Author: Rohit Parihar
Publication: India Today
Date: August 28, 2006
Introduction: As the demand for architecture
of the erstwhile royals rises, Rajasthan sees a revival of its traditional
forms of art
Ghanshyam Das Nimbark is a miniature artist
whose work has appeared in Naveen Patnaik's book The Garden of Life. He switched
to wall paintings when the Oberoi Group hired him in 1998 to paint its heritage
hotels like Rajvilas and Trident at Jaipur, Amarvilas at Agra, Udaivilas at
Udaipur, and Vanyavilas at Ranthambore. Having worked for Taj hotels in Mumbai,
Agra, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Ananda and for Hotel Leela in Bangalore and Kovalam,
he also has to his credit farmhouses, malls, restaurants and the main hall
of the Bombay University, which is his most recent work. Such is the demand
for his art that he has to employ 15 full-time workers. A decade ago he was
a struggling artist in search of buyers for his paintings.
His story, along with that of countless others,
is symbolic of the revival of traditional arts and artisans in Rajasthan thanks
to the spurt in conversion of heritage properties into hotels that retain
the flavour of the erstwhile royal lifestyle and architecture and also of
restoration of properties that have fallen into disrepair.
Bhanwar Lal Kumawat is another beneficiary
of this royal revival. Seeing his wall paintings at Mandawa Fort, now a hotel,
two foreigners took him to South Africa and Mauritius to work on their hotel
projects. This 39-year-old wall painter inherited the art from his grandfather.
His father had to take up masonry to survive as there was no demand for such
work some time back. Today Kumawat is an artisan in demand with paintings
in Chennai and Bangalore restaurants to his credit.
The signs of the revival of ancient art forms
can be seen everywhere. At Chomu Fort, labourers are being hired to crush
various stones to create different colours on the spot-overseen by Jai Singh
and Pradeep Singh both of whom shifted from miniature paintings to wall paintings.
Stone-carving for new buildings-mostly pillars-has
also become a big business. At 25, Irfan Ali is credited with having carved
four major façades of yellow sandstone in Jaisalmer. He is currently
making two dozen pillars to be exported to Italy. He charged Rs 12 lakh to
give the famous Patwon ki Haveli-look to the just-completed Mehron ki Haveli.
It took 20 men two years to complete the job.
The big shift and lucrative prospects are
attracting people from diverse fields. Anil Tambi, a textile manufacturer
at Bhilwara, switched jobs to become a building contractor. In 2003, he got
a Rs 1.5-crore contract of Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure Development Project
(RUIDP) for conservation of two gates and one step-well in Jaipur. Tambi has
since bagged orders worth Rs 9 crore for such work in the state. Today his
Rajputana Constructions employs 900 men who are working on mega projects at
Amer Fort, Jal Mahal complex, Mewar Circuit and Chomu Fort. "In Rajasthan,
urbanisation has brought back the heritage look," says Lalit K Pawar,
principal secretary, urban development and housing, Rajasthan.
The late 1980s and 1990s saw a revival of
the retro look with palaces like Neemrana Fort being one of the firsts to
restore a dilapidated property and convert it into a heritage hotel. By 2000,
big-time conservation of old properties had begun. Hotel chains like the Oberois
were commissioning new hotels with old architecture and style. These new properties
depended heavily on these artisans to re-create the glory and beauty of the
bygone era. Now families are teaching traditional craft to their progeny.
"Once we were many-2,000 like me-in Bikaner and then suddenly, there
was no work. Now there is demand again," says Zahuruddin Usta, 73, seventh
generation of red stone carvers from Bikaner. Demand is forcing hiring of
fresh blood and training them. For example, Samodh, a village near Jaipur,
has many youth mastering the art of painting walls using stone colours. "Heritage
work is again in demand," agrees Dharmendra Kanwar, who pioneered conservation
movement in Jaipur through INTACH. In the process, some have been bagging
contracts across the country and others have executed work abroad or been
there to exhibit their art.
Limestone is back in vogue. In magnificently-restored
Raj Palace inside Chomu haveli, Jaipur, its owner-couple Jayendra Kumari and
Arun Puri had insisted on using only lime and had a traditional crushing system
run by camels in place. At former army officer Gaj Singh Alsisar's haveli,
which has again been converted into a hotel, four furnances were set up to
bake 3,60,000 kg of lime.
Yet another trend that is growing is of dismantling
old havelis to get a better price for carved wood and stones. Buyers use these
to make new buildings, often hiring artisans to create replica of old purchases
to fill the gaps. Badri Modi, a Jaipur jeweller, bought a haveli in Bikaner,
got it dismantled and brought it to Jaipur to build a new one on Delhi Road.
However, it only fitted into one third of his plans. The rest of the portions
had to be created anew. So national awardee Rafiuddin has been toiling for
months to create intricate ceilings and walls. Modi's craze for heritage has
resulted in traditional mason Mohan Lal Kumawat making perhaps the first step-well
tank of modern times and Karim Bhai, a master carver, making 22-ft high replicas
of royal cenotaphs in yellow sandstone. The royals, along with their heritage,
have returned to Rajasthan.
