April 20, 2021
The other utensils of ritual significance
And hardly surprising considering that India has had a history of silver being
used for fashioning eating utensils and other items of daily use in the pliable
and classy metal." One has heard granny’s tales about how only the poor wore
jewellery made of silver and the rich only used silver for eating and serving
food out of them. The designs can vary from the floral to representatives of the
animal kingdom usually the lion or the elephant and pretty birds.This is not to
say that silver ever went out of fashion. Thalis, katoris, plates, bowls, spice
cellars, tumblers, lotas, serving dishes, both serving and eating cutlery in a
design array that touches the entire spectrum from the wonderfully traditional
to the contemporary chic.
The most romantic of these would easily be the kajal
or kohl boxes and bottles for surma in some regions. Another important segment
are decorative silver pieces. Usable and yet decorative enough for a King’s
chamber, these hookahs come in varying sizes and heights. They perhaps form the
fulcrum of the entire silver trade for reasons of sheer weight and the fact that
these are needed in large quantities in sets. Here too, the sizes and designs
would make choosing a difficult task! The traditional paandaan is a large round,
square or rectangular box with a lid on top that has a latch to hold it in place
and a handle on top of the lid to facilitate carrying it around. For long before
stainless steel arrived on the scene, it was either silver or brass, or iron
with bronze and copper thrown in for good measure for making things of everyday
use. Suitably chasticised I slunk away! Silver has indeed come a long way from
the mandatory tea and coffee service and "lemon set" given away at weddings. "We
do not sell by weight," came the haughty reply from the salesperson.
Silver
plants akin to the tulsi or basil plant worshiped over the country made for
ritual worship when it was not physically possible to worship the real thing,
ditto for the kalash or ritual pitcher, complete with a silver coconut and mango
leaves perched atop it! Gangajal caskets, flower baskets, incense stick holders,
bells to invoke the gods’ attention, small bowls for mixing kesar or saffron to
decorate the idols, fly whisk handles, a replica of Lord Mahavir’s feet all made
up the ritual silver. Traditionally, silver had the most favoured place with the
metal dominating the puja ghar – the icons to begin with, had to be fashioned
out of a ‘pure’ metal Threaded Rod Astm
Manufacturers and silver was the obvious choice.A fashion trend that is
classical as it is eternal is silver furniture. There are sets with hair
brushes, combs, mirrors as well. This technique is used for some silver
figurines and interestingly enough, doors and doorways. The modern-day version
of this is a tacky gold polish which disappears after a couple of vigourous
scrubbings!
The other utensils of ritual significance that emerged out of the
silver smith’s workshop were: The puja thali, that invariably came to be
decorated with flower creepers at the edges, diyas or lamps of a mind boggling
variety of shapes and sizes. From elephant howdahs of yore, are present-day
chairs, sofas, chaise lounges, tables, jhoolas, beds, bedside lamps complete
with electric fittings, screens, side tables and triangular corners, which are
essentially made of good teak wood and then a thick silver sheet is wrapped
around the wood and beaten in place to encase and delineate the carving. Served
on matching silver plate and with a small silver bowl filled with rose petals
floating on water to clean the tips of the fingers that tend to soil when the
paan is being imbibed are stuff that define the Avadh romance. Some unusual ones
are shaped into pendants that can be strung in a chain around the neck and have
a utility value as well! Joining the ranks here are a couple of interesting
pieces – the lowly toothpick and ear cleaner with tiny spoon-like scoop for
extracting wax! These too are part of the neck entourage!Traditionally these
were unisex, but became feminine over the years.
That it was a soft metal, made
it easier to detail the figurines. Several years ago I remember straying into a
well known silver smith’s showroom and asking the weight of a silver tea
service.com Used in temples and palaces alike earlier, these can be found in
some homes of the very rich as well. Silver applicators for bindis and sindoor
too can be found in areas where the disgustingly ubiquitous stick-on bindis have
not arrived! For the men are shaving sets, with a small bowl, brush handle,
razor sans blades, and a comb. Paandaans no bigger than a demi-sized book and
even shaped like one are available! Providing them company are small boxes for
supari etc that fit into an evening bag with ease! Paan serving dishes from
Lucknow perhaps deserve special mention – shaped like a dome or an open
umbrella, spikes with small chains are hung from the centre of the dome or the
edges of the umbrella wherein the prepared paan is pierced on each spike.The
modern-day version of this is a tacky gold polish which disappears after a
couple of vigourous scrubbings! Exquisitely crafted silver items are always much
in demand, be they kitchen utensils, corporate gifts, pens and pencils or
jewellery pieces.Silver pieces gracing the corporate honchos’ tables too make
their style statement. Here the casting method was used, so that the figurines
were completely solid. The combs vary from the severely simple to the
elaborately ornate. In some regions Ganga-Jamuni or icons made of silver and
gold also became popular. I personally find it too akin to delusions of
grandeur, but just as well for at least the karigari will survive. Paisley
shaped, almond shaped, oval, round, with designs embossed on the body of the
piece are popular all over the country.When the paan is served, the person
eating it is supposed to hold the paan and slide it from the spike. In the
southern part of India, the silver and lamps of other metals like brass or even
terra cotta echo the same design – a salute to the perfection of design achieved
over centuries. From Madhya Pradesh come combs that have the option of being
filled up with oil and when the hair is combed. Dancing and instrument playing
figurines, tabla drums, pretty shankhs or silver shells carved in a cut out
format, photo and mirror frames, ships in full mast, filigree chariot with Lord
Krishna reciting the Gita with Arjuna is a fairly popular number – often given
out to politicians.Now with fewer people keeping paandaans at home, the sizes
too have undergone a change.Now with big design houses having focused attention
on the metal, it is undergoing resurgence from being merely a poor man’s "gold.
Other unisex articles include tongue cleaners with decorative rope designs are
also popular in Orissa, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, combs and the oil
bottle covers – used extensively in the Eastern part of India.
The writer is an
art curator and artist and can be contacted on alkaraghuvanshi@yahoo.Out of the
puja ghar, silver dominates dining spaces. Sleek cigarette cases, lighters, ash
trays, card cases, desk calendars, pen and ink holders, boxes for scratch pads,
paper weights polished to perfection are perhaps far more effective in saying it
all, without saying a thing.Sindoor boxes in an amazing variety of both shape,
design and size to flatter the vainest of women are available all over.For the
more shaukeen or tasteful are paandaans. The embellishments that followed could
be in gold or inset with semi precious and precious stones. In some cases even
filigree is used, which entails soldering silver wires in a fine mesh to give
the desired results. The decorative element of this segment is either embossing
wherein a silver plate is beaten into place to reflect a certain design or
carving a certain design by cutting out pieces not required by the design.
Joining the ranks are candle stands, center pieces, napkin holders, tea light
holders, coffee sets, tea services, strainers, cups and saucers, silver mugs for
beer, wine tumblers, water jugs, trays of various shapes and sizes that define
lifestyle. As do silver hookahs from Rajasthan.Another important component of
silver usage are articles of personal toiletries by both men and women. It is a
style statement that sets the classes apart from the plebeians
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