2) Wood Turning and Lacquer Craft Wood Turning and Lacquer Craft is a traditional craft of India, which dates back to antiquity. “Wooden objects on a turnery can receive a coating of lac as lacquer. This art must have been known even in ancient India, for Panini (500 B.C.) uses the word Jatu = lac (the resin) and Jatusa = lacquer (lac applied to wooden objects in a turnery).� This craft is done in many parts of India. In each part, there is a different story behind its evolution, the needs out of which it took shape, the processes followed by craftspeople, the products made, and their applications. In Dholka, this craft has evolved out of ritualistic connotations. Craftspeople here are majorly involved in the making of ghodiyo as a principal product along with some seasonal items such as Dandiya sticks and small drums. A ghodiyo or ghodiyu, as it is popularly known in Gujarat, is a traditional crib frame or a cradle for baby, and used during the time of baby birth and other ceremonies associated with it. This is an indigenous craft practiced in and around Dholka, but, now, it has become more of a personalized occupation , rather than being a major contributor to the craft industry/sector.
3.1) Raw Materials Used The wood turning - lacquer craft involves both natural and synthetic materials. The industry is therefore totally dependent on forests for primary raw materials. These forest-based products are the wood of babool tree and lac produced from the tree sap, Synthetic materials include paints and pigments. 3.1(a) Wood Raw Wood Bavla or Babool (Teak wood) , which is a semi-hard wood, is preferred for its availability, compact veins and lack of knots. It is sourced from Kheda district, near Ahmedabad. Few craftspeople find the wood from Kalol better than the one from Kheda, the reason for which they tell is that the wood from Kheda is blackish and very raw, compared to the reddish coloured better quality wood from Kalol. Other sources for obtaining the wood are Nadiyad, Radhanpur, Kadi, and sometimes Dholka itself. The raw sections are from the main trunk of the tree and measure approximately 3.5 inches X 3.5 inches with the longest being about 5 feet. Length of Other sections used is: 3 feet, 2 feet, (2.25) feet, (1.5) feet, (1.25) feet
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