Size. It’s that four-letter word that Crafts Atlas of India author Jaya Jaitly seems to have overcome with élan, while working on this tome, which can best be termed as overwhelming, at first glance. Or even later. The social and political Indian activist and founder of Dilli Haat in the capital took it upon herself to document India’s crafts since the early 1990s. What ensued was a challenge that traversed milestones, boundaries, language, castes, communities and above all, an exhaustive diversity which, in her own words, was near impossible to encapsulate due to its sheer vastness and fluidity.u00a0In an email interview, Delhi-based Jaitly revisits this fulfilling journey, the many stories that bind tradition in India, its near-forgotten arts and why creativity is intrinsic to our culture.

The crafts map of West Bengal features the jharna patachitra and Kalighat forms of folk art combined by artistes Bapi Chitrakar and Bahadur Chitrakar. The gods at the upper end of the painting signify that festivals provide all artisans with work throughout the yearu00a0Pics courtesy/ Crafts atlas of Indiau00a0