During his first visit to India, Jan Brouwer, was taken up by India’s handicraft. Digging deeper into the origin of the handicrafts, artisans and craftsmen; Jan, an anthropologist, architect, pianist and translator, began his journey into India’s arts. In conversation with NT BUZZ Jan speaks about his study of past and present history of India’s societies and crafts
VENITA GOMES | NT BUZZ
Jan came to India as a backpacker in 1970 and spent nearly three months hitchhiking to several tourist spots. When he went back to his home in The Netherlands, he took up a course in the ‘Anthropology of India’ by Jan C Heesterman. He was quite surprised that artisans and craftsmen of India had never been studied as a separate subject from the anthropological point of view. Later a visit to a store in Amsterdam, left him amazed when he saw unique handicrafts there; and upon inquiring, he was told that they were Indian. However upon probing he was left with not-so-satisfying answers and that brought him back to India.
To get a deeper insight, Jan undertook a research in 1975 about the artisans and craftsmen of India as a part of his Master of Arts thesis. “Delhi and Kashmir being the most popular hubs for woodcraft in India, I decided to stay at Srinagar and do my research. Initially, I lived in Defence Colony as a paying guest. The University of Srinagar later helped me with accommodation and provided me with research assistance. For nearly a month I interviewed several carpenters and weavers to get in-depth information,” adds Jan.
On his way back to Delhi, while waiting for the bus near the airport he met another foreigner, an American scholar, quite by chance. “He suggested that I go to Mysore to study about craft as there were many living crafts in that region. He directed me to PK Misra of the Anthropological Survey of India, Mysore. Had the bus not been delayed I would never have got this information,” said Jan.
Upon visiting Mysore, Misra’s words ‘Time to undertake such a study is now or perhaps never’ gave him the impetus to study the craftsmen of Karnataka. But as the MA level thesis had its own limitations he had to restrict his study to the sandalwood and rosewood carvers of one urban region (Mysore) and one rural region (Shimoga District). At the end of his fieldwork he was invited by Indian social reformer, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay to New Delhi in April, 1976. She presented Jan with her book handicrafts of India so he could continue his field research.
Jan continued on his hunt for information, and he later even wrote a book ‘The Makers of the World: Caste, Craft and Mind of South Indian Artisans’. Elaborating about the book Jan says that he discovered the Vishwakarma only when he went to Mysore. “The book is a full-length study of a single artisan caste –the Vishwakarma. The Vishwakarma comprise smaller divisions of sub castes of the blacksmiths, carpenters, goldsmiths, sculptors and coppersmiths. The book provides a detailed study on the crafts of Vishwakarma like how the supplies of raw materials, the processes of manufacture, the delivery of finished products, and the rituals which accompany the various phases of a craft.”
Jan says that it doesn’t only restrict to the caste but also touches upon the geological, geographical and historical account of the state of Karnataka, followed by analysis and discussion on the mythological origins, of the Vishwakarmas.
Speaking about some of the challenges he faced when he revisited in 1996 post his thesis, he says: “the coppersmith had disappeared from the market; the only left was in Nagamangala (Mandya District, Karnataka). Due to globalisation products had changed, the rapid changing economy structure brought about a lot of change to the smaller scale artisans.”
After giving an insight into his informative researching material, Jan drifts away to the time when he was a kid and how he was interested in experimenting with various fields thus making him a polymath. He says: “As a child I had keen interest in the material world. My father taught me basics of architecture. From architecture, my interest went to interiors and furniture. A few years later, I put my interest into practice and tried my hand on producing a few (wooden) cabinets for relatives. I also designed my own house.”
Between the age of six and nine he had piano classes from Liesbeth de Waal in Amsterdam. He adds: “In 1957 I played Kuhlau Sonatina Opus 20 at the Minerva Pavilion for an audience of 300 and the question arose should I continue in music. The answer came fast: I failed in school, thus music was out. Then I went back to studies! Years later, in Mysore, I took up the piano again. In India I got several opportunities to play the piano.”
During his researching journey Jan did not miss the opportunity of visiting India’s smallest state. Recalling one incident that occurred to him in Goa, Jan says: “The culture of hospitality in Goa is still alive. Two years ago I had come to Goa. While finding my way to Candolim, I got lost. Suddenly, a cab driver passing by said to me ‘May I help you’, those lines were such a relief. People here are warm and welcoming and that is why the place continues to attract a lot of tourist from various corners of the world.”
Jan goes on to tell that he never felt like an outsider in this country. “India is a place where you meet the most extraordinary people at the most unexpected places. People are warm and open. The culture is what differentiates them. Though an outsider has to deal with basic problems like traffic and banks but that’s all! If the place and people are welcoming there is no problem I see,” says smiling the 70-year-old, who has been living in India for nearly 40 years.
His journey isn’t over. Besides his passion for anthropology, architecture, translation and music, Jan is an avid rider. While going on his research journey he rides all the way on his Royal Enfield and travels interiors of the villages.
He also conducts Anthropology Art Architecture (AAA) programme for students of architecture; also Anthropology Business Consultancy (ABC) houses his Culture Training programme for ITC and MNC companies. He has also written ‘Coping with Dependence (1988)’ and several other research material and articles. Since, 1998 he has carried out translation work for several clients like Infosys, TechMahindra, ABNAMRO Bank, ING Bank, KPN Telecom, Glowtronics, Mysore, Usam Systems and others.