Blue Pottery

As well as being known for its block printing, Sanganer and indeed Jaipur is also renowned for its traditional blue pottery. A combination of Persian decoration and Chinese glazing know how, the style was brought to India by Mughals and was firmly established in Jaipur by the 17th century. The distinctive colours are produced by…

Block Printing Workshops

On our second day in Delhi, after the trip Chandni Chowk, we went to Isha’s house for our first block printing demonstration and workshop. Three of the lads who work with Isha on her block printed fabrics available from Aahilya, two block carvers Sachin and Saurabh and printer Ashok, made the trip specifically for this…

Sanganer

On our first morning in Jaipur, we travelled 16km south to visit the town of Sanganer which is famous for its hand-made paper and block printing artisans. ‘Printing developed between the 16th and 17th century following the constant wars between the Mughals and Marathas which resulted in migration of several craftsmen from Gujarat to Rajasthan….

The Road to Jaipur

The road from Delhi to Jaipur seems to go on forever. With a potholed brilliance that resembles Britain’s best B-Roads, the speed limit is 60kmh it really feels like it can go on forever. One thing is that all along the main road are buildings – cafes, restaurants, tyre shops, mechanics, cement works, loos, shops,…

Chandni Chowk

The Chandni Chowk is one of the essential places that one must visit when in Delhi. Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal built the city of Delhi from 1638 to 1649, and it contained the Lal Qila and the Chandni Chowk within it’s city walls. The Chandni Chowk, known as the Moonlight Square, was designed by his…

National Crafts Museum

I’m not sure I was in the best state to visit a museum, coming straight from the airport, but we were making the most of our time so off to the National Crafts Museum we went. Starting from very humble beginnings (Isha from Aahilya remembers it when it was very small) the low-lying Museum building…

New Delhi

Everyone said India would be a bit of a shock to the system, and they were right! After a very comfortable flight that Mum slept on (and sadly I did not) we arrived at the airport a little the worse for wear and a touch jet-lagged. Meeting Jane and Mandy by the money exchange (they…