Shopping in India

India's Handicrafts, characteristically like her other arts, are products of her culture. Rooted in her past, they have evolved through the ages, assimilating new strains, and blending them into newer and better forms.

Handed down the generations, the Indian craftsman has acquired a skill and mastery over his subject which in this machine age is not so well appreciated. Their originality, sentiment and poetry is lost on most of us. Yet, true to his grain, submitting himself to the vital impulse to create, he has been creating things of beauty.

Attention to Detail

So much labour and attention to detail go in the making of every article that they come out with the impress of originality, unique and individual, hard to be copied, a joy alike to the maker, the possessor and the beholder.

Next in importance only to agriculture, the manufacture of textiles has been the chief occupation of the Indian villager. From time immemorial it has provided him with a subsidiary income. He produced not only to clothe his fellow men but also to meet the requirements of the inhabitants of far off countries; as far west as Greece and Rome; as far east as Indonesia.

Deceiving Even the Search of Gods!

India is regarded as the birthplace of cotton manufacture, and the craftsmen had attained such perfection in the art that the Indian muslin and chintz “whose texture e'en the search of gods deceive, Fine as the filmy webs the spider weaves” the rage of fashionable ladies in the courts of the Roman Emperors.

Their careful weave and planned precision produce strange and magical effects, endless surprises. Indian Textiles offer an infinite variety; brilliant, bold, gay; in cotton, silk, wool, lace and brocade, to suit every occasion. In Indian Textiles you find your dreams, however fantastic, taken shape.

Saris: Your Entire Wardrobe, In a Suitcase

Time without count Indian women have draped themselves in a sari and a choli (short blouse). You will see proof of this in the paintings of mythological figures in any picture gallery. It is universally acknowledged the most graceful of feminine dress.

Saris usually are six yards long and forty-eight inches wide. They are made in several centres in India, and come in such bewildering varieties of colour and design that it is difficult to say which is superior to the other; yet, they can be equally well adapted to any dress of your liking.

The gauze, the newest in Banaras textiles, promises to revolutionise concepts in ladies’ dress material. Light as gossamer, vibrant to the touch, and of inconceivable richness, it comes in pleasing shades. It can be worn as a sari or converted to any use. Saris are the best buys in India. You can carry in a suitcase your entire wardrobe, to last a lifetime; and never regret it either, for they never go out of fashion.

Silk With Woven Threads of Gold & Silver

Brocades are the finest hand loom products of India. They consist of many kinds of gold and silver threads woven on a silk background. They are beautiful beyond words, of dazzling colours and delicacy of form.

The art of printing and dyeing is as old as the textile industry itself. There has been a resurgence of this art in recent years. New colour combinations and designs have brought about revolutionary changes in prints. They have no equal in machine-made products; neither in durability nor in quality nor in the boldness of the motifs, and the colours are fast!

There is no limit to the uses these prints could be put to. They can be used as wall hangings, curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths or mats. They are of convenient width to accommodate into dresses for informal wear.

Carpets: Adding Gracefulness to a Room

Carpets are like drapery over a woman. A skilful use of carpets can enhance the gracefulness of a room. Nothing can furnish dignity to a home like a carpet can. Carpet manufacture is an individualised process, involving much labour and expense.

The designs vary according to the locality in which they are made. For example, in the ones from Kashmir, patterns are drawn from flowers and leaves peculiar to the country. The carpets from Agra and Jaipur inspire a feeling of heaviness and solidity. While the Mirzapur carpets come out in beautiful and wide varieties, to suit every taste and purse.

Durries and Druggets serve the same purpose as carpets and gubbas and, being made mostly of cotton, are less expensive. They are however less suited to cold climates. They come out in various types; plain and patterned. The plain ones can be used as protective spreads under expensive carpets.

Mats and baskets are essentially meant to serve the poor villagers, but their naivety and artistry has drawn the attention of the richer classes, and are now manufactured in superior textures and patterns, to combine utility with decorativeness.

Nirmal & Bidri; Uniquely From Hyderabad

Quaint picture frames, lamp-shades, wall hangings and floor coverings give a twist to the look of your home. The same applies to basket work. They are made of bamboo, reeds, grass and willow, mostly by inhabitants remote from civilisation.

Nirmal (famed for its toys made out of wood) is an ancient industry indigenous to Hyderabad. It has come down through the ages, from father to son, and it is said that some of its secrets are even guarded.

However, the designs that are wrought in gold and silver, over furniture and toys and a variety of articles of daily use, are pleasing and lasting. There are examples of Nirmal work executed two hundred years ago that look as fresh as done yesterday.

Bidri is another ware peculiar to Hyderabad. The base is an alloy of clay and metal which, on coming out of the furnace, turns into jet black, on which, in striking contrast, are inlaid in silver intricate designs drawn from the frescoes at Ajanta and the ancient fort of Bidar. Bangles, buttons, cuff links, cigarette cases, trays, compacts, fruit bowls, and crucifixes are some of the products of Bidri.

Squatting on the floor of his humble cottage and using the simplest of tools he chisels out beauties and prodigies of gods and goddesses, of animals and birds that would not fail to draw the admiration of even the inveterate art critic. You will not find these things elsewhere, not at this price either.

Pottery: Combining Beauty With Utility

Pottery portrays the growth and decay of civilisations. Although it has been ousted from households by superior metals, the clinging to earth is innate in man. Through all his vicissitudes the Indian potter has not only not given up his calling but has excelled himself in keeping pace with the times.

The riot of colour and the graceful lines combine beauty with utility. You can carry away a gay Jaipur blue or a dignified Delhi piece, to decorate your home, for a trifle.

The Matchless Perfection of Enamelling

To bring out the effect of gems on a large scale is the work of enamel. Surely, it calls for great proficiency and labour. Easily, enamelling stands out as a master art craft. Jaipur enamels rank above all others, and are of matchless perfection.

Articles from ash trays to superb bronze figures that are real art can embellish your home or make a cherished gift to friends. Banaras brass is famous throughout the world. The South Indian statuettes of brass and bronze lend an aristocratic touch to your home.

Last but not least come Jewellery, a source of perennial joy to the wearer as well as to the beholder. For style and workmanship Indian jewellery is hard to beat. Classic, and contemporaneous with the nation's sculpture and painting, the art has indeed come down, in unbroken tradition, from the remotest times.

Colourful Adornment From Head to toe

The Indian woman adorns herself from the parting of her hair to the tips of her toes, with appropriate ornaments: crowns, crests and tiaras; rings, flowers and bosses for the ear; necklaces of rows upon rows of gems; all shapes and patterns of armlets and bracelets; girdles for the waist; anklets; rings for the fingers; and bells for the toes.

The local workman has the flexibility and the dexterity to fabricate available material for a peasant as for a princess. You will find these displayed in their amazing variety; and whether you buy a dollar's worth or a thousand worth, you will have the satisfaction of taking home something to delight you and your friends.

• Hyderabad offers a variety
  • Nirmal work and Bidri ware
  • gold and silver lace work
  • Paithan gold and silver
  • embroideries
  • gold filigree work
  • articles made of ivory and horn
  • Warangal carpets;
  • and a host of cottage industries.
• Trivandrum offers select ivory pieces, second to none in India, wood carving and cottage industries peculiar to Kerala. Here you find grass mats of exquisite designs, silken in texture and finish.
• Kashmir craft: You will not be visiting Kashmir on any of these tours, it not being the season. Nonetheless you can buy her products in their emporium at Bombay, Delhi or Calcutta:
  • wood carving
  • papier mache
  • silver engraving
  • embroideries
  • pashmina shawls
  • silks
  • carpets
  • namdas and gubbas

Buying Tips

• First make up your mind what you wish to buy — make out a list if you can — and what to spend.
• Don't buy at once. You will learn as you go along.
• When you come across something that you find worthwhile, buy; you may not have the chance to come again.
• Articles are always cheaper where they are made; they exclude the middleman and his profit.
• If you are going in for expensive jewellery, always take a local resident friend with you or seek the assistance of the Government Tourist Office.
• Wherever possible buy from shops organised or recognised by Government. Prices at these shops are fixed, moderate and reliable. If your purchases are too heavy to go with you, you can depend on them to forward the goods to your place.