INTANGIBLE HERITAGE OF ART & CRAFT WITH IHCL

IHCL (Rambagh Palace) organised a Press meet on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of India on Wednesday. The meet witnessed an interactive session by Ashok S Rathore (Area DirectorJaipur & Ajmer and General Manager –Rambagh Palace). Led by the values of Paathya, IHCL’s ESG+ framework, one of IHCL’s key focus areas is preserving and promoting India’s intangible cultural heritage. With this objective, IHCL has collaborated with UNESCO to offer experiential tours for travellers at various IHCL hotels including Rambagh Palace. Special itineraries will allow in-house Palace guests to experience an authentic Kalbelia dance at the tribal village, a cultural expression of erstwhile snake charmers, who often live outside villages and cities in makeshift camps called Deras.

Performed primarily by the women of the tribe, the dance involves imitating the movements of a serpent to the enchanting tunes of a traditional Poongi or Been instrument played by the men. Guests can also learn about the intricacies of blue pottery making, named after the eye-catching ultramarine blue dye, derived from cobalt oxide, to colour the pottery, which is what gives this art form its name. Unconventionally crafted from quartz and not clay, each piece is painstakingly fashioned by hand.

They can even try their hand at Bagru hand block printing at the village of Bagru, which houses the extremely skilled artisans of the Chhipa community. These artisans are known for their block printing and mud resist printing techniques, practised for over 500 years now. The artisans use Sheesham wood blocks that are hand-carved with intricate motifs. Speaking about these unique experiences in collaboration with UNESCO, Ashok S Rathore, Area Director-Jaipur & Ajmer and General Manager, Rambagh Palace, stated, “The Pink City of Jaipur is world renowned, not just for its rich history, but also for the many local arts that have originated here. As part of IHCL’s Paathya initiatives, we are delighted to collaborate with UNESCO to conserve and retain the indigenous crafts of the respective artisans, and offer guests an opportunity to understand the intricacies and legacies of this centuries-old art.” Each of the three itineraries offered at Rambagh Palace has been curated so that guests can experience the living heritage of Jaipur’s crafts better. Under Paathya, IHCL will continue to pioneer sustainable practices in its pursuit of excellence and create a benchmark in the tourism industry.