500 year old Sanganeri hand block printed textiles, renowned for delicate floral motifs, will now be protected as a geographical indication under Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. This means that no printed textiles made outside the identified geographical area of Sanganer town in Rajasthan can be legally sold under the name of Sanganeri Hand Block Prints. Geographical Indication Registry, Chennai based competent authority, has recently issued the GI certificate for Sanganeri Hand Block Prints. Geographical indication (GI) is an Intellectual Property Right (IPR) which identifies a good as originating in a certain region where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the product is essentially attributable to its geographical origin. The GI certificate would help counter threats from hand block and screen printed textiles produced in other regions and countries, but sold in India under the tag of Sanganeri print.
Minister for Industries Shri Rajendra Pareek, expressing happiness , said that Geographical Indication Registry, Chennai has recognized the uniqueness and historicity of Sanganeri hand block printed textiles.He said that we have already received GI for Kota Doria, Jaipur Blue Pottery, Jaipur Kathputli, Molela Terracotta, Rajsamand and RUDA has submitted application to obtain GI for Bagru Hand Block Print also.
The application seeking GI registration of these products was filed in December 2008. Subsequently the GI Registry undertook a rigorous process of scrutiny to ascertain the unique properties and reputation of Sanganeri hand block printed textiles and their link with the area of production in Rajasthan. The traditional process of Sanganeri hand block printing has changed only marginally over the centuries. The GI certificate has not only recognized uniqueness and distinct identity of Sanganeri hand block prints in dress material, but also of related products such as home furnishing manufactured in the traditional manner by the community of Chhipas.
Mr Ashok Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, RUDA added that the artisans of Sanganer were organized under ‘Calico Printers Co- Operative Society’ and workshops were organized for awareness building, community mobilization and technical assistance for preparing the GI application. DFID-supported UNCTAD’s India project through its partners – Indian Merchants’ Chamber Mumbai, Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (RCCI) and Rural Non-Farm Development Agency (RUDA) of Government of Rajasthan - worked closely with the artisan community in Sanganer for seeking the GI certificate.
Mr Kunj Bihari Udaiwal, President- Calico Printers Co- Operative Society said that the GI Protection to Sanganeri hand block print will benefit almost 1500 artisan families of Sanganer.
by the With suitable marketing initiatives, GIs can also be commercially leveraged for enhancing incomes of about fifteen hundred artisan families, while providing assurance of product quality to consumers.
The art of hand-block printing and design was developed to a high level of sophistication in Sanganer, and this small sixteenth-century village blossomed into one of India’s busiest artisan centers. Traditionally, the genius of the artisans and their print designs lay in their understanding of patterns, fabric surfaces and the use of space. The traditional Jaipur buti, usually a floral or animal motif, was carved on to a small square wooden block. The carved block was pressed on to a piece of padded fabric dipped into a vegetable dye and the motif was then printed on to the cloth at carefully measured intervals. The same process was repeated with different blocks and colours, resulting in beautiful geometric patterns of astonishing regularity. well-proportioned lyrical motifs.
This is the seventh product which has received GI certificate as a result of UNCTAD project’s interventions. Similar initiatives under the project have helped weavers and artisans to receive GI certificates for Pipli Applique work of Orissa; Lucknow Chikan Craft; Uppada Jamdani Sarees of Andhra Pradesh; Cannanore Home furnishing; Banarasi Sarees and Brocades; and Balaramapuram Sarees and Fabrics.
Geographical indications are different from other intellectual property like copyrights and trademarks. While copyrights and trademarks are monopoly private intellectual property rights, GIs are publicly owned by the artisans/ producers of the concerned product. Producers of similar products in other geographical regions are excluded from using the GI tag. The protection accorded through GIs seeks to prevent illegitimate entities from free riding on the reputation of the protected product.
Most producers and artisans of traditional and unique products in India lack the resources for seeking GI registration. Left to themselves, the artisans and farmers would not be able to take advantage of legal protection under. UNCTAD’s India project is implementing a comprehensive initiative aimed at assisting resource poor artisans, weavers and farmers to seek GI registration of their unique products.
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