THE GOTA OF AJMER- a Craft study

Ajmer

GOTA CRAFT CLUSTER AJMER

CRAFT CLUSTER INITIATIVE CLUSTER - AJMER A PROJECT BY

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY NEW DELHI M.Des ( 2016-2018 )

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to gratefully acknowledge the contributions and efforts of everyone who has made his endeavour possible. We express our sincere gratitude to the following members of the NIFT Delhi family for imparting valuable insight and serving as a guiding light to all of us: Mohd. Suhail, C.C., M.Des Mrs. Kavita Yadav, M.Des Mr. K. Murugan, Accessory Design We are grately obliged to the members of the art and handicrafts community mentioned below, who awnsered our innumerable queries with utmost patience, helped us out in every possible way and shared their wealth of knowledge with us: Craftsman names ( to be included ) We would also like to express our heartfelt appreciation and profusely thank the people of Ajmer for treating us to their fabled hospitality and extending their helping hand to us throughout our faithful stay.

Last but not the least, we would like to thank our friends and their family for their constant encouragement and support.

CONTENT 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

1.2 History

1.3 Tracing the culture of the craft 2.

Physiography and Geography

2.1 Geology of Ajmer

2.11 City/landmark

2.12 Culture

2.13 Festivals

2.2 Geological location

2.3 Demographic composition 3. Methodology and Typology

3.1 Approach to crafts

3.2 Steps to approach

3.3 Craft and typology

3.4 Variations in Typology

3.5 Gota Colony

3.51 Artisan’s Profile 4. Process and Materials

4.1 Structure and composition of Materials

4.2 Tools

4.3 Process of Gota Making 5. Analysis and Recommendations

5.1 Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat

5.2 Self sustainable, NGO, Government, Community

5.3 Market Research

5.4 Small scale industry of traders

5.5 Addressing the gaps 6. Conclusion Appendix Questionnaire Local Terms and Glossary References

Ajmer

AJMER

The city of Ajmer gets its name from ‘Ajay Meru’. Roughly translated, it means ‘invincible hills’.

Nestled in the Aravallis south west of Jaipur, Ajmer was founded by Raja Ajaypal Chauhan in the 7th century AD. Till the late 12th century AD, Ajmer was the epicentre of the Chauhan dynasty. After Prithviraj Chauhan’s loss to Mohammed Ghori in 1193 AD, Ajmer became home to several dynasties. The Mughals in particular, fancied it as their favourite destination due to the presence of the holy Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

One of the early meetings between the Mughal King Jahangir and the Ambassador of the Court of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Thomas Roe, took place here in 1616. A few centuries later, the city was handed over to the British, making Ajmer the only region in Rajputana to be directly controlled by the East India Company. Ajmer is now regarded as an educational and cultural centre.

Ajmer is home to the famous Dargah Sharif, which houses the Tomb of Garib Nawaz, also known as Moinuddin Chisti, the founder of the Chisti order of Sufism. Ajmer is also known for Mayo College, one of the country’s first schools that was a stepping stone for British style of education.

It is also a sacred city for Hindus and Muslims alike and is renowned for being a centre of history and culture and beauty.

Ajmer

HISTORY OF THE CITY Geologically the hills around Pushkar and Ajmer City are one of the oldest in India.

Recent finds of microliths at Khera and Kaderi indicate that human beings inhabited the area ever since the dawn of civilzation. The district derives its name from the head quarter town of Ajmer. It comparised of two districts viz. Ajmer and Merwara before independence and the ancient name of city was ‘Ajaymeru’. The Sanskrit word ‘Meru’ means a hill and Ajay used as a qualifying adjective to mery (hill), implying that this hill was invincible or unconquerable by enemies probably due to its inaccessibility. The ancient name Ajaymeru later became Ajmer through collogquial terminology. Ajmer was Founded by Raja Ajaypal Chauhan in 7 century A.D. The traditional founder of the city and the fort (Taragarh) in Merwara. After independence State Govt. extended its claim over Ajmer with the argument that geographically, ethnological and linguistically Ajmer is and has been an integral part of Rajasthan.

Today this place is not only known for holy Pushkar Lake & Beautiful temples on one hand and the Durgah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chistion the other hand but also an important trade, commerce industrial and transportation centre of Rajasthan.

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DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION • Ajmer district ranks 8th in terms of population, 14th in terms of area and 11th in terms of population density.

• Ajmer district has 1111 villages, out of them 1099 villages are inhabited and 12 villages are uninhabited. In Ajmer district 82 new villages and 3 new census towns have created as per 2011 Census.

• In Ajmer district, Peesangan (Tehsil: Peesangan) is the most populous (15,471 persons) village; and Chak Beer (Tehsil: Kishangarh) is the least populous (02 persons) village.

• Ajmer district consists 59.9 percent rural and 40.1 percent urban population whereas the State percent of rural and urban population is 75.1 and 24.9 respectively.

• The sex ratio of Ajmer district (951) is significantly higher than the State sex ratio (928).

• The literacy rate in Ajmer district is 69.3 percent which is higher than the State Average (66.1 percent) and it ranks 8th among the other districts of the state. Gender Gap of the literacy rate is 26.7 percent in the district.

• The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population in Ajmer district is 18.5 percent and 2.5 percent respectively whereas the State percent of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population is 17.8 and 13.5 respectively.

• The economy of Ajmer district is mainly dependent on other workers (54.4 percent).

• Work participation rate (WPR) of Ajmer district has recorded 40.8 percent and gender gap in WPR is 22.6 percent points.

• In Ajmer district among the workers the percentage of cultivators, agricultural labourers, workers in household industry and other workers (category of workers) are 28.4, 13.8, 3.4 and 54.4 percent respectively. *2011 CENSUS

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SONIJI KI NASIYAN

Soniji ki Nasiyan, also known as the Ajmer Jain Temple, is a wonderful example of ornate architecture, and is dedicated to Risabh or Adinath. Its entrance is made of red stone and the marble staircase inside is engraved with images of the holy Tirthankars – omniscient teachers of Jain faith who taught righteousness. Constructed in the late 19th century, this temple is counted among the richest temples in India. Its main chamber, Swarna Nagari (City of Gold), is aptly named so because of the several gold-plated wooden figures it houses within its walls.

AJMER GOVERNMENT MUSEUM The Ajmer Government Museum serves as one of the prime tourist destinations in Ajmer. The museum is housed within the magnificent fortified palace of the legendary Mughal Emperor Akbar, which was built in 1570. The museum is also known as Bharatpur Museum and is home to a rich collection of archaeological artefacts. Along with stone sculptures, inscriptions and armours, it features the finest paintings of the previous Maharajas of Bharatpur.

ANASAGAR LAKE

Anasagar Lake is a scenic artificial lake, commissioned and built by Arnoraj Chauhan, son of Ajaypal Chauhan, between 1135 and 1150 AD. Arnoraj was also known as Anaji, which gives the lake its name. Many years later, Mughal Emperor Jahangir added his touch to the lake by laying out the Daulat Bagh Gardens near the lake. Emperor Shah Jahan too, contributed to the expansion by building five pavilions, known as the Baradari, between the garden and the lake.

THE AJMER SHARIF DARGAH This is a Sufi shrine which encloses the ‘maqbara’ (grave) of Garib Nawaz, the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. Built in the 13th century, the shrine is popular among people of all faiths who flock here to have their prayers answered. The shrine has three gates – the main gate or the Nizam gate, the Shah Jahan gate erected by the Mughal Emperor and the Buland Darwaza. Another big draw at this holy shrine is the sacred and scrumptious food that is served to devotees. Cooked in giant cauldrons known as ‘degs’, devotees gather in throngs to be blessed by this prasad.

NARELI JAIN TEMPLE The Nareli Jain Temple in Ajmer, also known as the Shri Gyandoaya Tirth Kshetra, is situated on the outskirts of Ajmer on the national highway to Jaipur. This modern edifice is celebrated for being a perfect blend of traditional and contemporary architectural styles. It consists of 24 miniature temples in its vicinity. Known as Jainalay, they represent the Jain Thirthankars. The Nareli Jain Temple is an important point of pilgrimage for Digambara Jains.

ADHAI DIN KA JHONPDA The Adhai Din Ka Jhonpda was originally built to function as a Sanskrit college but was later converted into a mosque by Sultan Ghori in 1198 AD. An impressive blend of Indo-Islamic architecture, the structure was further beautified by Sultan Iltutmish in 1213 AD. Legend has it that the mosque is known as Adhai din ka Jhonpda (literally meaning, The Hut of Two and a Half Days) because of a two and half day fair held here during Urs in the 18th century.

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INTRODUCTION

Rajasthan is very well known of the metal embroidery of Rajasthan is known as Gota work.

Gota is a band of gold or silver ribbon of that varies with width, woven in a satin weave. Gota work is a form of court embroidery. This style of embroidery starts with the Mugals and spreaded to the courts of various states like rajasthan where jaipur and jodhpur. The embroiderers of Jaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur and Kota are globally famous for their unique Gota work. The Objective of the study is to understand and analyse the various factors involved in the GOTA WORK, A Craft cluster based in Ajmer, Rajastan.

TRACING THE CULTURE OF THE CRAFT The metallic lace or ribbon is generally made up of metal coated weft yarn, while the warp yarn is made of fiber like cotton, polyester in ribbon. Initially these metal coated weft were used to be made of original gold and silver. Gota ribbons are available in different colors as well. The ribbons are woven on Satin and Twill weave. The Gota available these days is known as “ plastic Gota�. It is highly durable as is its made of polyester yarns.

Gota Lace was believed to have connection and brought by the Mughals in the 16th Century to India, Since similar embroidery Zardozi which was done with the Zari was worn by them during those period. It is also believed that Jodha Bai (Wife of great Mughal emperor Akbar) used to wear Gota lace on her garments.

GOTA AND AJMER There are 500 families and 3000 workers producing gota lace which is mainly used on bridal and festival wears these laces are mainly golden and silver colour but now multi colour laces are also made. Mostly the families were making Gota lace on Wooden Looms and Kiran Machines. In 2005 Gota Cluster was identified for development under state cluster development plan a diagnostic study was carried out at that time the income of the gota weaver was merely Rs. 100 /- per day . in which the family members wife and children also helped him. Most of the weavers worked on Job work basis for the traders and their wages were fixed on lace reals.

GOTA COLONY

Gota Colony, in Rawat Nagar, is located on the outskirts of the city, Ajmer, Rajasthan, 305001. In 1990s, the gotalooms in Dargah Bazaar were facing power shortage problems because of which their productivity went down.

In order to overcome this problem, the workers worked overtime to meet the demands on time without occurring losses, However, this too had negative consequences, i.e., frequent quarrels amongst the neighbors and the loom owners created a havoc in the locality. To put an end to this, the loom owners decided to join hands with the GotaMazdurSangh(an association working for the betterment of the gota workers). The association then purchased around 2.5 acres of land outside the city of Ajmer near For Sagar Road, which was an agricultural land, which is now known as the Gota Colony. For this investment, Rs. 100 per person was collected. For allocation of plots, Rs.7000 was collected for 200 sq. yards of plot.

The colony has around 120 families which live in the puccahouses out of which around 50 families are involved in the craft of gota making. The houses give an impression that the families are well off and had the basic facilities. All the families had looms inside their houses only which means that they operate from their homes and have no specific outlet or office for the same. The colony is a mix of different cultures and communities.

The various communities that live in the colony include: Khatris, Gahlots, Muslims, Jainis, Purohits, Fainis and others. The residents’ simplicity is expressed through their attire (men: shirt & trousers and women: sarees) and the way they communicate with each other.

CLUSTER PROFILE

NAME OF THE CLUSTER

AJMER GOTA LOOM

STATE

RAJASTHAN

DISTRICT

AJMER

NO. OF FIRMS

39

NO. OF WORKERS

3000

ASSOCIATIONS IN CLUSTER

GOTA MAZDOOR SANGH ZARI UDYOG SANGH

MAJOR PRODUCTS

DECORATION ITEMS | CHAKRI | STAR | THAPA | LEHAR | MOGRA

MAJOR MARKETS

DOMESTIC - SURAT, AHEMADABAD, BOMBAY INTERNATIONAL - IRAN, IRAQ, PAKISTAN

MAJOR PROBLEM /

PROSPECTS

PROBLEMS • TRADERS ARE DOMINANT AND DICTATE OWN TERMS TO THE WEAVERS • NO COMPENSATION FOR WASTAGE • OLD TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN • LACK OF PROPER MARKET INFORMATION AND ORIENTATION PROSPECTS • DEMAND FOR GOTA IS THROUGHOUT INDIA • EXPORT POTENTIAL LIES IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES LIKE IRAN,IRAQ, PAKISTAN ETC • RAW MATERIAL AVAILABILITY IS GOOD • WOMEN OF THE FAMILY ARE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTORS • ITS A COTTAGE INDUSTRY AND CAN BE DONE AT HOME WHERE THE WHOLE FAMILY CAN CHIP IN LABOR

ASSOCIATIONS NGOs AJMER ZILA LAGHU UDHYOG SANGH Ajmer Zila Laghu Udyog Sangh was formed in 1969 and was registered in 1972. The original incorporation was as Ajmer Laghu Udyog Sangh. The word "Zila" was added subsequently to signify its presence in whole of Ajmer District of Rajasthan.

The main objective of the Sangh is to help its members in efficient running of their enterprises.

MAIN OBJECTIVES 1. To promote the development of the Small Scale Industries, by providing a common

platform to the Small Industrial Units.

2. To foster a feeling of brotherhood and oneness amongst the Small Scale Industries and to try to remove common difficulties and also to promote better understanding amongst each other.

3. To provide facilities for exchange of information and views of interest between Small Scale Industries.

4. To co-operate with Industrial, Business, Educational and Research Institution and other organisations in the collection and exchange of information pertaining to Small Scale Industries.

5. To establish a library and build up a collection of Books, periodicals, papers, films and other audio-visual aids on Small Industries and also arrange for their distribution.

6. To organise common service facilities for its members.

7. To co-operate with other Small Industries Associations in India with the intention of reciprocation and furthering the objectives of the sangh and with this end in view,

to affiliate groups and bodies, and by getting itself affiliated to any National body, if considered necessary, and to promote, subscribe to, become member of, and co-operate with any other associations, whose objects are wholly or partly identical with, or similar to those of this Sangh.

8. To establish where-ever and when-ever necessary offices or agencies within or outside Rajasthan and appoint agents to carry out the objects mentioned herein.

9. To secure, wherever possible organised and or concerted actions and help on all

subjects involving the interests of members including the regulating and harmonizing of services condition between employers and labour.

10. To purchase, take on lease to hire, or otherwise acquire any moveable or immovable property, equipments, instruments, tools, materials, goods for general use of members, or any rights or previleges necessary or convenient forsangh.

11. To construct upon any premises acquired for the Sangh any building for the Sangh and to alter, extend or to remove any such building.

12. To obtain from Government or local authority, or nay other competent authority any license, order or concession or any other benefit to enable the Sangh to achieve its objects.

13. Generally to do all that is necessary in the interest of the realisation of the above objects of the Sangh directly or indirectly.

14. And to generally do all other things incidental to the attainment of the above objects.

GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRIES (GOVT. OF RAJASTHAN) GOTA CLUSTER STATUS REPORT, AJMER [ RAJASTHAN ] 2006-2007 There are 500 families producing gota lace which is mainly used on bridal and festival wears these laces are mainly golden and silver colour but now multi-colour laces are also made. Originally these laces were made of gold and silver wire threads in 1960 copper and aluminium wire thread was used but now plastic thread drawn from lacquered plastic sheets golden, silver and multi-colour are being used. Mostly the families were making Gota lace on Wooden Looms and Kiran Machines. In 2005 Gota Cluster was identified for development under state cluster development plan a diagnostic study was carried out at that time the income of the gota weaver was merely 100 Rs. in which the family member’s wife and children also helped him.

Most of the weavers worked on Job work basis for the traders and their wages were fixed on lace reals. 20 reals of lace of 27 meters each fetched them 18 Rs. in 2005 in 2006 the traders increased it to 22 Rs. now the NGO Jan Jagriti Shikshan Sewa Samiti was selected to carry out interventions. The weavers were socially, financially backward banks were not giving them loans as their fore fathers were bank defaulters or they were unable to prepare project reports and complete bank formalities.

The trader exploited them they had no choice but to work for the trader at their terms and conditions as they did not know the market outside Ajmer. Actual work for the upliftment of these Gota Weaver started in Feb,2007. Motivation Camps, Follow-upCamps, Self Help Group Formation was the first programme under taken by the NGO in the first year 16 SHG of 300 weavers were formed. Technical upgradation, Skill upgradation and Design Development was undertaken. Advance technology machines Needle Loom, Crochet Machines, Dhobhi Looms were introduced and training was given to the weavers through IICD, INIFD and Master Craftman like Devilal and Designer of Delhi Mr. Hari Singh. Many Exposure Visits were organized and groups of 20 artisans were sent to Surat, Mumbai, Chennai, Salem, Delhi, Rampur, Indore, Ratlam, Kolkatta, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Nayala. Where

the weavers had the opportunity with trader of these cities. Collected information of Raw Material Suppliers. One Exposure Visit to Ahemabad, surat and Mumbai of exclusive ladies was organized to boost their moral. The NGO helped these groups in Marketing by arranging their participation in trade fairs at different places like Cluster Creation, Jaipur, Jaipur Hatt Bazar, GTE, Bangalore[International], IIFT, New Delhi, FICCI, Mumbai, Magical Creation, Jaipur, Pushkar Trade Fair, Crafe India, GTE,New Delhi, Cluster Creation , Jodhpur, Ajaymeru Trade Fair etc. On the suggestion of Shri S. Nath then G.M. DIC Commissioner Industries permitted the NGO to form Raw Material Bank which is supporting weavers for short term needs of the one month in some case extended upto three months’ duration.

About 60 weavers have been provided with C.C. limit and Credit Cards of 25,000 Rs. which has helped them in doing their own marketing. The NGO has taken Tin No. through which many weavers who do not have their own Tin No do marketing using the bill of Artisan Assistance Center. NGO has undertaken many more activities for strengthening of the weavers loke Producer Consumer Meets. Machine suppliers, Raw material suppliers and Gota weaver meet, Export Seminar has been organized.

Live Demo of Ahmadabad made and China made niddle looms was also arranged for 4 days after which have been installed a Gota , Zari, Lace Directory of Weavers and Manufacturers of Gota lace, Raw material suppliers, Machine suppliers and Exporters has been printed for marketing broachers, Pamphlets stickers and hoarding have been used for publicity. A land of 22,400 meters has been set apart for C.F.C and work Cum Residential Sheds for gota weavers. After two years of hard work , now 32 SHG have been formed and a Producer Company [S.P.V.] is under way in which weavers will have shares and will be run with the help of NGO and DIC in the initial years ultimately DIC will allow them work independently this C.F.C will eater their needs of Raw material, Design, Training manufacturing, Marketing and NGO will give them support as long as the Cluster wishes.

The Weaver whose income was Rs. 3,000/- per month now in general are earning Rs. 8,000/- to 10,000/- per month. The traders because of the formation of SHG and marketing through Artisan Assistance Center and NGO by the weavers have raised the job work rates from Rs. 22/- to Rs. 65/- of 20 reels of Gota lace each 27 meters length. Still lot more has to be done the making of SPV , CFC , Marketing outlet , Work shed and New Technology which is expected to be done in the fourth year.

PRESENT STATUS GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES , OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONER (MSME), DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (MSE-CDP) APPROVED CLUSTER UNDER MSE-CDP BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA FOR SOFT INTERVENTION: GOTA LOOM CLUSTER, AJMER Present status of the cluster: - The cluster has been identified under MSE-CDP scheme and the DSR has already been submitted by the cluster stake holders in the year 2011- 12 to the state government. SPV had already been formed. DPR has been prepared and submitted to Govt. of India for setting up of CFC is under process.

The proposal for setting up of Common Facility Centre (CFC) in Gota Zari Lace Cluster, Ajmer, Rajasthan was granted approval in the 38th Steering Committee Meeting of MSE-CDP held on 28.07.2015 at a total project cost of Rs. 241.38 lakh including GoI grant of Rs. 217.24 lakh and SPV contribution of Rs. 24.14 lakh. The cost of machinery in this proposal is Rs. 205.06 lakh.

Justification for CFC Most of Gota lace units are operating on small scale, it is difficult for them to individually manage the quality of finished product they do not have testing facility, marketing is mostly done local, and thus they are not able to effectively utilise their full capacity. Raw material availability is one big problem the production and supplies entirely controlled by big traders and manufactures. To protect the interest of the weaver’s production of raw material at CFC level is must. Raw material manufacturing unit with slitting facility. A dyeing unit, Training cum production centre, design research centre, marketing outlet will be the part of CFC & will meet all the requirement of the cluster from A to Z.

After the commencement of the CFC the cluster units will get quality raw material at control rates designs & use of latest technology m/cs will increase the qualityof the production.

Modern packaging will enhance the rates of the product, common marketing will reduce their marketing cost and enable them to reach all corners of India.

The total production of the cluster is expected to rise to 15000 Kg. worth Rs. 62.50 Crore export to middle East Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Serya, Pakistan and Bangladesh is expected.

As the no. of families working as gota weavers is limited further increase in direct employment will be limited but indirect employment because of increase in production will increase upto 25%.

At present there are 34 members who posses 200 traditional looms and 5 Faster Needle looms and Kiran Lace looms, all the members of the cluster apporx. 450 Families will be benefited through this CFC, 60% of the install capacitywill be utilized by the members of the CFC.

APPROACH TO THE CRAFT

The Gota colony is based on the gota craft families from the generation by generation migrated from south India. The cluster have went through lots of ups and downs but the craft still practised. They are involved in this profession throughout the year for their livelihood.

All the families from colony are engaged directly or indirectly with this craft.

The Gota work is not only limited to the men but also includes the women and children. By evolving children to the work they pass their working tradition generation by generation. Earlier the artisans use to sell their products in the nearby towns and villages But still some of family selling their work through middle man due to lack of nance and opportunities.

One side where, other cluster of country are day by day getting better technological development, communication and recognition by help of government, NGO's, electronic and print media but on the other side this cluster has not have access of these facilities for some.

More or less the Gota colony has schools both private and government till higher secondary and also has multiple Banks which they take loan from and Post office near by, it has well maintained roads, water and electricity. The colony was quite well known due to the previous reports and clusters which were engaged quite actively.

METHODOLOGY AND TYPOLOGY

The study was undertaken at the Gota colony in Ajmer District of Rajasthan state. The primary data was collected from artisans through personal interview, observation and had participatory and non-participant type of research . The source of secondary data was government websites , internet, newspapers.

• Perception of structured schedule used as an instrument for gathering information.

• Conduction of interview of artisans at Gota colony.

• SWOT Analysis .

• Analysis of the information.

1. Location : Gota Colony, Ajmer District(Rajasthan) 2. Products : Simple tape , Slim Gota laces, Laquered gota laces, metallic yarn, zari threads, sequence sitara, badla and other new variations which they designed themselves.

3. Tools : Needle, Thread, Scissors, Ari-Hook, Wooden Frame 4. Major Strength : High end domestic markets, skilled artisans, family business 5. Major Problems : Exporters/ Retailers get more profit where artisans gets less money and reworks for quality problems, unorganized sector.

The work is carried out by artisans as household activity or within groups in guidance of senior craft mans. Generally a piece rate system is used which depends on design patterns, time required in each appliqué garments. The learning of skill is survived with families. The tradesman's controls this craft, while artisans is mainly paid on job work basis, they are focusing more on the self sufficiency by using the new available technology and resources. The Financial conditions of artisans are not sound. There is intense competition among producers due to low margin. From 2007 onward, the intervention of self help groups that organised training camps for skilled up gradation and design development resulted in improvement of financial conditions in this cluster. In 2005, It was recognised as state government cluster.

TYPOLOGY

Based on materials Gota is classified into two categories, Imitation Gota and Plastic Gota, further which can be subdivided on the basis of design, colour, width, and region.

1. Imitation Gota is traditional form of gota made by Handlooms and now with powerlooms using silk as vertical binder in the process of knitting. Gota was an important element of suhagan in Rajasthan region, hence Gold and silver was used as a material, in 1962 copper gota became popular as told by a master craftsman Vishwanath . Due to limitation of colours emboss machine is used adding further details, design and aesthetic to imitation Gota as adding additional colour on gota patti will make it fall under category of lace.

Copper or silver gota goes through the process of electroplating for various shades such as antique, gold, dull brass, anti silver, copper oxide etc, this process use cyanide which is toxic to human body during the process of tanai for adding two strings workers use their saliva which touches their lower part of their lip and tongue and their taste buds are damaged.

2. Plastic Gota 1992 markets and opportunities were increased rapidly, and 2009-2014 was the boom time for this craft. As name says Plastic Gota totally made of plastic ,made on powerlooms or “faster” imported machines which is 10 times more productive than powerloom after plastic is main element in its composition emboss machine however is not effective alone hence its used with a heating device in majority of the cases steam iron was kept near the emboss machine which heated the gota and imprinted it with the design .

Plastic gota was mass produced because of its economic value as it was five time cheaper than imitation gota hence its in high demand as many famous designers such as anita dongre have used it in their designs.

Based on sizes numbers are allotted to different sizes ranging from 4.no(¼’) 6.no(½”) 7.no(¾”) 8.no(1”) mentioned sizes are commonly used sizes which are frequently made available in market by manufactures .Colours and shades have also gave them generic names such as sunehri,chamak patti,ganga jamni,etc.

STUDY OF THE CRAFT Since India has rich cultural heritage most of which are reflected in costume and embroideries of various region of the country. Rajasthan is the colourful belt of western India and ornamentation of gold and silver metal embroidery on the clothing represents opulence, power and dignity (Chattopadhyay, K. 1975). It is an ancient craft, which has changed over time to reflect the prevailing social, cultural and sometimes even the political mood of the times. It has a rich heritage of different types of embroideries i.e. Zardozi, Gota work, Danke-ka-kaam, Mukke-ka-kaam and Aari tari (Byadgi, S. 2009). The importance of this sector lies in fact that there is enormous scope and employment potential. This study is mainly focused on the Gota craftwork in the Gota colony of Ajmer District. There is great demand of this craft in India and abroad, there is need to pay attention to sustain and further improve this craft. It has also become necessity todocument the heritage of craft of Gota of Ajmer to create more awareness about lesser known craft which will be of greater cultural significance (Ranjan, A., & Ranjan, M. P.2007). There is not much information about this particular type of craft done in the gota colony. To fill such gap the present study was taken up.

An effort was made to explore and preserve this cultural tradition of craft through documentation of the types of embroideries and exploring tools and techniques used in this embroidery of Ajmer. The documentation of motifs are very essential and it will serve as a guide to craftsmen, as they embody the genius of indigenous talent perfectly synthesized from time to time to new cultural impacts, such development go hand in hand to with the introduction of new technological developments introduced to furtherenhance the appeal of the craft to more avenues and larger market.

Through documentation, this collective variety of embroidery will be accessible to designers, artisans, researchers and students. It can also involve conserving a way of life and attitudes in addition to a set of techniques passed down through the generations. Documenting a cultural heritage linked with a craft is directly related to the preservation of traditional art (Tyabji, L. 2005).

Historical database always serve as an indication of original form of any craft and provides better insight. It provides an inspiration for modification and innovation in present and continuity to future. Most Indian crafts are still practising the traditional style but some of our crafts need modern design inputs to increase quality and utility.New breed of machines from China are imported due to the similarity of the embroidery styles.

With the introduction of the new machines the craft work became more efficient but the increase of electricity consumption became more problematic due to the heavy motors used. Simple yet modern designs can help rural artisans in finding new buyers and better profit margins. Motifs were collected of traditional designs of different types of embroidery and created contemporary designs to suit the consumer needs for the present market demand. Embroideries are used exclusively to create products as per the demand but have not been used in combination of all embroideries (Kaur, D. & Gandotra V. 2012). The new designs developed in the present study are combination of different materials mostly the raw materials brought from Jaipur due to the industry location and the affordability in bulk.

The study further noticed the situation of women and child development and nourishment. They needed to be empowered through skill development to enable them to improve their status in society which is possible by making them economically independent. By gaining the knowledge and skill performance in embroidery it will generate employment opportunities and source of income for them. Value addition of the product with the help of embroidery would help women to start their work, earn money, and improve their livelihood. although it was noticed that women also had an active participation in the work, the whole households involvement was seen.

With research evidences related to Gota work (Luniya and Bhalla, 2012), Not many studies have been undertaken related to documentation of motifs of embroidery, socioeconomic conditions of the artisans, tools and techniques used in this embroidery, contemporisation of motifs and product development through combination of two metal embroideries and training women for skill development.

TYPES OF GOTA

Gota work was patronised by the Mughals and spread to the courts of Jaipurand Jodhpur. The embroiderers of Jaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur and Kota are world famous for their uniquely styled gota work and the tradition continues today.

Gota is a band of gold or silver ribbon of that varies with width, woven in a satin weave. Gota work is very intricate. In real Gota, silver & gold metals are used. But in routine, the base metal is copper, coated by silver etc. Now the copper has been replaced by polyester film which is metalized and coated as per requirements.

This has resulted in better quality at lower cost. This plastic Gota has good resistance to moisture and does not tarnish as compared to metal based Gota.

In recent years pure yarns are replaced by synthetic yarns. The colors commonly used were red, orange, pink, magenta, maroon and yellow which are nowadays available in all possible shades as per the customer demand. Various types of gotta are Sikhiya gotta, Phool, Mothda, Bakhandi, Chaumasa, Panchmasa, Athmasa, Lappa, Thappa, Gokhru, Lehru Gotta, Nakshi, Bijbel, Bijiya, Chiru, Kiran, Chatai and Chip gotta.

THE PROCESS OF GOTA MAKING

MAKING OF WIRE|

badla

Traditionally raw material comprised of a yarn of silver polished with gold and passed under 10 calendars to make it into fine strand called "Kasab" and further drawn under a calendar to give it a flattened effect known as "Badla". Badla is prepared by mixing 100 grams of silver 10 grams of gold, hammering the mixture into thin sheets and cutting into very fine strips. Now, generally the base metal is copper that can be coated by silver or gold.

THREAD TENSION BEING MAINTAINED HERE

CHAPTAI / COPPER CONFORMING PROCESS

Earlier 50 kgs of unpolished pure lacchi was transported from Surat. The process of electroplating, locally known as rangaai, was carried out at the loom clusters itself. The electroplating was done and a layer of brass was deposited on the copper wire by using electric current. Through this process, the brass plated copper wire developed a shine and was rust resistent. However, the process had its limitations in terms of safety and time consumption.

As per orders, still few people prefer gold and silver gota, often the copper wire is plated with gold and silver. 3-4gms of silver is plated over 1kg of copper wire.

40 gauge brass plated copper wires are directly bought from Surat.

Also, few manufacturers still use 16 gauge copper wire which is processed in a dye and converted into a 32, 40, 42 gauge wire as per the requirement.

This copper wire of fixed gauge is fed into the copper conforming machine/ chappad machine. During CHAPTAI, the process, the copper wire gets converted into usable copper gota yarn for the weaving process.

The copper wire runs through a vertical edge double roller, made up of High carbon steel (AIR STEEL), where it gets flattened and in-turn gets winded onto a spool, ready to be used in the loom. The process is known as conform extrusion process.

To maintain the thread tension, the yarn is being guided by the artisan, who uses a thick cloth, here a sack.

From 40 gauge of copper metal wire of 1kg , 3 spool of flattened copper gota yarn are obtained.

WARPING

WARPING |

tnaยก

BOBBIN TO WARP BEAM The artisan uses a method of hand spinning with spindles. Where the processed badla is held by hand at a slight angle to provide appropriate tension and when the wheel is slowly moved in circular manner the badla gets unwinded from the bobbins and gets winded on the warp beam, which can further be taken on a handloom or a power loom to create gota lace. Spinning is done on different speeds based on the badla varieties and the width varying from 1/4 inches to 6 inches and artisans expertise. The process of warping is known as tanai.

Creel Winding gota into a warp to be used on the loom

Artisan holding gota thread at slight angle for appropriate tension

RAW MATERIALS The basic raw materials for weaving include, the weaving machine, powerloom here. The gota thread ( badla ) as warp thread , tyre coat resham as weft thread. Small bobbins ( prins / gitti ) placed inside a shuttle, heddle (a looped wire or with an eye in the centre through which badla is passed in a loom before going through the reed to control its movement and divide the threads), reed beater ( to push the weft yarn towards the previous weaved yarn ), scissors and cutting instruments, needle.

WEAVING

Denting

Drafting

Loom

Tensioning

WEAVING In the process, the lengthwise yarns, warp are gota threads, badla itself. The crosswise yarns, weft are the resham threads.

The warp beam is loaded onto the loom and then starts the process of drawing in draft.

Before the beem is mounted onto the loom, each end is threaded through a held eye and a reed. Reed is a comb like structure with small dents in it from which gota threads are passed.

Weft process starts with the selection of thread, resham here, then placing the bobbins on wooden shuttles. The resham yarn loaded Shuttle is moved between the badla, warp yarns which makes the weaving process, appear. The badla are held by heddles in the loom. Alternate badla is picked up by one heddle and rest of the other badla yarn is held by other heddles. The movement of the pedals moves two heddles up and down which makes the badla into two parts and opens a small passage every time the pedaling is done, here automated peddling is done. That passage is where the shuttle is moved from right to left and left to right correspondingly. Thus the resham yarn is weaved and interlaced between the alternate badla. Once the shuttle is moved the resham yarn is tightened and pushed towards the previous weaved yarn with the help of reed beater. Its a repetitive process.

The badla is held under high tension during the entire process of weaving through use of weights and even stones in many cases. The filling yarns (weft) experience less strain during the weaving process. All these movements should occur in correspondence in order to acquire the smooth flowing of weaving process. The woven gota lace is collected on a roll known as cloth roll. That is later transferred onto reels.

EMBOSSING

Two types of embossing processes are used based on the application of heat and pressure. The appropriate thickness of gota ribbon is passed through compact rollers. One roller has the embossed pattern to be transferred onto the gota. So as the gota passes through the rollers, pattern is embossed onto the gota.

The two process vary in terms of heat applied, to set the embossed pattern onto the gota, the heat set process for embossing pattern is used for plastic gota.

Steam press is used as a heat source most of the times for good impression onto the gota.

ARTISAN'S PROFILE

NAME

AGE

DESIGNATION

EXPERIENCE

VISHWANATH

72

OWNER

SINCE CHILDHOOD

KAMAL SINGH

65

CO-OWNER

SINCE CHILDHOOD

ASHISH ALI

27

WORKER

10 years

IMRAN ANSARI

33

WORKER

7 years

SAMPATH SINGH

23

WORKER

5 years

MANISH

18

WORKER

6-7 years

HEMLATA

46

MANAGER

30 years

SHAM SUNDAR

36

WORKER

SINCE CHILDHOOD

LAXMI

75

OWNER

SINCE CHILDHOOD

SURESH

52

WORKER

SINCE CHILDHOOD

KUSHER AHMED

68

WORKER

40 years

RENUKA

34

OWNER

SINCE CHILDHOOD

RAVINDER

16

WORKER

1 month

SHAUNI BAI

73

CO-OWNER

17-18 years

KANTA

25

CO-OWNER

6 years

DEVINDRA SHARMA

28

WORKER

14-15 years

KANHAIYA LAL

47

OWNER

20 years

PRADEEP

22

WORKER

12-13 years

PRADEEP ''Abhi ke liye job theek hai par aage jaake import export ka kaam karunga'' Pradeep is 21 years old, pursuing IT engineering and is currently in 2nd year of college. He aspires to a have a career in import and export once he is done with his graduation. He works under Kanhaiya Lal and earns rupees 7000 a month. The owner of this factory has the latest machine which is fully automatic and has been imported from China for 3 lakh rupees. Pradeep said that the demand for gota work is high for a very limited period of time i,e. during the festivals of raksha bandhan, Diwali and during the shaadi (marriage) season.

He lives in a family of 5 members, who are originally from Madras and he does not like to ask for money from his father for his education and daily expenses. That was the reason he started working under Kanhaiya Lal. Pradeep told us that the material that comes from China is not durable and the threads come out very easily.On the other hand, handmade gota work stays intact, but is so hectic and time consuming that hardly anyone practices it today.

He is not satisfied with the monetary returns as gota only comprises for 5% of the market share and lace work dominates the market. He would not like his future generations to be in this profession as it is a full-time work which requires a lot of hard work but the returns are extremely low.

MANISH Manish is 18 years old and works under Hemlata. He has been doing gota work for seven years and has been taught this art by the owner of the factory. He is persuing B.A honors and is in 1st year of college.He aspires to do something other than working in gota factory after he finishes his graduation. Manish has 10 members in his family, with three brothers all working in gota factories. Unlike other people in gota colony Manish feels that there is scope in the future for the gota industry to grow.

Manish tells us that handmade gota work is minute and intricate but takes a lot of time, so the demand is higher for machine made gota. There are different types of gota according to the thickness or width of the gota work. He also adds that for this season demand for copper gota is higher than the demand for velvet gota work. The factory that he is working in does not have proper waste disposal.

Here, either the waste is burnt or utilized in making other fancy things.

SHAM SUNDAR Sham Sundar is a resident of gota colony and has learnt the art of gota making from his ancestors who migrated to Ajmer from Madras. He is an expert in making chakri ka phool(flower shaped gota), star shaped gota and beeja ( gota made from silver threads).

According to Sham Sundar, earlier there were only 10-15 families in the gota colony but now there are more than 500 families. With increase in demand more and more people started indulging in this practice and over the years the size of gota loom became larger.

He has no online presence and sells his materials through traders only.

The local market is highly competitive and people copy designs very frequently and that is why he avoids the local market for selling his products. The machine that he is working with had cost him 25,000 rupees when he purchased it but now the same machine costs 50,000 rupees.

Sham Sundar is not very keen on letting his future generation continue this art as it is almost totally replaced by lace work and also gota making required a lot of effort but the returns are negligible.

HEMLATA A resident of the Gota colony and a mother to a beautiful adopted baby girl Pankhiri. Hemlata ji is 46 years old and has been is practicing the art of Gota since her teenage. She used to be a teacher at a government school and left her job to help her husband in their family business of Gota. She was never pressurized to leave her job as a teacher to join the business, rather it was her own choice to help her husband. She has immense support from her family and is allowed to choose whatever career she wants to pursue. she was a teacher before her marriage and used to practice Gota as well in her spare time. She learnt the nuances of Gota work very well and now enjoys working in the factory. She would love to see her daughter learn this art and take this family business forward.

VISHWANATH Vishwanath ji’s house was the first one that we visited, filled with heaps of packed gota ready for the market. Vishwanath ji was very friendly and keen to share his knowledge and experience of gota making. Gota has been a profession in his family for generations and the gota loom he owns is about 100 years old. He imports raw materials from China for gota making.

Vishwanath Ji lives in a joint family of 8 members with his wife, two sons and 5 grandchildren. He has two daughters who are married, one of his daughters Renuka lives in the gota colony and has a gota factory of her own. Renuka established herfactory the previous year with her husband’s support.

Majority of the people working in Renuka’s factory are females.

Vishwanath ji is perhaps the only one in the gota colony to have a recyclable unit wherein all the left bits and piece of the gota are collected in bags and sent to Ahmedabad where it is again processed to be used as threads for gota making.

SHAUNI BAI “Dhanda toh karna hi padhta hai chahe paise kam kyun na ho “ Shauni Bai is a resident of the Gota Colony in Foysagar, Ajmer. The factory in which she works is owned by her son. Her son learned the techniques of gota making by working in various factories for 17 to 18 years, before he couldestablish his own factory. Shauni Bai learned the art of gota making from her son and works in his factory ever since it was established. She is 75 years old and does not like spending the whole day working in the factory. She adds “Dhanta toh karna hi padhta hai chahe paise kam kyun na ho, varna do waqth ki roti bhi naseeb nahi hogi “ She gave one of her grandson for adoption and said that they did not have enough resources to manage such a huge family.

The local market is highly competitive and there is hardly any profit margin for them. So they stay away from the local market and sell their products through traders only.

CRAFT OPPORTUNITIES Before 2006, The weavers were socially, financially backwards. Then NGO Jan Jagriti Shikshan Sewa Samiti was selected to carry out interventions and to help them prepare project reports and complete bank formalities for loan. Actual work for the upliftment of these Gota Weaver started in Feb,2007. The two major Associations in this cluster are Gota Mazdoor Sangh and Zari Udyog Sangh which runs for the wellfare of the craftsmen.

STRENGTHENING OF THE CRAFT • Motivation Camps, Follow-up Camps, Self Help Group Formation was the first programme under taken. SHG of 300 weavers were formed and Technical upgradation, Skill upgradation and Design Development was undertaken.

• Advance technology machines Needle Loom, Crochet Machines, Dhobhi Looms were introduced and training was given to the weavers through IICD (Indian Institute of Craft and Design, Jaipur) , INIFD (Inter National Institute Of Fashion Design - Ajmer) and Master Craftsman like Devilal and Designer of Delhi Mr. Hari Singh.

• Many Exposure Visits were organized and groups of 20 artisan were sent to Surat, Mumbai, Chennai, Salem, Delhi ,Rampur, Indore, Ratlam, Kolkatta, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Nayala where the weavers had the opportunity with trader of these cities.

• The NGO helped these groups in Marketing by arranging their participation in trade fairs at different places like Cluster Creation,Jaipur, Jaipur Hatt Bazar, GTE, Bangalore[International], IIFT, New Delhi, FICCI, Mumbai, Megical Creation, Jaipur, Pushkar Trade Fair, Crafe India, GTE,New Delhi, Cluster Creation , Jodhpur, Ajaymeru Trade Fair etc.

• Through various initiatives the Weaver’s whose income was Rs. 3,000/- per month now in general are earning Rs. 8,000/- to 10,000/- per month.