Colouring the rich tapestry of Indian Art with Appliqué
How Diamond Appliqué is keeping this traditional temple craft alive
On our journey of partnering with Etsy India to chronicle the art and craft from different parts of the country, we landed in Odisha to tell the story of appliqué. This traditional temple craft has been given new life by artisans across India and modernized in a manner that the heart of the craft remains while the utility has become more universal.
Chasing the handicraft across states
If you’ve been a consistent reader of our blogs, you’ve realized that the best stories are often the ones that don’t come the easiest. So was the case with this story of the applique makers of Odisha. What started as a simple trip to Kolkata soon turned into a long journey of chasing this tale that brings alive the essence of this craft. We had initially set out to tell the story of the Kantha makers of Kolkata, but right before entering the airport were informed that we no longer had an artisan to tell that story. What followed was a few minutes of sheer panic and chaos between the French Fries Films and the Etsy team. We both took a step back, took a deep breath and decided to stick to our flight route. A break, burger, chat with the team, and our client Etsy’s patience really helped the situation.
We decided to fly to Kolkata, head to Odisha from there to capture the tale of the Appliqué art and then head back to Kolkata for our Kantha story. With all the confusion, back and forth and rejigging, what really helped was the Etsy team, their support and living by their motto of ‘keeping commerce human.’
Onwards to Odisha
The video production team got together and chalked up a new action plan. That meant flying from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar, getting this story together, and then back to Kolkata for the next one. From Bhubaneswar, we headed to Pipili, where we met the artisan with who we would be talking about the craft of appliqué. With the bit of extra time we had, we managed to study the art and infrastructure of the area and genuinely get a deeper understanding of the state’s culture and traditions. During our journey to Puri & Konark, our guide took us to an art village, “Raghurajpur.” If we had to go into the mesmerizing beauty of what we witnessed, it would mean a whole new blog, but if you’re a craft enthusiast, trust us and look up Raghurajpur. Your mind will be blown.
Appliqué through the ages: keeping the craft alive
Our journey to Pipili took us to Javed Khan, Creator of Diamond Applique. Originally a French word, Appliqué is a technique that involves cutting and putting together various pieces of coloured fabrics onto another foundation fabric to build specific patterns. The work native to Pipili is also known as ‘Chandua’ in the local dialect. This craft of appliqué can be traced back to the 10th century AD and is deeply connected with the famous Jagannatha Yathra of Puri. This vibrant handicraft work was done to decorate Jagannatha Rath and the temple during rituals. The same craft has now been adapted to more modern items that decorate homes, such as bed spreads, lamp shades, sun umbrellas, wall hangings and more.
Here’s the video of Javed Khan ji telling us about this traditional craft and its roots:
Despite all the ups, downs and sideways we faced on this journey to Odisha and back, the things that kept us going are the same two things that keep us going every time the FFF team is faced with challenges –
We earn and respect the trust our clients and partners place in us and ensure we deliver on their expectations.
We only tell stories with a purpose, and that purpose makes it all worthwhile.
The video production team that managed to pull this feat off includes:
Director: Ravneet Oberoi
Cinematographer: Bharat Kumar
Shot on: Canon Canon 1Dx Mark III with Canon L Series Lenses on Clog3
Sound Recordist: Chander Dev on Zoom H6 with a Sennheiser Boom Mic
Video Editor: Vinayak Das Gupta on Adobe Creative Cloud
Colour Grading: Vinayak Das Gupta & Ravneet Oberoi using Lumetri on Premiere Pro
Music from artlist.io
Client: etsy.com for #DiscoverIndiaWithEtsy Video Campaign
Marketing Head: Sunanda Krishna
Campaign & Digital Lead: Tareeshi Sangal
Campaign Produced by: Ravneet Oberoi
