Stone Craft Tradition at Gwalior Trade Fair Becomes a Center of Attraction for Tourists; Vinay Kumar and his family have been setting up their stall for almost half a century
Gwalior: Giving life to lifeless stone by shaping it into useful and artistic forms has been a unique characteristic of Indian craft tradition. This skill has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Indian fairs have always been the most powerful platform for artisans to showcase their art and earn a livelihood.
The Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Gwalior Trade Fair keeps this tradition alive. The indigenous crafts displayed at the fair are attracting tourists. This year, the stone craft stalls at the Gwalior fair have also made a special mark.
The stone craft stall set up by artisan Vinay Kumar between stalls number 19 and 20 is particularly appealing to tourists. Household items and attractive decorative pieces carved from stone attract tourists from afar. Tourists are enthusiastically buying these stone craft samples.
A skill inherited through generations
Stone craftsman Vinay Kumar says that his family has been setting up their stall at the Gwalior fair for almost half a century. This is their ancestral business and a skill inherited through generations. Earlier, his father, Sanjeet, used to do this work with his relatives, and now they are carrying on the same tradition.
Vinay Kumar's family creates exquisite craft samples
Vinay Kumar belongs to the Gond tribe. According to Vinay Kumar, his ancestors first settled in Kanpur and then in Agra. Vinay Kumar's family creates exquisite craft samples by carving marble from Rajasthan mines and white and sandstone from the Gwalior-Chambal region.
Special features of shop
Small, attractive idols of gods and goddesses, marble pestles and mortars for grinding almonds (a favorite of wrestlers), mortars for grinding cardamom, cloves and other spices, boat-shaped mortars for kohl and medicines, and artistic rolling pins and boards for children and adults are the special features of his shop.
Colorful clocks are crafted from marble
In addition, grinding stones made of white stone for grinding flour, porridge, and gram flour are also available. Colorful clocks crafted from marble, shaped into peacocks, flowers, leaves, and vases, are also attracting the attention of tourists. Visitors are taking these handcrafted pieces home as souvenirs.
Fairs have kept family's traditional craft alive
Vinay Kumar says that his shop at the Gwalior fair generates an average of 5 to 6 lakh rupees in sales annually. He says that these fairs have kept his family's traditional craft alive. His family's livelihood depends on setting up stalls at the Gwalior fair and other fairs across the country.