A walk in the woods

A book that took 11 years to create says something about the span of traditional crafts in India. Launched last week, Crafts Atlas of India by Jaya Jaitly, published by Niyogi Books, is a thick tome that documents India’s rich craft heritage.

Jaitly, founder-president of the Dastkari Haat Samiti, says: “The maps in the book are what anchored us while dealing with the overwhelming amounts of arts and crafts of our country. Each state’s map was done in a style native to that region and it was such joy to work with the artistes and local karigars.”

Leafing through the book, we picked out woodwork that decorates the length and breadth of the country.

Slideshow

Intricate carving and lacquer-finished polishes to contrasting inlay work—the Indian aesthetic is lovely, dark and deep.

komal.sharma@livemint.com