|
The Indian pavilion at the Global Village is always colourful, but this year it has a particularly bright addition in the stall of Chamanlal.
Dressed in a traditional dhoti and a colourful Rajasthani turban, Chamanlal is a wonderful ambassador for his desert state and for Indian craftsmanship.
Displayed in his stall is a range of beautiful and very colourful items such as puppets in traditional Rajasthani costumes, decorative bells, wall hangings, "torans" for doorways, traditional musical instruments such as the "dholak", "dafli" and flute, and a variety of stuffed animals such as camels and elephants.
Family affair
Every article is handmade from scratch by Chamanlal and his family. "This art has been passed down to me from my forefathers, and my sons and daughters continue the tradition. We are proud of our artistic heritage and will never let it die," he said. Chamanlal has been to many fairs in India and abroad, but it is his first time at the Global Village. He is extremely happy with the response. "I am thrilled that people from so many countries come to see my creations and appreciate them," he says.
The villager is very much a "people person" and enjoys interacting with visitors. He loves to do puppet shows for them and is ever-willing to give demonstrations of his art.
"Each of these items takes us hours of team work to make. For instance the puppets are carved from wood and the faces are then painted by hand. My wife dyes the textiles herself and embroiders them for the clothes. Each pair of puppets is dressed in a different way that represents the traditional dress in different communities of Rajasthan. My wife and my daughter have spent many hours stitching on the gold ‘gota' and sequins on the dress of this ‘king and queen pair'," he said.
Always make more
Sales at his stall have been brisk but Chamanlal is not worried about running out of stock. "I have brought along plenty of raw materials and will make some more things for the stall. Without help from my family it will take longer than it usually does, but it will give me a chance to demonstrate my art to an international audience," he said.
"I come from a desert area and feel quite at home in Dubai. I am grateful to the organisers of the Indian pavilion for inviting me to Dubai and would love to come again next year," he added.
|
