Santiniketan Leather Goods

Santiniketan Leather Goods
Geographical indication

Boxes made of goat leather
Alternative names An antique dowry bag in Kutch Embroidery
Type Leather art
Area Santiniketan and near by cluster of villages
Country India
Registered July 2007
Material Leather

Santiniketan Leather Goods are leather products made in Santiniketan and surrounding cluster of villages near Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The material used is from vegetable tanned leather with art work done by adopting touch dyeing.[1] Its artistic leather bags are popular in foreign market and are exported to countries such as Japan, U.S.A. and many others.[2] They are generally made of East India Leather (E.I. leather) from sheep skins.[3]

This leather product of West Bengal has been registered for protection under the List of Geographical indication of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement. In July 2007, it was listed as "Santiniketan Leather Goods" under the GI Act 1999 of the Government of India with registration confirmed by the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks under Class 18 Handicraft goods vide application number 509 for the dated 12 July 2007.[4]

History

This leather product was started as a cottage industry about 80 years ago by rural people of a few villagers surrounding Santiniketan and marketed at the Bhuban Danga Market. The craftsmen of the villages were trained under the Rural Developed Programme of Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan.[1]

Process of manufacture

The vegetable tanned skins used in making this leather product in particular have the quality of permanently retaining the embossed imprint of motifs or batiks. A cotton pad or a glass, which has a smooth surface, is used to make the grains of the leather shine.[1]

Raw materials

The raw materials used in making these goods are classified according to the grain quality and smoothness as E.I. Tanned leathers of sheep or goat skins which are dyed with vegetable colours. The leather types are termed as "Paper, Kid or Bind"; Paper which has coarse grained and spotted is the skin of bigger goats or sheep while Bind and kid skin varieties are derived from small size animals and of superior quality. Other materials used to make the final product with the tanned leather are paper board of varying thickness, cotton, velvet or silk for lining, foam rubber for padding, natural dyes and spirit, rubber solution, and several sundries.[1]

Process

The E.I. tanned leathers, which are marketed in rolls with 3 or 4 skins, are coated with a preservative of Epsom salt to check any type of oxidization. The skins, after intensive washing, are immersed in a wooden vat or pit. They are then taken out and flattened by pulling and then dried. After drying, designs are drawn on the leather and cut to required sizes to make the desired products in several shapes.[1]

Products

The products manufactured and marketed are in the form of coin bags, chappal, handbags, pouches, jewelry boxes, pencil boxes, eyeglass covers, bags, ladies’ bags, piggy bank, cover for cushions, sandals, wallets, and many more.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ghosh, R.D. "Diagnostic Study Report For Leather Goods Cluster, Santiniketan" (pdf). Government Of India:Small Industries Service Institute. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Basu 1990, p. 28.
  3. ↑ Virginia 1974, p. 187.
  4. ↑ "Geographical Indications Journal 29" (pdf). Government of India. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
Bibliography
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