Varnam- reviving and re-interpreting an ancient craft

Channapatna toys are wooden hand crafted toys manufactured in Channapatna, a small rural town of Bangalore, Karnataka. These lacquered toys are a traditional craft that can be traced back to Tipu Sultan's reign. 

As a result of the popularity of these toys, Channapatna is also known as Gombegala Ooru (toy-town) of Karnataka. Its traditional craft is protected as a geographical indication (GI) under the World Trade Organization, administered by the Government of Karnataka. 

The Channapatna craft industry, which has been facing hard times because of competition from cheap Chinese toys as well as changing demands, is making a come back with the help of the government as well as individuals like Karthik Vaidyanathan, founder of Varnam, who are working closely with master craftsmen to revive this industry and bring it up to date with the times and current aesthetic trends. 

That brings me to Varnam. Varnam is a social enterprise that has been working with artisans in Channapatna for over two years now to reinterpret this 200 years old toy craft. The result is a series of home accents, jewelry and originally designed toys. Varnam was awarded the Kyoorius-Blue Elephant award and the CII Design Excellence award for its work in 2013.

Each product in this series has been painstakingly handcrafted by an artisan from Channapatna, Karnataka using the age-old tradition of lac-turnery, a craft that requires tremendous skill and precision. 

On July 3rd Varnam opened its flagship store in Bangalore. This little store is exclusively for handcrafted products that include toys, home accents and jewelry. So if you are ever in Bangalore, drop into Varnam. I'm sure you will love what you see and it will be impossible for you to resist taking away a piece of Karnataka via its most popular craft form. You can learn more about Varnam here.

Address:

'Varnam'

No. 444, 5^th Main

Between 13^th& 14^th Cross

Indiranagar 2^nd stage

Bangalore 560038

Phone: 080-25250360.

[Photographs by Ashish Arora]

Monsoon and Beyond- A Luxury Home Textile Label

Finely crafted home textiles with a contemporary edge. This is the core idea behind the Monsoon and Beyond label established by Austrian Vera Fritsch, who now calls India home. 

The idea for the Monsoon and Beyond label evolved from the deep connection that Vera developed with India. Through the various collections of this label Vera hopes to tell visual stories about India, its beauty, history, culture and heritage.

Weaving traditional magic into contemporary forms... that is the defining idea behind this label. It draws inspiration from India's rich traditional textile traditions and creates contemporary designs that appeal to both an Indian an a global market.  

Every piece is handcrafted by expert artisans using only the finest fabrics to create unique designs.

Like what you see? Currently Monsoon and Beyond retails exclusively out of Second Floor Studio, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi and you can shop online for their products here.

[All images courtesy Monsoon and Beyond]

Chicory Chai- Contemporary Handcrafted Jewelry

So back to the beginning of the week folks! Well at least the sun is out and the day is warm and bright, a pleasant change from the last few weeks! How was your weekend guys? Mine was great and you'll be hearing more about it very soon... promise! Today though, I'm bringing you a little bit of a treat... some stunning handcrafted jewelry by Chicory Chai that will make you drool. 

Chicory Chai is an Indian designer label for contemporary handcrafted jewelry and accessories founded by Himani Grover, whose studio is based out of Gurgaon. Himani says their design philosophy is based on the Romantic art movement, ‘Chicory’ being a symbol of that movement. Himani's roots are also an inspiration and all their pieces have an innate Indian soul- hence the name Chicory Chai.

She was a student at NIFT, India and completed her masters from the Creative Academy, Milan. She has experience with international names like Cartier, Ralph Lauren and Mont Blanc to name just a few.

When she connected with me a while back, I was blown away with her beautiful bespoke designs that epitomize contemporary India.

Chicory Chai works with local craftsmen and every piece of jewelry is hand crafted from scratch in her workshop. It's because of this that no two pieces are the same. 

Most of Chicory Chai's pieces are made from brass or copper, but Himani has also done several specially commissioned pieces in gold and silver.

I am in love with the wistfulness of every piece. They are simple, beautiful and very organic in form- very much grounded in nature. Probably a result of Himani's memories and experiences of her childhood, a large chunk of which she spent in a small town in Southern Maharashtra. 

If you liked what you've seen so far, you can discover more on Chicory Chai here. 

[All images courtesy Chicory Chai]

Teekhii Chhurii

With Teekhii Chhurii brand, Pooja Ajmera aims to breathe new life into Sanjhi, the traditional art of paper cutting. This self-taught paper artist and entrepreneur painstakingly creates beautiful art work with incredible patience and skill- and all by hand!

Pooja discovered her love for paper cutting only last year, when she wanted to gift her sister-in-law a special birthday gift. Once she discovered her passion for this art form she never looked back. 

Aside from standard pieces that are perfect items to brighten up a home, Pooja also does commissioned, one-of-a-kind pieces that are ideal for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. I think her work is really interesting. I love the playfulness in some of her pieces and I particularly like her work in black and white. 

Take a look...

You can check out more of her work here.

[All images courtesy Teekhii Chhurii]