Shantiniketan Leather Bags from Amar Kutir Bolpur
Amar Kutir Bolpur: How it Started
Amar Kutir was once place of refuge for activists involved in independence movements. Today the scene is different; it has a big cooperative society for rural development. This place is at a distance of 15kms from Shantiniketan, but Rabindranath Tagore is no way associated with this place. Somehow the tag of Shantiniketan made the products popular.
Amar Kutir (my cottage) was set up by Sushen Mukherjee in 1927. Sushen believed that one’s first and foremost purpose of life should be “to free yourself from the bondage of foreign rule”. While he had many young followers ready to fight against British and who were most often in hiding, Sushen was worried about how they would maintain their day to day living. So it was here at Amar Kutir, he established the rudiments of cottage industry.
Making the leather bags at Shantiniketan Amar Kutir Bolpur
Women in Amar Kutir
Shantiniketan Leather Bags
What started as an initiative for self sustenance turned into full fledged industry offering employment to many! I visited the unit producing Shantiniketan leather bags and other goods.
There are approximately 65 experts in the unit, each person assigned with a particular job. The raw material passed from one expert’s hand to the next and then next till it came out finally as a jhola bag/ sling bag, beautiful pouch or key chain, or hand bag, may be even as pencil box or lipstick holder etc.
Leather pouches machine stitched
For cloring the leather pieces they follow the touch dyeing process. The dye they use is vegetable dye, yet years of working with these dyes changed the color of the skin of this lady’s fingers. They have turned white.
I asked her if it was painful, she said there was no pain or numbness, only the color of the skin had changed. Some of them were using finger caps made of rubber. Observe carefully, you will see the finger caps in her right hand.
Beautiful leather pouches from Amar Kutir
Showroom at Amar Kutir
They have a beautiful showroom stuffed with various products. The other units there are the Kantha stitch products, needle craft unit, shola and lac crafts units. The products beautiful and all are reasonably priced. I was happy to visit the place, talk to the locals there and came back happy with some of their stuffs.
Amar Kutir showroom
great bags and loved the pics.
Interesting post, and some beautiful product. Thanks for contributing to Travel Photo Thursday!
Most interesting post; I will look at those leather articles differently from now on.
Thank you for sharing, very interesting. Nice to meet you via Travel Photo Thursday. Do you have an 'About ' page, I can't see one at the moment.
That's so interesting how the vegetable dyes have whitened her fingers. Very informative post.
Loved your post….
Great post with beautiful pics..:-)
Such a different point of view.
I host a weekly link party called "Oh, the PLACES I've been!" and would love to have you link.
– The Tablescaper
Nice Informative Post Indrani.. 🙂
its wonderful creating small cottage industries like this, wonderful
It's first time knowing about this place..good job done!
Thanks so much for the comments friends.
Thanks Ankita. I did purchase some stuffs from there… may be I will make a separate post on it.
Do you have images of what you got back from there?Lovely article,the hand of the lady looks rather worked out! I wish they had some gloves or something.
nice images ! Work done for cause !
Great idea. It's great to see a leader with vision and compassion. Thanks for sharing.
Pure and positive work. Thanks for photos too.
Nice images.. Thanks for sharing interesting things..
What an amazing place!
Interesting…
a great and informataive post. I learned something. 🙂
i am yet to see that someone work with vegetable dye may suffer from skin disease like this. The dye can not be purely vegetable, it could be a part of actual chemical dye. Most of them contain methyl salisilicate which on daily use may damage the hypodermal layers. Thank you for bringing into light a bitter truth.
awesome shots………. 🙂
nice clicks
Wow the pics look amazing and the handmade products in the last pic are so beautiful 🙂
Nice and useful information
Wonderful success story!
I really love your blog. So interesting. So I'm your newest follower. I invite you to visit my blog. Thank you.
Endah- Indonesia
I've seen many of those little coin purses. Now I know where they come from.
What an interesting post – thank you.
That was an excellent idea ! Should be done more also in other countries !
Very beautiful post. The creations are pretty and I am glad her fingers are not in pain.
Freat ingenuity!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Wow…that is amazing!
Hugs
SueAnn
Beautiful & interesting post. Nice pics.
Nice Post with Lovely Pics, looks like they have Interesting stuff. . Have a Nice Day. . . 🙂
Colour change seems an occupational hazard.I wasn't aware of this.I have seen such bags in Kolkata
I used to own on of them which then got passe donto my mother. And lemme tell you, they hv withstood all the wear n tear n still goes strong… A piece of beauty it indeed is
Great informative post.. nice find to share..
Very well captured!
Very nice! I have a bag and few wallets from here!
It looks like a lot of hard work!
Thank you so much for visiting my blog Munchy Delight Adventures today.
I love your narrative of this beautifully hand crafted items.
— Noriko
i support undertakings like this. they make wonderful creations.
Hi Indrani,
Firstly, thanks for visiting my blog 🙂
Secondly, Kudos to you for visiting this place and writing about it. It is a great way for locals to make a sustainable living. Hope you shopped a lot 🙂
Pallavi
Wonderful post..
Fascinating post, a piece of history and slice of life I know very little about, thanks !
Fascinating narrative and great shots.
so glad the woman's fingers do not have pain! beautiful work they do.
This sounds like a wonderful place to visit. You got a first-hand view of how these beautiful creations are made.
Great knowing about this wonderful place! True hard workers
Having worked leather myself, I can admire their craft and skill, Indrani
ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
=^..^= <3
> < } } ( ° >
> < 3 3 3 ( ' >
Beautiful work and amazing what has happened to her hands!!! Terrific shots for the day, Indrandi, as always! Hope your week is off to a great start!
Very nice impression Indrani…..good shots again.
Greetings, Joop