Sandstone Craft of Dhrangadhra

1. Which community is working for stone carving?

2. How many people work as stone carving Artisans?

3. What is the specialty of Dhrangadhras stone carving ?

4. What do they make out of stone?

5. Which type of temples they make?

6. Why are artisans doing only traditional practices?

7. Why do most artisans work for temple carving ?

8. How many hours do artisan work daily?

9. Does Artisan motivate his son to work as a stone carver and how ?

10. Are the women working as the stone carver?

11. What are the types of stone carving artisan ?

12. Are they working in groups or individually ?

13. Artists have their own space to work ?

14. Are they doing any work other than stone carving ?

15. What is the social status of stone carvers in Dhrangadhra?

16. How does Environmental Effects on the Craft?

Raw material

1. What are different materials they use?

2. How does an artisan get stone (raw material)? From where?

3. How do they transport the raw material?

4. How do they evaluate the stone ?

5. What amount of raw material they buy at a time? What is the frequency?

Tools

1. What types of tools do they use?

2. How do they get the tools which they use for craft?

3. How do they maintain the tools after use?

Health of Sandstone craft Artisans

1. Do they have any health issues by practicing the craft? Which are they?

2. What is silicosis?

3. How does an artisan from Dhrangadhra suffer from silicosis?

4. Why do artisans continue this work after they know about disease?

5. What kinds of treatment do they receive from the government?

6. What kind of treatment do they receive from local clinics?

7. Till today how many artisans died because of stone carving?

8. What is the lifespan of a stone carver?

9. They have any compulsory medical policy?

10. How far is the clinic from an artisan place ?

Safety of artisans

1. What do they do for safety while working?

2. Do they use safety gear? Which are they?

3. How do they get the safety kit?

4. Why do they not use the safety gears?

5. How do they manage new technology or machinery apart from traditional tools?

6. How do they treat the mining place?

Government

1. What does a geologist do?

2. How is the government involved in Dhrangadhras stone carving process?

3. What does the government do for artisans? Any policy for artisans?

• • • • 1. What is your name and where are you from ?

        2. from How many years you are working /carving ?

        3. Do you have any physical problems?

        4. Do you suffer from silicosis?

        5. Do you have children and what are they doing?

        6. Would you like to do them stone carving ?

        7. Do you have any side business ?

        8. What do you eat at your lunch /dinner time ?

        9. Which ritual practice do you follow ?

        10. What addiction do you have ?

        11. How many hours do you work daily ?

        12. Do you use a mask ?

        13. What kind of mask ?

        14. Which safety kits do you have ?

        15. Which communities live in Dhrangadhra?

        16. What do you make out of stone?

        17. Which type of temples do you make?

        18. What types of tools do you use?

• • • Dhrangadhra has a history and Tradition of stone work, that's why Artisan are practicing the stone craft till today.

    • Some artisans work Individually, but Most of the artisans do work for the stone industry or contractors because of heavy investment as Infrastructure.

• • • Most of the stone craft artisans of Dhrangadhra suffer from the silicosis disease.

    • Artisans Don't take any pre treatment or precaution before the cause of silicosis.

    • After knowing about the Silicosis disease Stone craft artisans do work continues because of they mentaly prepared for that also they don't find other work to do.

    • Artisans are not comfortable to work with wearing safety gears, they are not used to it and do not take it seriously.

    • Artisans don't have other ways apart from the using safety kit to decrease the stone particles to spread in the air while stone craft work.

    • After starting to use machinery for stone cutting and carving , artisans get affected by dust quickly.

    • Health department of Gujarat doesn't have any exact solution for silicosis.

    • SAPTI Institute is trying to take forward the Stone craft of Dhrangadhra.

    • Status of the Dhrangadhra’s Stone craft artisans as a labor in the stone industry.

    • Only basic health checkup service provided by the local hospital of Dhrangadhra to the villagers.

    • People who don't do stone carving also suffer from silicosis because there are stone particles in the air of Dhrangadhra. Because of the spreading of Silicosis diseases among the number of villagers, Gujarat government started a research department on silicosis in the District hospital of surendranagar.

    • By using groundwater for drinking Most people of Dhrangadhra suffer from kidney stones. Because groundwater has silica particles.

• • • Government gave a promise to distribute some part of mining to the Stone craft artisans of Dhrangadhra , for their own traditional practices, but it has not been implemented yet.

    • Some small stone industries and Stone craft artisans of Dhrangadhra do illegal mining.

    • During illegal mining , people don't use safety measurement and instruments , that's why there are stone particles included in the air.

    • Stone industries of Dhrangadhra started hiring craftsmen from other states like Orissa, Madhya pradesh, Uttar pradesh, Rajasthan.

    • Artists don't get much money to do work for the Stone industry of Dhrangadhra.

    • Artisans do not get Suitable quality stone for Stone carving work, Because of illegal mining.

    • Without Suitable quality stone, Stone craft artisans can't do good quality work which can go to the global market.

    • Stone Industry doesn't get much production by the Stone craft artisans. Because of the lack of modern technology.

    • Most of the Stone craft artisan does manual work,because they are not educated how to use modern technology.

    • The stone industry doesn't have special technicians to handle the machinery part of the Stone industry.

• • • local industry demands for the traditional temple making work, that's why they don't feel to turn the work towards containerization.

    • They have already made sufficient market areas that's why, They are narrow minded for work opportunities and markets.

    • Architects demand for the stone work around the country, most of them are connected to the Dhrangadhra’s Stone Industries.

    • Ahmadabad is a hub of modern design and architecture in India, and Ahmadabad city has good transportation and access to the Dhrangadhra. That's why Dhrangadhras stone industry has connected to the construction field and architecture.

    • artisan work places between railway stations and highways for better transport.