Madhari Embroidery
The Madhari community or snake charmer community can be rightfully described as one of the smallest and most underdeveloped tribal communities living in Kutch today. Their tribal settlement is found only in Vadinagar village of Bachau Taluka, and even this village can boast of just about a hundred Madhari families within its fold. Their occupation, life in the village, and their peculiar dress style with faint European nuances are said to be unchanged over the centuries.
Their main occupation appears to be the capturing of a variety of snakes, particularly the fierce and venomous black cobra. These dangerous captives are then used as their principal aides in performing a number of simple magic tricks. The Madharis have not pursued the monetary benefits of extracting and selling snake venom but spend most of their time making rounds of the towns of Kutch, trying to impress a captive rural audience with their sleight of hand.
The traditional, subtle, freestyle embroidery of the Madharis is used only for beautifying their snake carrier bags, Jooli, exclusively used by the Madhari magician. It is said that the embroidery used on these snake bags has not changed from the ancient themes handed down by their ancestors.
The freestyle embroidery used on the snake bags exemplifies the primordial simplicity of traditional Madhari embroidery that is yet relatively untouched by outside influence. The colour scheme used for this embroidery is muted and harmonises perfectly with their rustic surroundings. The embroidery in no way distracts the charmer or his dangerous companion by the use of overpowering colours.
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