to buy. But now we are curious to sell but there are not enough customers.”
These purses are made of cotton & satin cloth with bead, star & zari work on it. It takes around one month to manufacture just three to four purses.
The craftsman first makes a drawing on butter paper. The paper is then put on a piece of cloth. A solution of chalk powder & kerosene is applied on the drawing which seeps through the paper leaving an impression of it on the cloth. The cloth is tightly tied to a square frame called ada. Immediately after it, the artisan makes raised motifs of flowers, trees & animals by stitching leads, synthetic pipes, metals & zaris. Afterwards, the cloth is stitched in the desired shape with lining cloth fitted inside it. Chains, threads, zips & handles are further attached to complete the making of the purse. After putting so much labor, if a person will not get its deserved price, then it shall surely make him/her feel disheartened.
One must not confuse between batua & Bhopali purse. Batua is a small semi spherical shaped purse with beads & stars stitched on its front side only. Whereas Bhopali purses are modern designed differently shaped large & small sized with bead/poth work all over. These purses are gifted by localites to their friends & relatives coming from outside as a symbol of the city of lakes.
One would be surprised to know that the big purse selling shops of Bhopal earn just Rs.1-2 lakh/annum. This low earning & profit is compelling the shopkeepers to switch over to other professions. Some years back, there were about 30-40 batua shops in the old city. But now, just 4-5 of them are left. These left ones are also on their last stage of production & sale. Parekh further tells, “My forefathers started the shop 100s of years back. My ancestors & I continued the family tradition but now my children are getting higher education & they will look for jobs elsewhere.”
Originally, Zari was used for making purses. But today, this craft has spilled over dress materials, wall hangings, bags, lamp shades & other decorative items. Fashion designers are looking for talented batua artisans to give an ethnic touch to their creation. Ms Zulekha Khan had been making batua since past 40 years. Commenting on batua making, she laments, “Artisans do not get price for quality work.” She further adds that she has found suit making more lucrative than batuas. This clearly exhibits the dying condition of batua craft.
NGO’s, state governments & banks have to come forward to support the diminishing artisans. It’s a request to readers that if they get a chance to visit Bhopal, they should purchase these exotic purses & contribute in keeping the fading tradition alive!
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