Papert Craft of Delhi

Talk of paper craft brings one inside the patang (kite) market in Lal Kuan bazaar in Old Delhi. These colourful, feather-light kites come in all shapes and sizes, as kite flying is an important national pastime.

Tazia is the next most popular paper craft. A commemorative paper structure, it consists of coloured bits of paper pasted on a bamboo frame and carried in the Moharram procession. Tazias are used for a happy purpose too during the Phoolwalon ki Sair held every September in the capital.

Another papercraft that takes a lot of hard work is Effigy-Making. The real effect of this art can be seen when the Hindu festival of Dusshera comes round. Huge effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnath are laboriously erected and then burnt on Dusshera to uphold the victory of truth and justice.

Arts & Crafts