Kathputli - Group 3

ARTISAN

profiling

pg 101

ARTISAN PROFILING (1)

Artisan’sName - Mr. Madan Lal
Artisan’sAge - 50+
Artisan’sAddress - V.P.O. Bhanwata, Via Kuchaman City (Nagaur),

Rajasthan-341508
Artisan’s Sex - Male
Contact Number - 9828780359, 9990849443
Education level of artisan - 12th(Secondary)
Languages Known-Comprehend - Hindi and English Read Write hindi
Family members participating in craft - Male (3), Female (3)
Production - Mostly during tourist season
Involvement in any other activity - Yes, owns a shop (stuff related to kids)
Location - There has been no significant change in the location as per say, they have made
settlement in Nagaur, a small town near Jodhpur, which is well known for introducing the
concept of kathputli craft
Months in which production is high- Winter (tourist season) is the season in which the
puppets gain traction from various tourists as well as native people. Most field work related
to this craft is also during this season.
Children Involvement - This is codependent on what their own children want. Despite their
craft declining and unstable conditions, they want their children to partake in prestigious
institutions for their craft to gain more learners, creating a new way of taking their culture
forward.
Organizational activities- The artisan is an active member of rajasthan rural handicrafts
Income- The artisan is self employed. The monthly income is not fixed but for financial safety,
he does have a savings account in the bank now.

pg 102

Assets- He has his own house. The condition of the house currently is in semi-pucca state.
He has not purchased any purchased/changed or added anything at his own home which
suggests his unstable income. He is equally unsatisfied with the labour to cost division
because the majority of the profile goes to the middle agents in the market. The middle
agents’ demands of the product’s quality and duality both higher has led to many artists in
debts and poverty.
Medical- The craft has zero hazardous practices and is mostly done with intrication and
meticulous hard work. He has no health or life insurance.
Design and technology- The artisan is currently working on Traditional Design and Market
Demand Design. The trader/ agent working alongside him gives the design. During the
pandemic, the artisan has devised two new products in the market such as magnet dolls
and fabric dolls. The raw materials and the process as well as the machinery has not been
upgraded or renewed so far. He wishes to explore more in the area of marketing to grow and
commercialize his business and establish the craft as a huge brand.
Training- The artisan has not received a lot of training, especially with tools like computers
and the internet. The internet is only used for business purposes. He sincerely thanks the
internet for giving him the information based on fairs and exhibits.

pg 103

ARTISAN PROFILING (2)

Artisan’sName - Prakash Bhat
ContactNumber - 9829343479
Artisan’sAddress -184, Kathputli nagar, Bhavani Singh road Jaipur
Artisan’sAge - 43
Artisan’s Sex - Male Education level of artisan- 5th (Primary)
Languages Known - English, Hindi, French, German, Brazilian
Size of the family unit – Male (6), Female (5), Children (below 13 years) (2).
Family Involvement - The craft has been practiced by the family for more than 200 years
and has crossed 20 generations. A lot of females in their house are equally involved with
the craft as much as males do. They participate in the stichting and cloth making process
whereas all the difficult labour woodwork is 85% done by the male members of the house.
Both members devote 6 hours per day.

Production - Throughout the year but the business is highly favoured during winter (tourist
season) October, November, December.
Involvement in any other activity- No

Location - There has been no significant change in the location as per say, they have made
settlement in JLN Marg, a slum area for kathputli crafts community in Jaipur.
Organizational activities- He currently owns an NGO where he teaches the craft of kathputli
to different children under his area to teach as many kids as possible, especially about his
craft.

Child Involvement - He is currently planning to train your children in your traditional craft
practices. He wishes to pass on his legacy to the future generations.

Income -The artisan is self employed. The monthly income is 1000 – 2000 rupees but for
financial safety, he does have a savings account in the bank now. He is equally dissatisfied
with his income because it takes 4-5 hours to make and the profit. His family gets about 50-
60rs income that’s not sufficient to fill the needs of our family.

pg 104

Assets- He has his own house. The condition of the house currently is in semi-pucca state.
He has purchased a small speaker in his house for entairtainment purposes.
Medical- The craft has zero hazardous practices and is mostly done with intrication and
meticulous hard work. He has no health or life insurance.
Design and technology- The artisan is currently working on Traditional Design and latest
designs on Demand Design. The trader/ agent working alongside him gives the design.
During the last two years he has experimented with the basic designs of kathputli and
created few Human sized Kathputli made from thermocol.He has named them GODFATHER.
The exploration was purely based on his creative persuasion and the intuition that he can
possibly create something new in his craft. To strengthen his craft, he requires production
for making more kathputlis. The raw materials and the process as well as the machinery has
not been upgraded or renewed so far. He wishes to explore more in the area of marketing
to grow and commercialize his business and establish the craft as a huge brand.
Training- The artisan has faced a similar dilemma with the usage of modern technology.
The internet is only used for business purposes. He sincerely thanks the internet for giving
him the beneficial information regarding various shows, competitions from around the
world as he travels and performs various different shows in countries like France, England
and many more to add to the list. He has travelled to 15 countries in total.

pg 105

ARTISAN DATABASE(1)

Artisan’s Name- Mr. Madan Lal
Contact Number- 9828780359, 9990849443
Artisan’s Address-V.P.O. Bhanwata, Via Kuchaman City

(Nagaur), Rajasthan-341508
Profession - Doll Maker

No. of years of experience - 25 years

ARTISAN DATABASE(2)

Artisan’sName- Mr. Prakash Bhat
Contact Number-9829343479

Artisan’s Address-184, Kathputli nagar,
Bhavani Singh road Jaipur
Profession - Kathputli Artist

No. of years of experience - 35 years

pg 106

DATABASE OF THE NGO RELATED THE CRAFT
IN THE REGION

CRAFTHUBS
Phone number: +91 8849280422
Email: [email protected]
Address: Shop No. F-24, Satyam Complex, Near
Chandan Party Plot, Prerna Tirth, Dirasar Road,

Satellite, Ahmedabad
HELPING HANDS

WPhone number: +91 81698 07621
Email: [email protected]

pg 107

pg 108

ANNEXURES

1. Where are you from originally? Which is your native place?
2. How many years old is the art of Kathputli and how did it originate?Which stories do you

perform for the Kathputli show? Which stories are the most popular?
3. At what age did you start practising the art and craft of Kathputli?
4. What kind of wood do you use, hardwood or softwood ?
5. What is the difference between aldoo, mango, bor tree wood? What is the lifespan of

aldoo wood, mango and bor tree?
6. How much time is required to carve the face of Kathputli in aldoo, mango and bor wood?

What is the reason behind the difference?
7. For how many hours do you keep face paint to dry?
8. What is the reason behind applying three layers of paint?
9. What colour do you mix to make skin colour?
10. What kind of paint and brand do you use for colouring Kathputli ?
11. What colours were used in ancient times, when readymade colours were not available?
12. How much time is required to make one Kathputli?
13. What is the height of the face ?
14. What is the difference between the styles of Kathputli made in Jaipur, Jodhpur and other

regions?
15. What kind of cloth did you use for Kathputli costumes, old or new?
16. How many Kathputlis can be made in saree?
17. Do you use a sewing machine for making clothes?
18. How many days are required to make professional Kathputli which are used in puppet

shows?
19. How many co-workers are working with you ? Are they trained by you?
20. How many strings are used in one Kathputli?
21. How do you take custom orders ? As per the current times, how did you manage to take

orders and deliver them?
22. What difficulties did you face during the pandemic?
23. Do you sell your craft on Amazon or on any other online purchasing platform?
24. How has the pandemic affected you and craft when all was shutdown?
25. Did you get any help or funds during the covid times?
26. How many countries have you travelled to? What kind of workshops, exhibitions, shows

have you performed?
27. How many awards you have won till now Nationally and Internationally?
28. Where do you want to see the craft of Kathputli in future ? What is your aim for it?
29. What are your future plans for the craft?
30. What help do you need from us for Kathputli craft?

pg 109

pg 110

GLOSSARY

Anarkali- court dancer
Raja - king
Jadugar- magician
Beherupiya - two-faced person
Sapera- snake charmer
Jogi - male snake charmer
Jogan - female snake charmer
Basola- hammer tool used for carving face
Chorsi- chisel tool used for carving
Sui- needle
Aari- hand saw
Koochi- paintbrush made from palm tree leafs
Aldoo - fig tree wood
Gotta- embroidered ribbon
Chaan- waste rugs
Regmaal- sandpaper
Putli- doll
Khejri- wood of a dying tree
Bani thani- Bani Thani was a well-known singer and poet in Kishangarh in
the time of Raja Samant Singh
Tika/ Bindi - an accessory which is used by females at the forehead usually
round in shape
Kalbelia- Rajasthani dance form

pg 111

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pg 113

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pg 114

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pg 115

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pg 117