Illustrations - Project Gharchola of Khambhat.

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Here's a set of Storybook Illustrations I made for a craft Documentation Project I worked on in College!

A bunch of kids set apart to study and document the nuances of the craft of Gharchola in Gujarat, India.

All Illustrations by Pranitha Lekkala

They're in utter shock when they discover from among the locals, that the craft is hardly practiced here anymore.

All because of the Bhuj earthquake of 2001, which sent the entire state into absolute devastation and ruins. The Gharchola artisans could no longer sustain a life pursuing it. They had to find new means.

Which lead to the death of the beloved craft, but also paved new ways for another craft to take birth. Agate became the new means of livelihood for the artisans of Bhuj. The very stones that lay around as ruins, turned into colorful stones of magic that would shed light into their lives.

Having found closure and solace in the story of the death of the craft, the five kids learned how life always has something new to offer no matter how deadly things seem.