The flowers of stone : dying art handicraft

The video is a presentation on the dying art of stone handicraft that is practised in the district of West Medinipur in West Bengal. In the area of Berpahar which falls under Birpur Block 2, there is a cluster of villages, Simulpal, Dhangi Kusum, Laboni, Bir Madol, Dakai, Sankhapara, Kashidanga and Chandanpur. In these villages reside around 100-200 families belonging to communities like the Sabars, Koras and Bhumijas who are involved in making flowers from stone. These communities who are engaged in this activity collectively call themselves as mistri. To make their creations they use stones which are quarried nearby and hence available in plenty, and then they are heated in an oven. The stone is then fixed onto a wooden stand by molten shellac and turned on hand-pulled milling to produce beautiful patterns on the stone.