Ode to the Indian Artisans

Handcrafted by Lal10
Happiness is handcrafted
 Who we are

Lal10, a spin on , which means ‘lantern’ in Hindi, was

named so with the idea of being the beacon in the life of the
Indian artisan. We are a social venture focused on bringing up the
Indian artisan by helping them gain economic stability. We do so,
by selling in bulk to businesses and by bringing awareness about
the various crafts to the world.
 The problem
India has a total of 9.1 million artisans. Handicraft and handloom
sector is the largest non-agro revenue-generating sector of our
country. Around 98% of these artisans struggle to survive as
they are unable to find markets to sell their products.

We have 42% of the global artisan population. Whereas India

contributes to just 2% of the global Handicraft demand. This
huge disparity is present because of basic problems which exist
in this sector, which are:

Artisans do not know the right price to sell their products.

Artisans lack awareness about the global contemporary

designs.

Cheap counterfeit products take away the business of

authentic handcrafted products.

Middlemen exploit artisans with lesser wages.

 Our solution
Lal10 has built a platform that connects artisans with global
retailers. For artisans, Lal10 is providing training, organizing
them into craft clusters, connecting them with mobile technology
and introducing them to modern designs. For retailers, Lal10’s
platform opens doors to beautiful, contemporary, handcrafted
designs that are delivered on-time with high quality and in large
quantities at fair prices .

Unlike traditional middlemen and craft companies, we work

directly with the artisans, delivering global demand while paying
fair prices and providing more valuable designs.
 Content

Stories woven in linen.............................. 1-14

A saga of silk and gold............................. 15-20
Azure tales from Kutch............................ 21-30
Fables told in grass.................................. 31-34
Memoirs from a green journal................. 35-40
Parables from the potter’s wheel............41-50
Our impact................................................ 52
 A Bengali woman in Phulia linen saree
1
Stories woven in linen
Phulia linen from West Bengal
 P
artition of India in 1947 is a scarring memory for every Indian. But one positive
aspect of the Partition was the flourishing of the handloom weaving clusters
of West Bengal. Dhaka, the hub of skilled handloom weaving became a part
of East Pakistan (presently Bangladesh) in 1947 which made a good number
of skilled weavers shift to Phulia, Shantipur and Ranaghat in Nadia district in
1947. Hence, the history of handloom weaving in Phulia is a remnant of the
handloom weaving cluster in Dhaka.

3
I n the heart of West Bengal, a quaint village in Nadia district sways to the
rhythmic music of handloom weavers. The nine yards of handwoven linen
masterpieces with the characteristic works of Jamdani and Tant on it, made
by the Basak community define the village of Phulia.

4
 Threads to textile
The creation of the magnificent handwoven Phulia sarees.

5
 T
he process begins with the raw linen
threads dyed in vibrant colours in the
dyeing units.

Dyeing of linen threads

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 Artisan dyeing the linen threads
7
 T
he dyed yarns are further coated with
starch for increased strength while weaving.
This process is called sizing.

Drying after the threads are dyed

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 Artisan setting up the warp threads on the warp drum

T
he next process is the setting up of the warp threads
on the warp drum and the beam of the loom.
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O
nce the initial setup is done, the warp and weft are
aligned with the design patterns to be created by
setting up the warp with the reed and pick and drafting
the design patterns.

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 O
nce all this ground work is done, the
fabric is woven by the artisan on the
loom, to produce beautiful pieces
of art in linen jamdani.

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Lal10 bringing lights in the lives of Phulia artisan

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 Our Impact on Phulia artisans

E very artisan in Phulia makes designs suggested by

around 200 odd designers in the region who have
no formal education in textile design!

Lal10 brings change by working with artisans in

Phulia directly to create designs that are in-sync
with the mass demand.

Lal10 also works towards providing regular

livelihood throughout the year for the artisans it
works with.

Lal10 makes the sarees made in Phulia more

marketable with helping the artisans get relevant
authentication certifications like Fair Trade,
Craftmark and so on.

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 “
“
The nine yards define more beyond
beauty, mother’s protection,
daughter’s care, sister’s affection,
wife’s love, grandmother’s warmth.

14
A saga of silk and gold
Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh
C
handeri, the town nestled in Vindhyachal gives
its name to the beautiful handwoven fabric made
here. The town has received patronage from royal
dynasties from the Mughals to the Scindias due to
the beauty of the fabric – which is soft and has
characteristic gold thread work on its fringes.
Although it is unclear on how this craft developed in
the region, the earliest texts stating the existence
of the fabric mentions the settlement of Muslim
weavers in the region due to the important trade
route between Malwa plateau and Gujarat.

Mughal architecture from Madhya Pradesh

16
 Warp, weft and golden
thread

The process begins with the dyeing of the yarns for

the creation of the desired patterns.

The next process involves the reeling of yarn into

bobbins which are used in the weft shuttles.

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T
he warp threads are further set on logs, which is
characteristic to Chanderi weaving as this process
is done manually, unlike in other clusters which
have characteristic silk weaving.

Artisans setting up warp threads on logs

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 T
he last step in the weaving process
is the weaving of the threads into
Chanderi fabric which is further
finished and packed for selling.

A woman wearing Chanderi saree

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Our Impact on Chanderi artisans

The original Chanderi fabric used to be woven in

fine handspun cotton yarns in warp and weft
to produce thin, translucent and handwoven
fabric which was lighter and more attractive
than the muslin fabric of Dhaka.

Over the years, with the coming of cheaper

threads and fake alternatives of Chanderi in
the Indian market, the weavers have taken a
heavy blow to their business.

Lal10 spreads awareness among the Indian

customers about the original, authentic
Chanderi fabric through process videos and
engaging content, so that this declining craft
can revive its past glory.

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Azure tales from Kutch
Ajrak prints from Gujarat
T
he characteristic hues of red, blue and white
paint the barren landscape of Kutch in the small
town of Ajrakpur, which gets its name from the
exquisite block-printing technique of Ajrakh. This
technique has its roots in Sindh, with legends
having it that the name came about when a Sindhi
King asked his courtiers to keep a bedspread for
another night (“Aaj rakh”) due to its beauty. But
a more plausible explanation for the name comes
from ‘Azrak’, the Arabic word for ‘blue’.

The motifs are deeply inspired from early

Mesopotamian civilization and Persian culture.
The block-printers who settled on the banks of
the mighty Indus River gave rise to this craft,
moving eastwards to Kutch in India with the
change in course of the river.

Persian culture inspired architecture

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 The prints of pride

T
he first part of the elaborate process of Ajrak is
‘Saaj’, where the fabric is soaked in a solution
of camel dung, castor oil and soda ash for a
night and then semi-dried before repeating
the process for 7-8 times till the fabric starts
frothing when rubbed. This is usually done to
remove all starch and surface additives added
by fabric manufacturers for finishing.

solution of camel dung, castor oil and soda ash

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N
ext process is ‘Kasano’, where the fabric is washed
in a solution of Myrobalan, a powder from the nut of
Harde tree. The fabric is further dried in the sun on
both sides and the excess Myrobalan is brushed off.
Myrobalan acts as the first mordant in the process,
which helps in etching the printing outlines on the
fabric for printing.

Nut of Harde tree

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 K asano is followed by ‘Khariyanu’, which is basically
the process of creating a resist outline of lime and
Babool resin using carved wooden blocks.

A black paste made out of scrap iron and jaggery

solution left for 20 days, mixed with tamarind seed
paste is used for black colored outline printing. This
paste is printed on both sides and is called ‘Kat’.

Artisan creating resist outline of lime and Babool resin using wooden blocks
25
A
lum, Babool resin and clay is used to do the next
round of resist printing on the fabric, which is called
the process of ‘Gach’. Sawdust or powdered cow
dung is used to ensure that the Gach printing does
not get smudged.

Fabric treated with a mixture of alum, babool, and clay

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 T
he next part of Ajrak process is the indigo dyeing,
where the dyeing is done multiple times to ensure
uniformity of color in the fabric.

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T
he penultimate part of the process is ‘Viccharnu’,
where additional resist dyes and other mordants are
washed away from the fabric.

Washing of additional resist dyes and other mordants

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 T
Block printing

he final process is ‘Rang’, where natural colors like Alizarine

(red), Madder root (orange), Henna (yellow green) and Rhubarb
root (pale brown) give desired hues to the fabric.
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Our Impact on Ajrak artisans
A jrak is a beautiful craft that is very popular all throughout the world. A lot
of famous designer houses incorporate Ajrak in their final designs. Yet, the
problem of using chemical dyes and synthetic colors in the process of Ajrak
printing is making the market
deteriorated, in terms of quality
and authenticity.

At Lal10, we only promote

authentic Ajrak fabrics in
natural dyes, which is a
product with minimal effects
on the environment. This
promotes the authentic artisans
of Ajrak and incentivizes them
to practice the craft and
propagate it further
in the global
markets.

An old Kutchi man wearing Ajrak fabric

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Fables told in grass
Water reed from Manipur
T
he hills of Imphal in Manipur are famous for weaving magic
out of an aquatic weed, named water reed. The artisans,
predominantly women are extremely skilled in weaving
baskets, boxes and bags out of this environmentally harmful
plant. Water reed, also known as Kauna grass grows in the
wetlands of Manipur and is completely eco-friendly, which is
good for the environment. This craft is providing livelihoods
for its 10000 odd artisans in Manipur itself.

Kauna grass
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 Weaving Livelihoods

T
he artisan cuts the Kauna stem and places it perpendicular to parallel
running jute threads.

The extra length of the stem is intertwined along the edges to form a
border along the weaving mat.

In the next step, two mats are woven together using the same weft and
folded onto each other to create a woven water reed mat.

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Our Impact on Water reed
weavers
With the increasing demand of natural fibers like water reed in the
global market and many renowned brands promoting such fibers,
the demand has been on an exponential rise, which cannot clearly be
catered by South Asian countries like Indonesia, which is the hub of
natural fiber handicraft making.

We, at Lal10, have worked on skilling artisans in Manipur to take up

Kauna grass weaving to cater to year-long orders for many big brands,
resulting in regular livelihood for these artisans.

Artisan weaving Kauna grass baskets

32 34
Memoirs from a green journal
Handmade paper from Rajasthan
D
id you know…? For every 10000 A4 sheets of paper produced,
a tree is cut down! But don’t fret. There is a completely
eco-friendly alternative to mill-made paper.

The Kagzi community of Sanganer has been practicing the

art of recycling used mill-made paper into beautiful textured
handmade paper. These beautiful, handmade sheets have a
unique texture that is reminiscent of writing on handmade
parchments of an era gone by. The Kagzi community started
creating paper in the outskirts of Jaipur over 400 years ago
under the patronage of Sawai Man Singh, an influential ruler
of Jaipur who was known for his passion for unique arts and
crafts. The cottage industry incubated by Sawai Man Singh
has grown into a Billion rupee industry at present, with the
Kagzis creating these eco-friendly sheets of paper being used
in various industries, like gifting, packaging and stationery.

A fort in Jaipur
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 From bits and pieces

T he process starts with shredding and blending recycled paper

and used cotton mesh to make a slurry of thick paper pulp,
which is transferred into a vat pulp.

Paper pulp
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 shaping of the sheets

A mould and deckle is used to pull out the wet pulp in the
shape of a sheet of paper. These are two parallel meshes,
where the lower deckle has a screen attached to it to retain
the paper pulp.

Once the pulp in the shape of a sheet is removed, it is placed

on a layer of wool felt to absorb water from the sheet pulp.
This is referred to as couching.

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 A fter couching, the sheets are pressed using sponges and
wood boards to remove excess water from the paper pulp.

The final step in the process is drying, where the final form
is kept in the sun or heater to dry completely to make these
beautiful sheets of handmade paper.

Papers are kept under the sun for drying

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Our Impact on handmade
paper artisans
H andmade paper being an easy craft to create needs a lot of innovations
in terms of paper development and utility product creation.

Lal10 designers work hand-in-hand with the Kagzi community to

create innovations like plantable paper, elephant paper and flower
paper. We also work on high utility products like brand tags, coasters,
lampshades and place mats, which are a class apart from the usual
product line of diaries and other stationery. This helps in generating
a lot of interest from international bulk buyers and corporate houses.

Handmade paper products

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Parables from the potter’s wheel
Stoneware ceramics from Uttar Pradesh
T
he fertile soil provided by the Ganga-Yamuna basin makes
Uttar Pradesh the ideal place for potters to practice their craft.
This helped create a community of potters who were a part of
Timur’s invading army to settle in the town of Khurja, which is
presently in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh. The potters
of Khurja have mastered the art of creating beautiful pieces of
pottery of varied utility in stoneware ceramics over centuries.
This is the reason why Khurja is rightfully called the “Pottery
Town of India”.

Fertile soil provided by the Ganga-Yamuna basin

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 Creations from clay

Mixing of clay, quartz and feldspar

T
he clay is prepared in a ball mill with raw materials like clay,
quartz and feldspar in fixed ratios.

The clay is mixed with a liquid solution that is transferred into

a molding vessel made out of Plaster-of-Paris (P-o-P) to be
molded. The excess clay solutions and air bubbles are removed
by shaking in the molding vessel itself.
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A n alternate method used for molding is the Jigger and Jolly
process. The jigger equipment consists of a die and the jolly
consists of a cavity of the required shape. The jigger has a
handle that can move up and down and the jolly has a stand
that is rotatable. The clay dough is placed on the stand and
rotated and the jigger handle is brought down to shape the
clay.

The shaped clay is removed from the

mold using a blade and kept for a day
for drying.

Jigger and Jolly process

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 T he cracks in molded clay is filled with more clay and the parting
lines and other marks are removed in the smoothening process
using sand paper.

Smoothening using sand paper

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T Painting the products

he ceramic product is either hand-painted using various colors

or decal-printed on the outer surface in the next process of
painting or printing on the ceramic product.

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 Baking the ceramics in the furnace
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T
he painting or printing process is followed by glazing process,
which is used to color, decorate and waterproof the ceramic
products. Glazes can be transparent, translucent, opaque,
glossy or matte in its finish.

Finally, the glazed product is fired in an electric furnace at a

temperature close to 1200 degrees, heating it uniformly to
yield the finished ceramic product.

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49
Our Impact on ceramic
artisans
L al10 works with Khurja artisans to implement product design
innovations, which are different from the usual set of products
that the artisans in this cluster make. New designs in ceramics
are highly favored by retailers who work in the home and living
category.
This helps the artisans to get better livelihoods and exposure
to better and novel designs at the same time.

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51
 Our Impact
Technology is the only solution to overcome the operational and
marketing hurdles in this un-organized sector. We have created
28000+ livelihoods till date.

We have prevented the extinction of endangered crafts by

providing regular livelihood support to them.

We have worked with numerous craft clusters in India, helping

them with contemporary product designs for a global audience.

We have spread awareness about global standards for products

to make them more marketable.

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House of Lal10, Sector 65, Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

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