A new craft platform wants to make the master artisans household names

From a bird dagger in koftgiri—or the art of decorating weaponry with gold work and other embellishments—by a craftsperson from Udaipur, Rajasthan, or a carving in white stone from Odisha, nearly 100 such intricate works are part of Naayaab, a new platform to showcase the craft legacy of India. Launched by Craft Maestros, a start-up in the handicrafts sector, the platform recently embarked on a three-city showcase, with the initial events taking place in Delhi and Hyderabad. The inaugural exhibition will now shift to Mumbai next week. These showcases are all set to be an annual feature.

On display are works by over 70 master artists—each of whom has received a host of recognitions, ranging from Shilp Guru to the Padma Vibhushan. According to Ajay A. Singh, founder-director, Naayaab, this is a rare occasion when a sizable number of works by such award-winning masters have been brought under a single roof. The selection criterion has been three-fold, based on the skill, story and cultural significance of the craft. “The vision for Naayaab stemmed from the fact that our craft heritage is not put on the same pedestal as other art forms. People are able to recall names of modern and contemporary artists but don’t know the name of most master craftspersons,” he elaborates. “Look at how well countries across Europe have conserved and promoted their art forms. Our craft legacies are so multilayered. They need a unique style of storytelling.”

This idea—of putting the layperson in touch with the story behind the craft— has often been reiterated by non-for-profits and revivalists working in this field. Naayaab too shares this philosophy, but wants to spotlight the creator, and not just the creation. “Even though we have been in the field for seven years, it has taken us a year-and-a-half to put the showcase together. We spent a lot of time creating videos around their lives and the processes they follow,” adds Singh. So, if you visit the exhibition in Mumbai, you will notice two QR codes next to each masterpiece, one featuring the story of the masters and the other on the making of the masterpiece—some of which have been in the making for decades. “Most of us don’t even know how to read the works. The videos will help people to engage with the craftspersons better once they get a glimpse of their lives,” he adds.

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The videos also become valuable records, especially of crafts which have very practitioners left. According to Akansha Dixit, founder and chief curator, Naayaab, there are certain crafts in which the number of makers has dwindled to 10 or less.“Take, for instance, the Delhi school of miniature painting, which is not practised by many now,” she says. “In such scenarios, the stories of master artists become important. There has never been a formal school of craft; it is these craftspersons who have passed on the knowledge. And we need to celebrate this chain of wisdom.”

One such person is Jai Prakash Lakhiwal, who won the Padma Shri in 2016 for his contribution to art. Based in Delhi, he specialised in miniature paintings, and is known for his interplay of light and shadows. One of his works on display at Naayaab include a vibrant depiction of a queen watching a bhand performance. Unlike some of the other artists, who can trace their legacies back to several decades, he is the first in his family to take up miniature painting in a big way. “My family shifted to Delhi from a village called Shahpura near Jaipur. Both my father and grandfather worked as mistry ,or foremen. My father was fond of design and painting. I picked up the interest from him and decided to pursue it seriously,” says the 54-year-old. Lakhiwal teaches interested students free of cost, keen to pass on all that he has learnt from experience. “People are interested, but no one wants to take it up professionally or think of ways to further the craft. This is the digital age, when people don’t want to make anything with their hands,” he adds.

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However, both Dixit and Singh feel that efforts such as Naayaab might change things a little by instilling a sense of pride in the younger generation. “A lot of them have moved to more economically-rewarding jobs, and feel why do their parents spend decades working on a masterpiece. After seeing the Naayaab showcase, some of them called and asked should the family start making another masterpiece for the coming years? That, I feel, is the most rewarding part of this platform for us,” says Singh.

Naayaab will be held at the Taj Mahal Palace, Colaba, Mumbai on 13-14 September