Sunday, February 19, 2017

Jute Craft of Pondicherry

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Jute in India addressed as the “Golden Fibre” is one of the most common raw materials for packaging and for making exquisite craft items. Eco friendly and cheapest known natural fiber, jute has offered global market a chance to bequeath plastic generation a formal good bye. The usage of Jute as a raw material unfurled its existence in the ancient Indian scriptures namely Manu Samhita and Mahabharata. Evidence of the trade of jute cloth in the 16th century still whispers from the pages of history. “Ain-i-akbari” (1590) mentions sackcloth originating from Bengal. The present scenario of jute craft offers a huge inspiration to the jute craft in India and encourages its expansion and demand in abroad. With the progression of time, this established from of jute craft is flourishing in the national and international market.

The Dharti Jute craft is a NGO bringing artisans under a unified umbrella for the overall development of the craftsmen.The artisans are provided with training in design and skills development to keep pace with the demands of time and cultural globalization. The villages of Tamil Nadu are full of palm trees, coconut, date and Palmyra. Palm is the major source of raw material for preparing basket and related products. Other raw materials like bamboo, cane, grasses, fibres and reeds are also used in making baskets, thatch ropes, mats. 
The jute fibre comes from the stem and ribbon (outer skin) of the jute plant. The fibres are first extracted by retting. The retting process consists of bundling just stems together and immersing them in low, running water. There are two types of retting: stem and ribbon. After the retting process, stripping begins. This job is done mostly by women in the village. In the stripping process, non-fibrous matter is scraped off, then the workers dig in and grab the fibres from within the jute stem. 
Jute floor covering consists of woven, tufted and piled carpets. Jute mats and matting with 5/6 meter width and of continuous length are easily being woven in solid and fancy shades and in different weaves like boucle, panama, herringbone etc. jute mats are made both through power loom and handloom in large volume. The traditional Satranji mat is becoming very popular in home décor. Jute non woven are composites are used for underlay, linoleum substrate and more. Jute has many advantages as a home textile, either replacing cotton or blending with it. It is a strong, durable, colour and light fast fibre. Its UV protection, sound and heat insulation, low thermal conduction and anti-static properties make it a wise choice in home décor. Also, fabric made of jute fibres are carbon-dioxide neutral and naturally decomposable. These properties are also why jute can be used in high performance technical textile. Moreover, jute can be grown in 4-6 months with a huge amount of cellulose being produced from the jute hard that can meet most of the wood needs of the world. Jute is the major crop among others that is able to protect deforestation by industrialization. Thus jute is the most environment friendly fibre starting from the seed to expired fibre, as the expired fibres can be recycled more than once.   

 Contact
 The Dharti Jute Craft 
100, New Complex, JN Street, Heritage Town, Pondicherry, 605001
www.dartijutecraft.com, contact no-: 0413 222 5533.

 Documented by Sonali Islary

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