Rajai Making

JAIPURI RAZAI

Like that of Hawa-mahal, Jantar-Mantar and Amber the soft and light weight Jaipur razai have their own uniqueness. The speciality of these razai attracts many people and foreign tourists. Cities like Bombay, madras and south India which experience little winters and European countries where temperature even goes below zero degrees prefer to have Jaipuri razai and people can’t move away from its beauty. These razai’s have given so much to Jaipur. National- International popular-ity is the reason for employment of thousands of people. The razai’s have made us feel proud of our craft.Due to such mass production business units the real essence of Jaipur razai is becoming extinct. They are losing their charm (like that of bagru print) due to machine printing and other easy ways which are involved in production. The day by day growing new shops and units which make false (nakli) Jaipuri razai’s are ruining the udhy-og. Now it is becoming a business to earn money by forgetting the actual rules of craft.

JAIPURI RAZAI

It began with two businessman brothers’ Govind Narayan and Narayan Lal. Their father Lakshmi narayan besides keeping other textile pieces use to keep a special type of red cloth which was popular amongst Jaipur Muslims, Mahawats, Manihaar, Nilgar and Rangrez. This red cloth was brought after dyeing it from Rupangad.The two narayan brothers have start-ed their razai business in 1935. The cloth was brought from bazaar and a darzi use to make a khol. The cotton was brought from a vyapari and then it was beaten with a pindara. Then the cotton was filled inside the khol. The level of cotton is same allover.the process was tedious and some-times used to take more than two months.The razai which were prepared under Lakshmi Narayan Mangilal firm were the solution to this tedi-ous and time consuming process. It was whole heartily welcomed in the aristocrats’ of Jaipur.

These razai’s have their own special-ity. On white voile beautiful buttis were printed. Then this printed cloth piece was taken to a tailor who use to make a khol.

The best quality cotton was col-oured/ dyed in various colours and was cleaned with the help of tant. The cotton then starts growing up like a flower and different kinds of perfumes were sprayed. Now it is neatly filled inside the cover and tagaai starts. Tagaai was done with cotton thread and needle. It was done so that cotton should not slip or move. Tagaai was done in many designs such as local motifs, bel-buttas, circular, straight and zigzag lines. The cost of such razai’s used to go upto Rs. 40-50 .Rich peo-ple preferred to buy these luxuri-ous razai’s which common people couldn’t.

1. COTTON:

cotton is a natural fibre harvested from cotton plant. The fiber is com-posed of about 90 % cellulose and around 6% moisture. The rest con-sists of natural impurities. Cotton has been cultivated for more than 5000 years. Each fiber is a single elongated cell that is generally flat, twisted and has a ribbon like structure. The fiber has a wide inner hollow. The outer surface of the fiber is covered with a protective wax like coating, giv-ing the fiber an adhesive like quality .The cotton which is filled inside is first cleaned by the process of card-ing. Earlier pure cotton was used. It was then cleaned by hand with a tool called pindian. When the raw cotton is brought, it is always along with a cotton seed, that keeps the cotton bunch intact and quality of cotton does not get deteriorated.

Three types of cotton which are filled inside are: Desi cotton, Egyptian cot-ton, Semal cotton. Nowadays cotton is being replaced by synthetic fibres such as polyfill. Polyfill is used be-cause it is much cheaper and strong than natural cotton. It also provides soft feel. Pure cotton costs Rs. 120 per kilogram and polyfill Rs. 30.

Raw Materials

2. CLOTH FOR RAZAI COVER

earlier in traditional Jaipuri razai’s cover was made of Mulmul fabric which had 120 weft and 120 warp in weaving. But slowly the threads started getting decreased.Mulmul started coming in 100x100 and 80x100 – 80x90. This Mulmul fab-ric is lighter, shear jhina. This fab-ric can’t bear more than 2 winters and costs Rs. 7-8 per metre. Due to changing times and requirement of people the traditional soft Mulmul is being replaced by a number of other fabrics. Shaneil, makhmal and velvet are also in demand. Velvet is a wo-ven fabric in which cut threads are very evenly distributed. Velvet can be made from silk as well as cotton. Shaneil is a shiny, lustrous fabric having a soft feel and thicker than Mulmul. Shaneil has two types low quality and fine shaneil. Low quality shaneil has a bad odour. It also has many defects. Pure shaneil is costly so people prefer it less.

3. THREAD FOR TAGAAI:

mostly cotton thread is used for tagai. Threads are usually in form of gol git-tas. It comes as Rs. 150 per kg. Main-ly tagai was done in white coloured thread but nowadays almost every colour thread is being used.pechak ka dhaga is also used for tagai. It is 120 number thread without starch. Tagai is done in two stages. In stage one, kachcha or mota kaam is done to sta-ble the cotton and achieve same level of cotton everywhere. After this in second stage, pakka kaam is done. It is done in accordance to the design and motifs. Earlier when the razais were made for Jaipuri rajgharanas the de-signs were very intricate. It used to take a lot of time. Mostly saat khane, paan ke patte, gol design are done. Tagai is done mainly by women workers

4. CLOTH FOR MAGZI:

magzi is the outer border of Jaipuri razai.

PINDIAN:

It is a wooden tool which is used for spreading cotton over cover. It has a wire attached to it which is con-tinuously beaten by a small drum like tool. This tool acts as a hammer and is called damroo. The process of cleaning cotton by pindian is very tedious and laborious. Only one double razai gets properly filled by pindian.

TANT:

It is a wire which is attached to wooden pindian and beaten by a damroo for cleaning of cotton.

PREPARATION OF TANT

The procedure to prepare tant is highly difficult and time consum-ing. It is made from bakre ki aant( goat intestine). Firstly goat intestines are brought and are cleaned prop-erly. Now it is kept in aakde ke dodh for seven to eight days. After that its pakaai is done. Now a wire is made from it by cleaning it again. Ten to twelve reshe of this wire are joined together and twisted. This procedure iis repeated continuously for eight to ten days.

SIZES IN JAIPURI RAZAI

BABY QUILT:

It is usually made for small children with beautiful bagru and sanganeri prints. It is approximately one by one meter.

SMALL RAZAI:

It is little smaller than medium razai.

MEDIUM RAZAAI:

It is of 7 feet by 7 feet. Mostly peo-ple prefer buying this as it is con-venient for one person to use.

DOUBLE RAZAAI:

It is of 108 by 108 inches

VELVET QUILTS OR RAJAI

Velvet quilts are luxurious, sensu-ous and ultra soft. The material is lightweight, so it brings comfort-able warmth to the fortunate person whose bed is adorned with a velvet quilt. Over the centuries, velvet has embellished the finery of royals and is still valued for its unrivalled tex-ture. Used for chilly winters, it is the warmest quilt due to usage of high quality velvet and finely combed natural cotton which is filled inside. Natural cotton processed in a very special way to make it light, warm and fluffy is stuffed inside. They are made in almost every stand-ard size like 220x270 cm(double), 150x220(single), 200x250cm (me-dium). Nowadays they are made in almost every colour like black, ma-roon, brown and other dark colours.

SILK QUILTS OR RAZAI

Such luxurious quilts are perfect gifts for weddings and anniversaries. These are special-occasion delights that will remind the recipients of you for years and years. Handmade quilts are already distinguished by their artistry, and a silk quilt just adds to the beauty. Silk razai or quilt looks appealing because of its shine and new look. Finely combed natu-ral cotton is filled inside. Made in

COTTON QUILTS:

Cotton Quilts are made of hand block printed cotton voile fabric, filled with finely combed superior qual-ity natural cotton. These are avail-able in bright, contemporary and traditional Rajasthani motif prints to fill cheer into dull winters. These good looking, fluffy, hand-made In-dian Rajai or quilts are a Specialty of Jaipur. In these razai tagai is done with hand in many attractive pat-terns.

Carding the Cotton Fill

Rajasthan encompasses the Aravalli Mountain Range and the Thar (Great Indian) Desert. This makes the cli-mate cold, especially at night. The people of that region traditionally have been nomads. Traders, shep-herds and others spent days on the road in caravans. They needed a cover to keep them warm at night without a lot of bulk or weight to carry with them during the day. Over time, local quilt makers developed techniques which created a quilt that was light-weight, compact, warm and durable, all at once The material of choice for a Jaipuri razai is cotton. The cotton fill of a Jaipuri razai is finely carded to remove all the dross. A carder is a paddle covered on one side with fine teeth. The worker places a ball of cot-ton on one carder and combs through it with another carder. Carding sepa-rates the cotton fibers, allowing the worker to draw out all of the dross, or waste material. In the process of

carding, a dense cotton ball becomes light and fluffy. To make a Jaipuri razai, a worker starts with a kilo-gram (approximately 2.2 pounds) of cotton. After carding approximately 100 grams (or 3.5 ounces) of cotton remain. Makers of these quilts are careful to draw out as much dross, and to separate as many of the cot-ton fibers, as possible. Light, fluffy cotton fill makes these quilts warm.

TAGAI -

Once the fill is carefully layered on the shell, the quilt is stitched togeth-er and quilted. In modern times, the stitching around the sides is usually done by machine in order to increase the durability of the quilt. However, even these days, the quilting on the quilt panels themselves is typically done by a hand-held needle. This stitching on the interior of the quilt surface helps to hold the fill in place and adds to the beauty of the quilt.

Filling the Shell

Once the cotton is completely carded, the artisans go on to make the quilt. The shell of the comforter can be vel-vet or silk, but the most common fab-ric is cotton. Often, the cotton will be decorated in the traditional Indian art of block print before the quilt is put together. Layering the cotton fill on the shell is an important step in mak-ing these quilts. The cotton has to be distributed evenly throughout the quilt in order to maintain its comfort and warmth.

Versatile and Durable

Jaipuri razai’s may be handmade and lightweight, but they are hardly flimsy. In fact, they are quite durable. Of course, they would need to be, considering their origins on caravan routes. And they can fill many needs in your house. Undoubtedly, they are great as a quilt for your bed. They are also a cosy choice as a throw for TV time or reading. Since they are com-pact, you will have no trouble folding them away in a guest room closet for use when company comes. And they are a great choice for dorm rooms that have to be unpacked every spring and recreated every fall.If necessity is the mother of inven-tion, it was the necessity of keeping warm in a rugged climate while on the go that caused artisans to invent, and then refine, the Jaipuri razai. They are functional, durable and expertly made. And they're gor-geous. Jaipuri razai are lightweight, compact, warm as toast and soft as a cloud.

Kadar Bux

Gulam Rasool

GULAM RASOOL

Gulam rasool a 55 years old businessman and re-tailer having his own karkhana and shop of razai making in ghangori bazaar , toop khane ka rasta. He has a machine for cleaning cotton in his shop itself. He has many workers working under him. He spe-cializes in jaipuri razai. He also makes mattresses’ , pillows and cushions. He also has a sister who is lit-tle mentally unstable; named Madina. She is sweet and also acts as a caretaker of the shop, though she doesn’t know the art of quilt at all. Gulam rasools wife teaches the workers in the shop the process of tagai and silai.

Santosh Saini

SANTOSH SAINI

Santosh is a 30 years old tagai wali who works at gulam rasool shop. She is married and have a ten year old son named lokesh. Her husband is halwai and does not stay with her. She stays with her son. Her son comes at five in the evening after school gets over and sits with her. He also shows interest in her work and also knows little about lehariya. Her elder sister is in shastri nagar.Santosh’s mom used to sell vegetables outside gu-lam rasool house. Santosh used to sit outside gulam rasool’s shop when she was around 10 years and gulam’s wife taught her the work of razai making and tagai.Now she do tagai in gaddas , small gaddas which are used as a chauki in shops. She also do silai of pillows and cushions. But in season of razai her main work is to do tagai. She do tagai in different designs like in saat khane, gol design, straight, square and in shape of paan ke paate. She gets Rs. 1800 per month and 6 holidys in a month. She likes her work and comes at 12 noon at the shop and work till 10 pm at night. She is a strong will powered women who is manag-ing everything at her own without any help from her husband’s side.

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD ABDUL

He is a young man of age 25 years and was born in Hyderabad. He is married and have two sons. His wife and son lives with his family in Hyderabad. he is working since ten years in the field of razai mak-ing. He works whole day in gulam rasool’s shop and lives in the shop itself.he used to do the same work in Hyderabad. He eats food from outside. He loves Jaipur and its culture. In holidays and during festi-vals he go to Hyderabad to meet his family. He takes gifts and other traditional things from here for his wife and children.He do pindai, bharai, tagai of gaddas, razai and silai of pillows. He do cleaning of cotton by machine and then fills it inside the khol. He starts his work in the morning and continues till 10 pm at night. He takes care of the whole shop. He gets Rs. 4500 per month as his wages. He saves the money and takes it home whenever he goes Hyderabad.

JAITOON

She is a sixty years old woman who is married. She was born in village khare bawari in Jaipur. She do work of pindai and tagai in gulam rasool’s shop. She have five sisters who are married and settled in Jaipur. She also have one brother who is work-ing. Her husband is a painter and she has two kids. One son is a ricksaw owner. She is a old women so works little slowly as compared to other workers in the shop