The Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai has given tags to seven different products from Uttar Pradesh. ‘Amroha Dholak’, ‘Mahoba Gaura Patthar Hastashlip’, ‘Mainpuri Tarkashi’, ‘Sambhal Horn Craft’, ‘Baghpat Home Furnishings’, ‘Barabanki Handloom Product’ and ‘Kalpi Handmade Paper’ are the products that been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
The Amroha Dholak is a musical instrument made of natural wood. Mango, jackfruit and teakwood is preferred for making the dholak’s. Wood from mango and sheesham trees are used to carve the multiple sized and shaped hollow blocks, which are later fitted with animal skin, mostly goatskin, to create the instrument. It is learnt that there are around 300 small units producing wood-based drum instruments (dholak), which provide employment to over 1,000 artisans. The application for the Amroha Dholak was filed by Artisans Welfare Society, Mohalla - Danishmandan, Amroha, Uttar Pradesh.
The application for Baghpat Home Furnishings was filed by the Directorate of Handloom and Textile Industries, Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Master Weavers Cooperative Society Limited. Baghpat and Meerut are famous for their exclusive handloom home furnishing product and running fabrics in cotton yarn since generations, and only cotton yarn are used in the handloom weaving process. Baghpat is famous for weaving on the frame loom instead of the pit loom since generations.
The Barabanki Handloom Product has also being bestowed with a GI tag. The Directorate of Handloom and Textile Industries, Government of Uttar Pradesh, along with Bhartiya Bunkar Sahkari Samiti Limited had filed the application for this product. According to details available in the filing, there are around 50,000 weavers and 20,000 looms at Barabanki and adjoining area. The annual turnover of the Barabanki cluster is projected to be ₹150 crore.
For Kalpi Handmade Paper, the application was filed by Hasht Nirmit Kagaj Samiti, Industrial Estate, Kalpi, Uttar Pradesh. Kalpi has historically been a centre of handmade paper manufacturing. Historical details available in the filing show that Munnalal ‘Khaddari’, a Gandhian, formally introduced the craft here in the 1940s, though many locals say that Kalpi’s association with paper-making dates further back into history. The handmade paper-making cluster at Kalpi is a huge cluster, engaging more than 5,000 craftsmen and approximately 200 units.
The Mahoba Gaura Patthar Hastashlip is a stone craft. It is a very unique and soft stone with scientific name, the ‘Pyro Flight Stone’. Gaura stone craft is made of radiant white-coloured stone that is predominantly found in this region. It is cut into several pieces, which are then used for making various craft items.
Mainpuri Tarkash and Sambhal Horn Craft are the other two products that clinched the GI tag.
Tarkashi, a popular art form from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, is primarily brass wire inlay work on wood. It was mainly used for khadaous (wooden sandals), a necessity for every household, since leather was considered unclean. And for the Sambhal Horn Craft, the raw material is procured from dead animals. They are completely hand-made.
A Geographical Indication is a label that is applied to products that have a specific geographical origin and that have characteristics related to a particular location.
