Abstract

SURVIVAL OF AN INDIAN ARTFORM- FIELD TRIPS TO PRODUCTION SITES OF PUNJA DURRIES

Riya Chhikara

Volume: 8 Issue: 2 2018

Abstract:

Panipat, in Haryana is one of the largest exporter of a special kind of durrie, the panja durries which are different from carpets. The paper aims to study the making of this 'commodity' which before the designers like Neeru Kumar, Shyam Ahuja existed in a different form and was also a part of bride's trousseau. The process of making durries involves the use of small or medium sized weaving frames, where the weaver inserts the coloured yarn that forms the weft. The introduction of handloom durrie further changed the process. The government publications and findings are supplemented by the field notes from a visit to Raj Overseas, an exporter of rugs made of cotton, wool and jute in Panipat. Meena Menon (2017) writes that during colonial times, the link between growing and weaving cotton broke and that agriculture underwent 'privatisation' to boost textile production. The paper aims to study the evolution of this traditional product into an international bestseller, taking one panja durrie as the object of study. It seeks to assess the determinants of the economic value of a product in a commodity market-the choice of raw material(cotton), method of production (tools or machines) and the designing process. The aim of the paper is to know who decides the making of a product-the cotton grower, the weaver, the manufacturer or the selling company.

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