What is gulabi meenakari from Varanasi?

Gulabi meenakari is a refined craft from Varanasi that uses expressive pink enamel fused onto precious metals like silver or gold for jewellery, idols, and ceremonial objects.

What are the challenges facing gulabi meenakari artisans?

Key challenges include rising material costs and a decreasing number of young artisans entering the specialized craft, threatening its continuity.

Why does gulabi meenakari continue to be in demand?

Despite challenges, the handmade value and meticulous craftsmanship of gulabi meenakari ensure its continued demand for occasions like weddings and gifting.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Varanasi's Pink Enamel: A Craft Fighting Rising Costs

Varanasi's Pink Enamel: A Craft Fighting Rising Costs

11 Feb

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Summary

Gulabi meenakari, a pink enamel craft from Varanasi, adorns jewellery and idols.
The art requires meticulous engraving, enameling, and polishing techniques.
Rising material costs and fewer young artisans challenge the craft's future.

Varanasi's Pink Enamel: A Craft Fighting Rising Costs

Varanasi's distinctive gulabi meenakari, a refined craft using pink enamel on precious metals, continues to be a significant artisanal tradition. Executed on silver or gold, this luminous art form is applied to jewellery, idols, and ceremonial objects, sustaining a specialized network of designers, engravers, enamellers, and polishers.

The art, believed to have Persian origins, evolved in Varanasi to feature a signature pink enamel developed with gold oxide, fused into the metal for richness. Over generations, artisans embraced floral and devotional motifs, reflecting local aesthetics, and the craft now holds a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Each piece requires precision through engraving, careful enamel application, and multiple firings for depth and translucence. Despite challenges like rising material costs and fewer young artisans joining, initiatives like ODOP have increased exposure. Artisans like National Awardee Kunj Bihari Singh believe the handmade value ensures gulabi meenakari's endurance.