“A STUDY ON FADING ART FORM – GANJIFA CARDS”
Dr. Shruti Tiwari
(Head of Fashion, Renaissance University) Ms.Sakshi Mundra
(B.Design students of School of fashion, Renaissance University)
Abstract- His game of cards called ganjifa cards is thin on ground. The playing and fabrication of these cards have completely vanished with its intricate paintings or printings that represent their historic cultural value. The present study approaches to understand the importance of craft like Ganjifa cards and the cultural, ethical values related to it. The present study was taken under the secondary data bases.
Keywords: -Mughals, Persians, India, Mughal ganjifa, dasavatarganjifa, Hindu, incarnations, bird ganjifa, as htadikpala ganjifa, chitkara, suits, Mysore.
1. INTRODUCTION
Ganjifa is a beautiful indifferent shaped deck of playing cards with detailed beautiful paintings on them. Ganjifa is the title given to card game, authentically this game is to have been ushered to India and disseminate during the Moghul era. Considerably the name Ganjifa comes from the Persian word “Ganjifeh” which means playing cards.
Generally these cards are in circular shape but sometimes it can also be found in rectangular shapes traditional form to represent the art form. This game of playing cards called “Ganjifa” is the pure most evidence of the phenomena of dying popularity with the modification done or societal up gradation. Though it is called as Ganjifa playing cards which was being played all-around the world and many parts of India, thus every region has their own technique to play and their own different names.
In India There was Rajasthan and Gujrat Ganjifa then there was the Sawantwadi Ganjifa from Maharashtra, Navadurga Ganjifa from Orrisa, , Kashmir Ganjifa, Nepal Ganjifa and the Mysooru Ganjifa which was greatly deign by the Mysore Royal family during their reign.Whereas the most popularised and traditional is “Maysooru Ganjifa”. In the hidden edge of this city a quiet locality near the famous Chamundi Hills of Mysore is the home of Shri Raghupathi Bhatta or Ganjifa Rahupathi Bhatta as he is popularly known as Ganjifa artist lived his life practising Ganjifa and put his leg forward to popularise Ganjifa art and trying to bring it back in present.
In the 17th and 18th century when it was highly popular and speared across, it was widely played in the Indian courts, especially within the women‟s quarter played out of boredom. With the rise in popularity it became a part of writing and intricate decks were created to with tortoise sell inlaid with precious stones to honour.
With the wide spread of empires this art form also has its own variation according to the people of empires.
Moghul Ganjifa:- The Moghul Ganjifa was the card game played widely in Mughal court with 96 cards in 8 suits of 12 cards each. The most know patterns were the variant to the original pattern once used in Persia. Generally these cards were referred to their old names which were Wazir “the minister” whereas the king “shah”.
Dasavatar Ganjifa:- It was played with 120 members among the Hindu players , thus the theme was related to the Hindu culture and created their own suit signs.
Dasavatar which means to have human and animals appearance in them showed the incarnations of lord Vishnu which revealed himself to be in opposition of the evil. There were 10 incarnations such as fish (matsya), parashurama (rama with axe), kalkin, vamana(dwarf), varha(boar), narishma (half human half lion) and Buddha.
Ramayana Ganjifa:- Ramayan Ganjifa, a form of fictional art from the Hindu literature, the Ramayana.It is very aptly related with the Ganjapa ethics of Odessa and usually has d eight, ten, or twelve suits.
Ashta Malla Ganjifa, meaning 'Eight Wrestlers'- narrates Krishna fighting various evils.
Mysore Chad Ganjifa- Mysore was an epicenter for Ganjifa card making, influenced by Krishnaraja Wadiyar III in the mid-19th century. He worked on different difficult and wider Ganjifa games, some requiring as many as 18 different suits, permanent trand and wildcards. A typical Chad suit had twelve numerous and six court cards, and packs had as many as 360 cards. They never got high popularity in mass and are quite in doubt, probably played only within his royal courts or high standardised family if at all.
Naqsh Ganjifa For playing Naqsh,, with 48 cards:- There is only one deck which has four units or components with it. The symbols used to run 12 cards were very framing packed to the next. These decks are related with gambling or played during special occasion like festivities in india.
Akbar's Ganjifa- The 16th-century Mughal Empire Akbar played with 12 suited deck, which is described in detail in the Ain-i-Akbari. This deck was having horses, elephants, foot soldiers, forts, and treasures, warriors in armour, boats, women, divinities, genii, wild beasts, and snakes.
Mamluk Kanjif:- The existence of such cards were limited according to Leo Aryeh Mayer it was told to have four suits: cups, coins, swords, and polo-sticks. Each deck used to consist 3 court cards, the king, the first vizir), and the second vizir. The cards does not haveany figurative images, but they feature stylish writing called calligraphy with elaborated royal backgrounds. The term 'Kanjifa' appears in Arabic on the turf of the king.
French suited Ganjifa:- This was the most mixed and perished kind of decks existed that combine Indian or Persian imagery with the hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs symbols of the French suit system.
2. AIMS & OBJECTIVES:-
1. To investigate the past and provenance of Indian motifs
2. To decode the style of motifs and understand how they were derived from the daily practices of caste and the wider social context
3. To examine how the interpretations and representations varied in terms of region, practice, caste, religion mythology, use of materials, external influences and use over time
4. To understand how motifs have travelled from neighbouring countries and trade relations with the world.
The main objectives were:
1. To give a brief study about the use of motifs in art forms
2. To understand the graphical transformation motifs have undergone
3. To trace the origins of traditional motifs 4. to bring to light dying crafts and practices 4. To propose an innovative system that revives the crafts and provides information
about the intriguing motifs 3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE:-
Very few researches have been conducted on this art form.
1. As the art is nearly extinct, very less evidence or studies are available about this beautiful and valuable art form called, Ganjifa. Today the art can only be seen on the tea coaster or frames or tray sets. In countries like Persia and India, the time honoured hand-made Ganjifa cards or art lost a huge market value due lesser know information about the art. Those who are very much attracted about the art and craft sector and are interested are more likely to know about the importance of the art forms as per explained Description in booklet supplied with a set of cards from Sawantwadi Lacquerwares, The Palace, Sawantwadi 416510 Maharashtra, India.
2. By referring the article written by Mr. Kishor N. Gordhandas, such as 'Cards of House', published in the Mysore based Deccan Herald newspaper, Sunday 6/4/2008, online version. The accoding to the investigation from a coastal town in Maharashtra to Victorian & Albert Museum in London, Ganjifa playing cards were seen with a lavish and luxurious rejuvenation.
3. Online blog by John McLeod (webmaster of card game rules site www.pagat.com) on the newsgroup rec. games. playing-cards on March 25, 1997, in revert to a thread entitled "Ganjifa, Classic Indian card game", brought up by James Kilfiger on March 22, 1997. The newsgroup can be browsed for example via google: .Direct weblink to post retrieved February 8, 2015.
4. IPCS paper 'Ganjifa - the traditional playing cards of India', by Jeff Hopewell,
Existing studies point that the respected craft of this beautiful world is dead somewhere due to lack of importance and lesser known by the people.
Ashtadikpala: A Rare and Unusual Set of Ganjifa Cards by ArunimaPati, published in 25 October 2015 Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 3 (2015):
709‐714 says that The game and cards of Ganjifa are very scares . The playing of this game and the manufacturing of these cards are on the verge of extinction. Again, among the themes of painting these cards, only the most popular ones like the Dashavatara or the Ramayana are found in the playing centres. But the rarer themes which are many and varied like the Navagraha, the Rashi, and the Astadikpalaganjifas are neither made nor are seen much anywhere. One such set, the Ashtadikpalas, has been discussed specifically in this paper.
4. METHODOLOGY
The countersign aim of this research wasto make work ATAU‟s associates who reviews and attracted to chandlers and creative designers who have a league to see the art from wider eyes to ATAU. However, ATAU have very less artisans on the field who have completed their profile to start building a connection between them and potential entrepreneur and working firms. Thus, the research aims ted to level up the artisan merge up and membership on ATAU. To fulfil this, many efforts were made from starting to end to give it a platform.
1. Its origin has always been a treasure mystery or controversy as countries like Nepal, China, France, Italy, Egypt, Netherlands, Germany and Spain proclaimed to be the birthplace of playing cards.
2. Ganjifa card game was made common for all the classes and all the people in the society but with slight twist in its making. Only the ornamentation like the use of gold for royal family or aristocrats, and for the common people shells, ivory, paper
based cards were used and painted with the help of super thin brushes and natural handmade colours.
3. Whereas another major twist and turn came to this art form when every culture and place represented it‟ their own rules, regulations and custodians who not only guarded this art but also made the rules related to their own indigenous style.
This contemporization of Ganjifa made a place for diversification and giving it an innovation to stage or international stage level, so that we could revive the art form and relive it so that it could get its existence and significance again in present time.
5. THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATION OF THE PLAY OF GANJIFA –
In epicentre of Orissa and Maharashtra, playing ganjifa cards is observed as favourite pastime. Adolescent were seen playing Dasavatara Ganjifa around Puri temples with devotional value having their own implications. Vindicated by the aristocratic community believed it as an act of „pleasing to God‟.
By quoting significance of the play specific to the card placed, in the form of „your Matsya lost‟, „My Rama did this‟, „Your Narasimha won‟, „ of God‟s name, evils are to be set aside. This Nobel act of deflection served as a channel between culture and craft, combine a holy faith in a performance of amusement.
6. CHALLENGES FACED BY THE CRAFTSMEN
As the art is nearly extinct, very less evidence or studies are available about this beautiful and valuable art form called, Ganjifa. Today the art can only be seen on the tea coaster or frames or tray sets. In countries like Persia and India, the time honoured hand-made Ganjifa cards or art lost a huge market value due to western style printing cards which came to take over in the 20th century.
Following are the reasons for its downfall:-
Technological up- gradation: - As there was up -gradation in printing technique and technical equipment in Europe, United States of America and elsewhere gave a boost up in improved output and further increased their foreign trade of playing cards. Fabrication gave anew transformation of steam power machines, lithography and later new printing technique in which the inked image is transformed from a plate to a rubber blanket and then printing surface called “offset – printing”.
Ganjifa cards were less apt as compared to other card games of western culture.
The games like Rummy, Bridge, Euchre, Poker can be observed as notable events.
In Iran, the game of As- Nas were no longer in fashion and became out-dated by the end of 1945. Whereas in India, the European cards were moved in during colonial period under the demand of high society. At that time either the cards were traded or handmade using traditional technique.
Taxes: - Tax rate were imposed on playing cards to generate revenue which also requires label or packaging of specific brand on the suit or pack of playing cards.
This process of imposing taxes created a manifesto which affected the small manufactures that followed the traditional handmade process of producing cards.
Monopoly, a single seller: - In many countries, playing cards monopoly was being observed. State monopolise were made to take the command over imports and production.
7. RECOMMENDATIONS
Contemporization of motif while maintaining its conventional value and giving it an innovative look to develop the range for showcasing it on global platform.
8. CONCLUSION
Future for Ganjifa art and its lovers is nearly vanished without hope. The younger generation present does not want to work due to the lack of encouragement, as it is very time consuming, and the involvement of middle man made it more difficult for this invaluableart and its artists for its seamless flow and lack of knowledge theoretical mention of Ganjifa art in the educational sector is also hampering its flourishment. Designer‟s intervention for the revival of craft can thrive and uplift the lifestyle of craftsmen.
BIBLIOGRAPHY –
1. https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/game-with-ganjifa-cards/article29962309.ece 2. https://www.thehindu.com/books/a-book-splendours-of-ganjifa-art-documenting-this-fading-art-form-
has-just-been-released/article29971237.ece 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganjifa#Variants
4. https://asiainch.org/craft/ganjifa-playing-cards-of-odisha/
5. https://www.thebetterindia.com/4191/mysore-ganjifa/amp/
6. https://www.prathamasrsti.com/mysuru-ganjifa-art
7. https://shastriyakannada.org/DataBase/KannwordHTMLS/CLASICAL%20KANNADA%20FOLKLORE%2 0AND%20FOLK%20ARTS%20HTML/GANJIFA%20ART.htm
8. http://www.heritageuniversityofkerala.com/JournalPDF/Volume3/45.pdf 9. www.heritageuniversityofkerala.com/JournalPDF/Volume3/45.pdf
