“Would you know where I can see the artists who make the Kinnal dolls?”, I ask a passer-by as I enter the sleepy and dusty Indian village of Kinnal, or Kinhal. He points in the direction of a lane straight ahead, telling me I can find artists on that street.
With an early start from Hampi, it took me about an hour and a half to reach Kinnal, in Karnataka’s Koppal district in southern India, in search of artisans still peddling the traditional craft of hand-making wooden dolls. In January 2021, the Karnataka State Government decided to set up a toy manufacturing ecosystem in Koppal, with the aim of generating 100,000 jobs in its 162-hectare facility.
It’s an art form that is believed to date back to the 15th or 16th centuries, and was popular during the time of the prosperous Vijayanagara Empire and received patronage from the Nawabs of Koppal and Desais of Kinnal.
The artists belong to a community called Chitragars, currently consisting of about 67 families, who generally make figurines of icons, gods and goddesses.
Santoshkumar Chitragar, 29, is busy working amid a sea of what looks like busts of the goddess Gowri when we meet in a small makeshift factory. He moves his hands with impeccable precision. It is a craft he learnt in childhood, from his father.
“I remember making the dolls since I was really small,” he tells The National. “However, during that time, I noticed there was hardly any respect for the artisans or their craft, so I decided to move to Bengaluru as I had lost interest.”
Chitragar joined a medical animation company, where he worked for a year. At the same time, he attended three art camps. “People I knew started insisting that I do not quit working on the craft. I was encouraged by my guru, Nagappa Pradhani, principal of the sculpture department at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (KCP), to go back to my roots.”
After he returned to Kinnal in 2017, Chitragar realised it wasn’t going to be easy. “I would make about 15,000 Indian rupees ($202) to 20,000 rupees per month in my job and, here I was, suddenly not making anything,” he says. However, his circumstances changed when he was invited to participate in the India International Trade Fair, in New Delhi, where he was able to sell the dolls he had made for a higher price.
He came home from that event with renewed enthusiasm and made 10 more pieces that sold out quickly. “By then, I had an idea of how to make the dolls with a contemporary touch. That is when I decided to adapt, and switched to smaller idols with increased attention to both detail and finish.”
There has been a definite increase in people in Kinnal wanting to restart it as they have been inspired by my success
Santoshkumar Chitragar
The process of creating these handmade dolls, which can measure between 15 centimetres and 4.5 metres high, is elaborate. A lightweight Polki Marra wood is used. Small pieces of cotton are stuck on with a paste made of tamarind seeds, while pebble powder paste and liquid gum are used for embossing the ornamentation and jewellery of the figure. Then the doll is finally hand-painted.
The focus is on using natural colours such as white, for instance, which is prepared from limestone. The paintbrushes are made by the Chitragars using a tuft of a squirrel's tail fixed at the end of a bamboo splinter and tied with yarn smeared with gum.
It’s worth the effort to make Kinnal toys, though, as it’s a globally revered craft that also received the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the World Trade Organisation in 2012.
In 2018, Chitragar opened his Instagram account, @kinnalart, with the guidance of a research fellow at KCP. He was soon able to navigate the platform, despite lack of experience, and orders for his work began to pour in. “However, as I am not fluent in English, I had a tough time understanding what people were asking,” he admits.
That is when he reached out to Nagaraj Bakale, his artist friend from nearby Gadag district, who helped him manage his social media. “Santosh and I decided to collaborate; he does the work and I manage the social media,” Bakale says. “I studied the Kinnal craft for four months before we started working together.”
Bakale started collaborating with interior decorators and decor enthusiasts, who shared their images, and by July 2020, monthly orders went from almost 70,000 to 350,000 rupees. The coronavirus pandemic allowed them to focus on improving packaging and completing prior orders.
The international orders are mostly from the US, Germany, Canada and the UK, as well as the UAE. The pair have received support from art websites such as Sparsh Collections USA and Hastakalalu. Bakale is also now working on designing an official website for Chitragar's work.
Chitragar, meanwhile, who received a state-level award from Bengaluru’s Karnataka Shilpakala Academy in 2019, works with help from his family, parents and brother, as well as three boys he is training. He’s now teaching people in his village, to ensure the tradition lives on, as the craft takes about two years to perfect, he says. Government workshops in the area have also helped take the art form to a larger audience.
“There has been a definite increase in people in Kinnal wanting to restart it as they have been inspired by my success,” he says.
Chitragar has even bought a piece of land in Kinnal, where he hopes to build a workshop and training centre, and he’s collaborating with art galleries such as gallery g in Bengaluru and Gallery 78 in Hyderabad to showcase his artworks. He’s also tied up with Shoppingkart24, which sells his work on the digital marketplace for Indian Geographical Indication products.
Chitragar only hopes his efforts spur curiosity in people across the world and encourages the craftsmen of India to continue the legacy. “I hope that this will ensure the craft achieves greater heights and artisans get their due.”
Company%20profile
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Blonde
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Fight card
1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)
9. Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
MATCH INFO
FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea v Manchester United, Monday, 11.30pm (UAE), BeIN Sports
The%20National%20selections
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
