JOURNEY TO REVIVE THE TRADITIONAL KITCHENWARE OF INDIA: ARCHIVING INTANGIBLE HERITAGE
At the simple village level utility comes before the need to adorn. But it must be said that in Rajasthan beauty comes almost immediately in the trail of utility – not as an afterthought. Hence, I decided to choose the state of Rajasthan for the revival of traditional kitchenware in India. Rajasthan has been the home of fine metalwork for centuries. The utensils made of brass, copper, Kansa and silver had been a symbol of tradition. In Rajasthan, the utensils history is vast varying from dazzling royal kitchens to common households and now museums. The story of these utensils marks the history of India. These utensils still hold some place in a majority of households, but their sobriety has led to the shift in adopting western cookware.
The journey of exploring and reinventing the traditional utensil heritage of India began with research. The research led me to various destinations around Gujrat and Rajasthan. I started with The Utensil Museum, Ahmedabad; then covered almost all of Rajasthan. Meeting various artisans along the journey and learning about the roots of India's cultural heritage was the aim.
Below are the captured moments from the journey and a Short-Film shot to summarize it.
