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CHARMKARS THE LEGACY OF KOLHAPURI CHAPPALS
CHARMKARS THE LEGACY OF KOLHAPURI CHAPPALS
EDITOR’S NOTE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This book would not have been possible without the contributions of a number of people. We would like to start by thanking the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai for giving us the opportunity to explore this craft by giving us this interesting project. Our gratitude also goes out to our mentors, Mrs. Susmita Das and Mrs. Sonali Saldana. This project would have been impossible without their guidance and support. We are most thankful to the highly skilled karigars of the craft. They took out time to share their talents with us. Without who’s help, this book would not have existed.
Since decades Kolhapuri Chappals have been a quintessential part of the Indian culture. We’ve grown up seeing our elders adorning these beautiful handcrafted pieces. Despite its constant presence, the true value of the craft has never been noticed by not only us but all those around us. Our visit to Kolhapur was a culmination of varied experiences; from basking in the spiritual glow of the Mahalaxmi temple, to never running out of new dishes to try, and always ending up shopping. The process of making this book opened our eyes to the immense skill and effort that goes into making Kolhapuri Chappals. The karigars dedicate all day and everything they have to making them. Despite their hectic schedules, the craftsmen welcomed us into their lives. We were strangers but it didn’t take long to feel right at home as they involved us in their lifestyle; making us meet their families, taking us for authentic Maharashtrian breakfast, we even played gali cricket with the kids of the locality. This experience made us appreciate the simplicity of life, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of cities. We discovered a whole new side of Kolhapur, a beautiful city and has since earned a special place in all our hearts. This book has been a labour of love where we journeyed through Kolhapur and gained a number of experiences. Join us on this journey with an open mind and an open heart as we explore the intricacies of Kolhapur and its leather industry.
-Hitanshi Kamdar and Rasika Marathe
- CONTENT1. About Kolhapur 2. Crafts of Kolhapur 3. Kolhapur Leather Craft 3.1. Kolhapuri Chappal 3.2. Process of making a chappal 4. LIDCOM 4.1 Development Corporation 4.2 LIDCM 4.3 NSFDC 5. Epilogue
The king of cities, Kolhapur The crown jewel, Kolhapur
The tang of misal, Kolhapur
The flavour of mutton, Kolhapur The land of kushti , Kolhapur
The strenght of pehelwan, Kolhapur
The land of abundance, my Kolhapur
KolhapurKolhapur is a beautiful city located in the south west region of Maharashtra in India. The journey from Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus to our hotel right in the centre of the city was quite interesting.The streets were very developed and could rival any big cities streets. Located in the heart of the city is Devi Mahalaxmi’s temple where most of the bustle is locate with the major markets all nearby. The temple is famous for its wellknown South-Indian Architecture. The Mahalakshmi Temple is one of the Shakti Peethas also called Dakshin Kashi,listed in various puranas of Hinduism. Religiously, a Shakti Peetha is a place associated with Shakti, the goddess of power. The Kolhapur peetha is of specialreligious significance, being one of the six places where it is believed one can either obtain salvation from desires or have them fulfilled. The temple takes its name from Mahalakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, and it is
believed that the divine couple reside in this area. It was originally built by king Karndev of the Kannada Chalukya empire, and mayhave been first built in 700 AD. Mounted on a stone platform, the image of the four armed and crowned goddess is made of gemstone. It is believed that resides in the form of Mahalakshmi at Kolhapur. Kolhasura, a demon that tormented the Gods and other beings, was destroyed by Mahalakshmi here at Karavira, and that spot of his death became a thirtha and then she took abode here in a shrine which constitutes the temple today. Incidentally it was said to be the demon’s dying wish that, the city be named after him. Built around a story so old steeped in religion and belief, it is no wonder that Kolhapur has a very serene atmosphere.
The city sits among the Sahayadri Mountains in the Western Ghats atop the bank of the Panchaganga river. The location ensures that Kolhapur has a blend of coastal and inland climate. Cooler summers and slightly warmer winters than the adjacent cities, this makes for a very pleasant climate all year round. The one issue the city faces is rainfall, which we experienced firsthand. June to September, the city experiences torrential rainfall which often causes flooding. This heavy downpour, however, does nothing to dampen the spirits of the residents who brave the forces of nature to ensure that the city never grinds to a halt. As we set about exploring the city, we found Marathi to be a very useful skill as a majority of the dwellers are Marathas along with relatively smaller communities of Gujaratis, Marwadis, Maharashtrian Jains, and Sindhis. The residents are mainly involved in the farming of cash crops like sugarcane. Other prominent
industries include metal, textiles, mining, and leather. Another field that Kolhapur prides itself on, is films. In certain circles, Kolhapur was and is still considered the capital of the Marathi film industry. Legendary personalities like Bhalaji Pendharkar, Baburao Painter and V. Shantaram started their careers from Kolhapur. It has been credited as the place where Raja Harishchandra, the first feature film ever produced in India was conceptualised. Kolhapur still plays host to many film festivals and provides location for shooting.
Among the many attractions that gets the place swarming with tourists, a majornattraction is shopping. The city’s most sold product is obviously the Kolhapuri Chappal. Little shops line the main market roads near Mahalaxmi Temple. It is difficult to walk away from these little treasure troves and we found our self control crumbling as we splurged on the gorgeous chappals.
In the short span of seven days, Kolhapur gave us a number of sights to see. A true amalgamation of the spiritual, natural, and cultural. The first chance we got, we made our way to the ever popular Rankala lake. The beautiful sunset and
pleasant weather made it a rather enjoyable evening for us. Walking along the promenade munching on corn on the cob and cotton candy was a lot of fun. Boating can also be enjoyed at the lake. We paddled around on the water for over an hour. The area around the lake usually has a couple of melas set up. An overall festive vibe surrounds the place and an evening can easily be spent there.
Another famous location is of course, Panhala Fort. Situated around 20 kms from Kollhapur, the fort is historic. Dotted with ancient fortifications and buildings that have witnessed the ups and downs of the Maratha Empire, Panhala is an enchanting hill station located at an altitude of 977.2m. It has a landscape of scenic views below it. The fresh landscapes are an ideal getaway from the urban bustle. It was built between 1178 and 1209 AD and is the largest of all Deccan forts. We spent the entire day exploring the fort and its surrounding areas. Other interesting things to see around the city include a rare chance to get a glimpse of jaggery being prepared from sugarcane juice during the harvesting season (OctoberJanuary) at gurals at nearby sugarcane fields. You can also enjoy fresh and hot liquid jaggery with a variety of toppings. Dajipur Bison Sanctuary is another spot you must visit if you are in Kolhapur. It is situated
on the border of Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts. Rugged mountains and dense forests surround this hilly area. This quiet little place is completely cut-off from human blare. Dajipur is home to a variety of wild life such as bison, wild deer, chital, gawa and many more spectacular wild animals and birds. It is impossible to talk about Kolhapur without mentioning its absolutely delectable cuisine. Our taste buds were treated to the best Maharastrian cuisine in this city. The best meal was undoubtedly the misal pav that a Kolhapuri chappal craftsman introduced us to at a local restaurant. The spicy misal was an absolute delight. Another unforgettable meal was the hot batata vada we had with a torrential downpour of rain all around us. The Tambada Rassa and Pandhara Rassa, are absolutely unmissable. Tambada Rassa is a mutton soup generally hot and spicy, red in colour, while Pandhara Rassa is Mutton soup prepared by using white coconut milk and hot spices without chilly.
Crafts of KolhapurKolhapur, is truly a beautiful city with a deeply ingrained culture. This has led to it becoming a centre for a plethora of crafts that are beguilingly gorgeous. The craftsmen residing in this city have a wide gamut of skills they can boast of. Our main purpose of visiting this city was to explore and understand the popular craft of Kolhapuri Chappal making. The craft named after the city is indeed an interesting one that intrigued us all. They are renowned worldwide for their special features.The chappals are made from pure leather and are completely handcrafted. It is an ancestral craft that has years of history engraved into it.
While exploring the place we stumbled across one other craft on the way to Panhala Fort that captured our eyes in an instant. On the side of a small road was a huge pile of seemingly ordinary rubble. It was only upon close inspection that we saw perfectly carved statues of gray stone shining through it. Stone carving is not the craft we went there to learn about, but it was a pleasant discovery nonetheless. The two sites we stopped at were owned by the same man, Bajirao Moore. While we didn’t get a chance to talk to him, we did get to talk to the craftsmen working for him. Stone carving as it turns out, is mostly based in the city itself. The raw material as well as the labour is locally sourced. The products however, are sold in most major cities. These units mostly dabbled in idol making of religious statues and also small animal carvings. One artisan we spoke to, who identified himself as Ajit, confided in us that it was an ancestral skill as well. His father and grandfather were involved in the craft and he had joined hardly a year back. He also told us that the artisans were also often the ones who designed what they made. The products were sold at pretty sizeable range with the smallest going for Rs. 1200 while some statues being sold for as high as Rs. 20,000.
Kolhapur Leather CraftOne would assume the craft would be hidden amongst all the treasures we found in the city, but it prominently stood out amongst everything else. It is impossible to figure out the value of a craft or completely understand it without knowing where it came from. The very first day, we sat with Mr. Ravi Pawar, a craftsmen engaged in chappal making since over thirty years whose ancestry depicts years of craftsmen, to learn the story of how these little pieces of art came into existence. The first Kolhapuri Chappals in existence were made and worn in the early 13th century.
They came from Maharashtra itself. The karigars used to call them ‘Kapashi’, ‘Pie-taan’, ‘Kachkadi, ‘Bakkalnali’, and ‘Pukari’ because these were the names of the villages where the chappals were made and hand crafted. The royal family of Maharashtra ‘Saudagars’ were the first ones to discover the uniqueness of the Kolhapuri chappals and lent their patronage to nurture the craft. The Saudagars created a thinner version of the chappal, which had two flaps on either side. They named it ‘Kanwali’, which literally meant a chappal with ears! The Chappals had a little decorative fur like ball in the centre which gave it a royal and elaborate appeal.
After several years, these chappals were discovered by one of Bombay’s prominent shoe retailers J.J and Sons, who ordered 20 pairs from the Saudagar family and sold it in Bombay. Since then Kolhapuri chappals gained immense popularity, there was no turning back, and several craftsmen, who were mainly from the city of Athani in Maharashtra, mastered this art, but since the actual origin of these chappals was supposed to be kept secret, the name given to these chappals was that of Kolhapur. There are several craftsman and places in Kolhapur who are masters of this craft as well, but the actual craftsman were from.
Why the origin was supposed to be a secret, no one really knows now. But the story was intriguing nevertheless. Initially, it was the Charmkars or Chambhars, a dalit sub-caste which engaged in making these leather articles. Tanning was initially done at Bindu Chowk in the city which became the centre of the city as the city expanded and started creating problems for the residents, so the Chambhars were provided a free plot by the king outside the city because they were considered untouchables by the high class Brahmins. Because of this reason, peoples of untouchable were not only allowed to touch them but also they had to stay at a specific distance from the upper caste people.
The craft has been through a lot since it was conceived. In the pre-independence period, the Kolhapur leather industry was protected, encouraged, and had the royal blessing of Hon’ble Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. His Highness Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, in his period of his rule (1884 to 1922) paid a keen attention to the social and economic upliftment of the untouchables as well as Charmkars, who made the chappals and offered socioeconomic and moral support to them. During the 1890s, more leather products had being started made. The craft forayed in making bags for water, pakhals and lagam. By the 1920s,the Kolhapur state tanning units were running in a large number of places and tanning was done on a large scale. The use of modern technology and techniques for tanning and leather activities have increased more recently. Leather
artisan co-operative societies started coming up during the 1950s. During the year 1954, the leather industry of Kolhapur district suffered tremendous loss due to unavailability of infrastructural facilities so leather artisans initially switched out of leather into synthetics. However, a number of progressive laws adopted under the leadership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru such as laws to curb atrocities on SCs, laws giving rights to women and children, laws to ensure social justice and equality etc, proved to be beneficial for these artisans.
LIDCOM (Leather Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra) for the development of leather industry in Kolhapur district, LIDCOM (old name Sant Rohidas Charmodyog and Charmakar Vikas Mahamandal) opened its branch on 1st May 1974. LIDCOM runs several attractive schemes for the empowerment of leather industry. But in fact, the authority of the LIDCOM, branch Kolhapur does not know how to develop and perform this industry in Kolhapur district. Economic reforms and globalisation has affected whole economy last two decades. Similarly, Kolhapur leather cluster is facing several challenges in upgrading Kolhapuri Chappal quality, access to wider market, advanced skilled labour, accessing credit and adequate business infrastructure and protecting the environment. Apart from the old traditional designs of Kolhapuri Chappal, artisan units have tried out major innovations in Chappal designs and increased the export percentage to the abroad countries.
Journey of making of a chappalWith a deeper knowledge of the craft, we left the craftsmen with the promise to return bright and early the next day to see a pair being made with our own eyes. Early in the morning we left for the experience, and it truly was an unforgettable one. We entered the quiet corner outside the craftsman’s humble home that he calls his workplace. Casually steeped in the tradition that truly makes this unique handicraft invaluable, the place had a very homely vibe. He rolled out a straw mat and gave us chairs to ensure our comfort. The place was clean and he began the process by arranging the tools and materials he would require neatly. He worked with the efficiency of a man who has done this day after day for years. With a sturdy stone as his workspace, he began the process of turning sheets of goat and buffalo leather into a pair of beautiful kolhapuri chappals.
The first thing he did was grab a sharpening stone and sharpened the edges of the rapi (knife). After hammering the goat skin which is used for the top of the chappals owing to their soft quality, he traced the stencil’s outline onto it and deftly cut it with the rapi. He then cut tinier pieces which were called the kaan and would be used on the sides to attach the straps. Then the buffalo skin which is used for the heel due to its slight roughness was hammered and the shape was quickly traced onto it. Cutting the heel took added focus and precision. Usually modern craftsmen use machines for this part of the process but he learnt this from his father and grandfather. Hand cutting the heel is more precise; however it does cause back and shoulder pain.The tools were repeatedly sharpened using bees wax and a small stone.
He then got out a huge bottle filled with white liquid called solution. The solution was applied and after waiting for it to dry a while, the kaan pieces were stuck to the goat leather. The solution is a mix of various chemicals and acts as a very strong adhesive. After this, he cut squarish thick blocks of buffalo leather for the heel. These pieces are termed tapis locally. The tapis was levelled well and stuck to the buffalo leather pieces using solution. The shape of the chappals is usually reinforced after all the sticking is over. He then buffed the top of the buffalo skin to ensure the goat skin had a grip to stick to. Buffing is done using a grinder. Machines have now made the grinding process also quicker. Small pieces of goat leather were inserted in between where the arch of the foot would be for added comfort. This was followed by more solution where the goat skin sole was finally stuck to the buffalo skin heel. The pieces were hammered together using an asti (hammer). A metal compass is used to etch a border to the silhouette. He then engraved the size of the shoe by easily hammering the numbering tool into it. The chappals were then adorned with a design around the border. This is achieved through an engraving process where the tool called chaap is hammered into the leather surface leaving behind marks in the process.
Once the base was perfectly ready, toe slits were cut at a rough distance of three fingers from the top of the chappal. The edges and heel were buffed quickly using a grinder. Now the chappals were ready to be coloured their signature bright orange. The chemical colour is applied using a shoe brush. Even the heel is coloured. The dried chappal was then polished with a plain brush. The toe slits are lifted using a tocha and the toe patti is stuck using solution. The main patti is stuck in two tinier slits next to the toe and slits are made in the kaan as well. Tiny nails called tingal hold the patti in place while the craftsman stitches them in place with a kathakari. This step is usually done by the women. The nails were removed and the stitching is hammered to make it stronger. The chappals were given one final polish with a clean brush and they are ready to be worn.
LIDCOM After gathering distinctive knowledge, we decided to take the next step and visit the government corporation, Leather Industries Development Corporation of Maharashtra. The centre was located within walking distance from our craftsman’s house. A desolate and lonely building, it hardly looked like a centre for development. Sceptical, we entered to find one woman sitting alone in the big room surrounded by machines and unsold products. Introducing herself as Susheela Shakar Awle, the age worn lady told us she was free due to the absence of material which resulted in all work coming to a halt. The workers in the association earn the security of a fixed monthly income of Rs. 9500. The association provides the workers with salary as well as certain basic medical facilities irrespective of orders placed or chappals sold. The association has a similar set up like that of a factory with each artisan doing one part of the entire making process. Susheela Awle was doing the stitching and can stitch approximately 10 pairs of chappals in one day. She told us about how the association has plenty of machines but hasn’t taught the workers to use them properly and hence the chappals are still made entirely by hand.
Leather Industries Development Corporation of Maharashtra was initially formed on 1st May, 1974. Their head office is located in Mumbai with selling centres in Bandra, Vashi, Dhule, Jalgaon, Solapur and Nanded. They manufacture a number of products including safety shoes, sandals, chappals, kolhapuri chappals, fancy shoes, jungle boots, conductor cash bags, office bags, and oxford shoes. Their manufacturing centres are mainly located in Kolhapur, Dariyapur (Amravati district), Limbada (Hingoli district), and Satara. The corporation worships Sant Rohidas who is their main guru.
LIDCOM has a few policies and schemes in place to aid the fulfilment of their objectives. The corporation provides a 50% subsidy to new business ventures and a loan is also provided from national banks. Skilled technical training is provided to craftsmen wanting to learn and start new businesses. The corporation helps craftsmen get loans through the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC). A woman welfare scheme is in place to obtain loans through the NSFDC for business benefits. The women farmer scheme makes women with agricultural land on their name eligible for financial benefits with only a 5% interest on loans. The corporation also has an educational loan scheme where a loan of 10 lakhs is provided the willing craftsmen for a national level education while 20 lakhs along with an interest of only 4 % is provided for an education abroad.
EPILOGUEKolhapur Chappal Craft has a lot of potential to grow in the future in the domestic as well as the international market. The craft is facing major threats at present due to a lot of factors. There is an added competition in the entire leather market due to the emergence of multinationals and international imports. Animal activists also are a hurdle that the craft must overcome. The traditional use of animal leather is not ideal for the current politically correct climate. Another major threat is the artisan’s refusal to learn and adapt to new technological developments. this reduces their efficiency and makes them lag in the market. The craft is also facing a steady decline due to a lack of innovation. The artisans only focus on the chappals and that does not help the craft’s relevance.
One change the artisans could make is innovation. Experimenting and branching out into other products will not only increase their target audience but will also capture the audience’s attention in a whole new way. A few products that we feel would be a great addition would be belts, bags including but not limited to wallets, sling bags, and laptop sleeves. A whole range of accessories could be introduced as well, such as jewellery like earrings and chokers, or watch straps and even clip on bow ties. Another untapped market is stationery. Leather covered books and journals and even passport covers with traditional designs are very appealing to a whole range of young audiences who look for minimal ways to add the Indian culture to their aesthetic. The craft needs encouragement and support now more than ever. The younger generations need to find their way back to their roots and embrace the beauty of classic crafts. The day we stand together and with the craftsmen, is the day Kolhapuri Chappal making will truly flourish.