JAIPUR

Step out onto the streets of Jaipur and art is all around you. From block printing to marble carving, for a real taste of the city’s spirit, there’s no better introduction than its craft scene

- CHARLOTTE WIGRAM-EVANS

The master weaver stands up and starts to sing. His voice echoes around the carpet warehouse, a high warble pure and true, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and goosebumps ripple along my arms. Below him, cross-legged on the floor, three members of his family work as one, their fingers knotting hundreds of threads in a hypnotic dance of hands. A carpet of incredible intricacy stretches away from the little group, oranges mingling with reds and ochres, set within a border of midnight blue and tassels the colour of tea.

“He’s singing the knots,” says Abhay Sabir — owner of Rangrez Creation, an artisan carpet maker in the west of Jaipur — as he shows me round. Seeing my look of confusion, he continues: “Every family of carpet makers will have a master weaver, just like all have their own melodies. This carpet will be made up of more than one million knots, all done by hand, and all guided by his song.”

It’s a beautiful scene, and one that sums up the city. Five hours southwest of Delhi and marking the start of the desertlike state of Rajasthan, Jaipur is a place that breeds creativity, where craft has a magical quality and work is still largely done by hand. The area has long captured artistic imaginations, first encouraged by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who made it a tax haven for artisans in 1734, drawing the most talented craftspeople from across the country.

I leave Abhay, and clamber back into my auto rickshaw. In keeping with the maharaja’s vision, different streets are still dedicated to different crafts, and in Chokdi Gangapol, it’s all about carpets. We trundle off, a welcome breeze cutting through the thick midday heat and bringing an intoxicating waft of spices from food sellers lining the narrow street.