A cluster is defined as a geographic concentration (city/town/few adjacent villages and their adjoining areas) of units producing near similar products and facing common opportunities and threats. An artisan cluster is defined as geographically concentrated (mostly in villages/townships) household units producing handicraft/handloom products. In a typical cluster, such producers often belong to a traditional community, producing the long-established products for generations. Indeed, many artisan clusters are centuries old Artisan.

About Rajpura Cluster:-

Rajpura Cluster falls under Uttar Pradesh  State in Meerut district.

The Rajpura cluster is able to form 300 plus Artisans & 20 SHGs supporting the strong work force. The mobilization gains momentum day by day.

Grass, Leaf, Reed and Fiber:-

Raffia or mooj(as it is known as locally) is used in various style along with Grass and Leaf to make variety of baskets, furniture, trays and wall decorations. The center at Barielly is very popular along with the other centers of Allahabad and Varanasi.

The grass or fibre, mooj is grown on the edges of the field as a fencing. It is a traditional craft and family members starts learning the craft at a very early age.

Once the plant is ready for harvesting, it is cut very close to the ground and left in the ground for a day or two when the leaves fall off.The cut plant is then absorbed and dipped in water to separate the fibre from the plant.This process is known as retting.The,thus separated Jute is dried and given various forms.The fiber is knit into threads.Sometimes the threads are weaved to make rags and cloths. The cleaned fibre,the threads and the rags all are used to make beautiful craft products like the bags, rags, carpets,hangings,footwear,coasters,jewelry,show pieces,etc.Some very fine quality jute is also used to make furnishing material and dresses.

The articles from tender palm leaves which have their ribs removed and are then dried in the Sun include bags, dinner cases and ornamental hand held folding fans having anything between 37 to 56 blades.The blades are tied together by copper wire through holes on them and sewn together to spread out as a fan.The fans are made attractive in appearance by painting floral motifs on the blades.Palm leaf and stem weaving is a flourishing craft in southern Kerala with bags, hats, and suitcases being made both for the Indian and international markets these days.A reed is a firm-stemmed grass, with a hollow stem that looks like bamboo.It is a sturdy material and reed mats are used as walls for structures and roofs.The reed is first split and shaved before it is woven in a twill weave into mats. They are made starting at one corner and plaiting or weaving is done diagonally.Long strips are folded at the middle and another strip is inserted crosswise, which is in turn folded and the next strip is again inserted crosswise and so on.The creases of the crosswise strips form the edges of the mat.Reeds are also used to make very sturdy baskets.

Raw Materials Used :-

The villages of Tamil Nadu are full of Palm trees, coconut, date and Palmyra. Palm is the major source of raw material for preparing baskets and related products. Other raw materials like bamboo, cane, grasses, fibers and reeds are also used in making baskets, thatch, ropes, mats and many other things.

Process:-

The jute fiber comes from the stem and ribbon (outer skin) of the jute plant. The fibers are first extracted by retting. The retting process consists of bundling jute stems together and immersing them in low, running water. There are two types of retting: stem and ribbon. After the retting process, stripping begins. Women and children usually do this job. In the stripping process, non-fibrous matter is scraped off, then the workers dig in and grab the fibers from within the jute stem.Jute bags are used for making fashion bags & promotional bags. The eco-friendly nature of jute makes its ideal for corporate gifting.

Jute floor coverings consist of woven and tufted and piled carpets. Jute Mats and matting’s with 5/6 mts width and of continuous length are easily being woven in Southern parts of India, in solid and fancy shades, and in different weaves like, Boucle, Panama, Herringbone,etc.Jute Mats & Rugs are made both through Power loom & Handloom, in large volume from Kerala,India. The traditional Satranji mat is becoming very popular in home décor.Jute non-wovens and composites can be used for underlay, linoleum substrate, and more.Thus, jute is the most environment-friendly fibre starting from the seed to expired fibre, as the expired fibres can be recycled more than once.

Techniques:-

The practical course is to introduce modernization of technique and improve the skills and make the worker capable of enhancing his productivity and his earnings so as to enable him to meet at least the basic necessities of life and come out of the clutches of poverty within reasonable time.

How to Reach:-

By Air:-

Reaching Meerut by air is the most feasible and the most hassle-free way. On the virtue of being located very close to New Delhi, the Delhi Airport is the nearest airport to Meerut. There are many private and public carriers that ply to and from the Delhi Airport regularly. In fact there are a number of flights that links Delhi with the rest of the Indian cities and the world. On your arrival at the Delhi airport, you can hire a cab. It would take you about an hour and a half to reach Meerut if you take the National Highways 24 followed by NH 58. 

By Road:-

A discourse on how to reach Meerut remains incomplete without the mention of the road transportation. Meerut is easily accessible by a good network of roads from the cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Meerut, Kanpur, Varanasi, Jhansi and Agra. The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation that plies buses that connect these cities to Meerut. Traveling is made very easy and relaxing affair by the privately run luxury buses.

By Train:-

The railways is the other alternative of getting to Meerut Cantonment Station. The station falls on the busy Delhi-Dehradun line of North Central Railways. There are a number of super fast trains that connect Meerut to the other towns and cities of Uttar Pradesh and the rest of India. If you are traveling from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Jaipur or Agra then you can throw your cares into the air as these cities are very well-connected to Meerut.