Vernacular Furniture
of Rajasthan
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Anaikya: Vernacular Furniture of Rajasthan

Anaikya: Vernacular Furniture of Rajasthan Cover
Mansi S Rao
Ben Cartwright
Samrudha Dixit

In a dhani, a mud-and dung-built house, in the desert in Barmer, a woman takes her saree down from an argani (hanger), dresses, then heads to the kitchen. She walks to the beel (shelf) and prays in front of the images of the gods propped up there. 

In the Amar Mahal at the City Palace Museum in Udaipur, a visitor bends to get a closer look at a silver-clad sinhaasan (throne). The sunlight picks out little embossed flowers, and the visitor notices the armrests are formed from two silver growling lions. 

In Vagad, the head of the family rolls over on his khaat (charpoy) and stretches out a hand. He touches a large wooden cabinet. Opening his eyes, he sees the ornately chiselled patterns of leaves and flowers. Only he knows how to open the secret compartments in this cabinet. This is a majju, and the suthar (carpenter) who made it designed it to function like a safe box. 

Anaikya means ‘diversity’ and this book celebrates the diversity of vernacular furniture in Rajasthan, and in doing so, it celebrates different communities, environments, faiths, customs and lifestyles.

Details

Authors: Mansi S. Rao, Ben Cartwright, Samrudha Dixit
Publisher: CEPT University Press
ISBN: 978-93-83184-42-2
Number of pages: 506
Language: English