The book features nearly 400 vernacular furniture pieces, used for over 150 years in the state
CEPT University Press has come up with a book that features nearly 400 pieces of vernacular furniture, ie., traditional everyday furniture made and used by different communities across the state. The book 'Sahaj', which means 'inherent' in Gujarati, introduces the everyday furniture that are inherent to and are still made and used throughout Gujarat.
The book, co-authored by professors Mitraja Bais, Jay Thakkar, Samrudha Dixit, and Ben Cartwright, is the result of the first ever survey and accompanying research of vernacular furniture in the state. It is a collaboration between Design Innovation and Craft Resource Center (DICRC), CEPT University, and the South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC), UK, and was launched by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Wednesday and is supported by Gujarat Tourism.
The team retrieved a lot of vernacular furniture pieces from Kutch, Saurashtra, and other areas of North Gujarat; most of the furniture pieces are more than 150 years old.
The university released a statement saying, "Despite vernacular furniture's importance in the material culture of Gujarat, there is a lack of accurate information on these items, which is linked to a wider absence of research. The book addresses some of the factors that have influenced changes in vernacular furniture use and manufacture from 1900 to the present, reviews previous scholarship and ideas about furniture used in the twentieth century, and provides an in-depth overview of Gujarat, its landscapes, and the communities that live there."
Commenting on the launch of the book, Bimal Patel, President, CEPT University, said, "One of the objectives of our university press is to publish high-quality teaching material and research in the fields of human habitat. I am glad to note that it is off to a good start with this book on vernacular furniture of Gujarat."
The pieces focus on various craft forms such as, a local household constructing a kothi (grain store) from mud, a kharadi (wood turner) crafting lacquered frame of a parnu (cradle), and a suthar or mistri (carpenter) making a series of joints and complicated interlocking compartments in a majju (a large and ornate hope chest on wheels, decorated with carved wooden grills or inset glazed ceramic tiles).
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Sahaj")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}