Theses and Dissertations

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Dhows: the traditional art of wooden boat making
(Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, 2015) Sanghani, Palak; Desai, Binita
Boat building forms a very important part of the economy along the coast of Gujarat. Salaya, Veraval and Mandvi are towns of fishermen, boat makers and traders. In these regions boat building is an integral part of their daily lives. There is a unique relationship between traders, boat makers and fishermen. Traders invest, boat makers build the Dhows and fishermen use them. Dhows are a central aspect both socio-economically and culturally in the port towns of Gujarat. Every individual is directly or indirectly connected to the boat makers, repairers, helpers and carpenters. Some members of the community are engaged in the transportation of timber, fishing, and net making or in the supply of timber. Some members are associated with the fisheries industry. There are others who are engaged in recycling wood to build bridges or doors and in selling wood from broken down ships. Dhow builders neither require a large industrial set up nor hundreds of people but the methodology and precision with which these craftsmen operate is comparable to any large industry with huge investments. Most of the traditional boats are built in temporary yards with sheds that are erected by carpenters, on land at the port, rented to them by the Government. The ports are busy places with the sound of carpenters at work. Dhows stand tall on the coastal wetland, the deck swarms with carpenters, labourers and errand boys going about their work. It takes an average of six months for a Dhow to take shape with ten to twelve carpenters working continuously. Carpenters arrive purposefully at the site at 9am and work till dusk making full use of daylight hours. They are adept at handling wood almost like clay or paper, curving and bending wood to get the desired shape. It is pleasurable experience to see how they create Dhows from a single plank of wood that could have a load carrying capacity ranging from five hundred to fifteen hundred tonnes and keep sailing for about thirty years. A well-built Dhow could last for fifty years if well maintained. All year round at the port there are several boats at various stages of construction. During monsoons when the fleets return from sea repair work increases and waters are crammed with Dhows under repair and streets are abuzz with sailors. Dhows are pulled up on spare ground, allowed to dry, repaired, oiled and set afloat again. During the four months of monsoons Indian Government bans any vehicle from going into the sea as waters are too dangerous and rough. Near every Dhow there is a modest shack made with wood waste and gunny bags where the watchman lives. A small cabin built with recycled planks serves as a shelter from the scorching sun and a place to relax for the contractor and other workers. Small Paan cabins and tea stalls serve as addas for the workers, primarily for conversation and playing cards. Buzz word ‘sustainability’ finds its true meaning in these clusters where still their system of making and living has been well integrated. It examines how people, places and things are constituted through every day work practices and all the other relational, embodied, habitual activities of life. The wooden ship-building industry should get a boost as there is much potential. There were some plans to encourage Vahanvatti a few years ago but nothing came out of it. Government doesn’t provide any subsidies or benefits to the boat making community.
Open Access
Gaatha: a tale of crafts
(Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, 2014) Patel, Nupur; Desai, Binita
The project is based on the premise that Indian arts and crafts are declining. There is a need to preserve them. In the present times of modernization and globalization, crafts cannot be sustained in their original form and changes as per the needs of the market are inevitable. The craft tradition is either lost or it re-emerges in a different form and meaning. The project attempts to show the current situation of the artisans and the crafts, for people to see and understand the version transformation each of these crafts have undergone over time.
Open Access
Gondi art: music on canvas
(Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, 2011) Singh, Ankita; Raje, Nitin
The project attempts to create a digital experience for explaining the transitions faced by Gondi-art regarding their art forms. The purpose behind this project is to make artist and art enthusiasts, aware about the art form and its transformations. The information is to be delivered in the form of a website, which is narrowed down to the subject of art form of Gonds. This website also provides the information about the origin of Gonds and their cultural aspects. User can also view the profile of Gondi Artist who would be featured for a week, his work and his life from village to city would be explained in artisans‟ category. E-brochure and Tourist Guide are two additional elements with this website, where E-brochure would help user to browse various artist, know about them in a more clear way and contact them by their own. Tourist Guide is in its initial state, it will help users to browse the tribal place where this art is done and tourist places nearby. The presentation will combine various digital mediums like video, sound, illustration and text in a format that allows the user to explore at will. The various aspects of Gondi Painting in India and around the world, while providing the users with quick and simple access to the information they might need to know about the paintings, their stories or the music and for the tourists if they want to visit places where this art is done.
Open Access
Pichhvai ke pichhey: behind the Pichhvais
(Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, 2007) Kumawat, Sumit; Mazumdar, Madhumita; Gupta, Anirban Dutta
The Project is an attempt to explore beyond the evident. It imparts the knowledge about the utilization of background that gives context to foreground. The Art form of Picchvai (Painted backdrops of Nathdwara) as a specific technique of Visual communication is chosen as the main research area. It explores the traditions and philosophy associated with it in the context of Nathdwara. The vast ethnographic work allowed broadening of the context and analyzing various other popular visual and performative traditions of the region viz. Kathputli, Bhopaji ki katha, Ajooba, Nathdwara Studio photography, etc. These traditions primarily use the background to create a sense of darshan (spectacle) for the viewer. It further includes the contemporary mode of communications such as Photography, advertisements, etc. This knowledge has been imparted to the user through an (Hypermedia) interactive multimedia CD ROM. The Hypermedia format allows the user to seek through the inter‐woven medias so as to get a clear picture of the subject. It allows him/her to understand the complexities and simultaneously apply the learning. Thus, it creates the space for the viewer where at one moment he can be an observer while at another he is a performer.

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