Banjara People

On occasion of International Women’s Day, Vijaya Pawar was given control of one of the social media accounts of the PM. She was given this honour for her work in promoting Banjara handicrafts.

Banjara Tribe

The Banjaras are a nomadic tribe noted for their role as supply chains in earlier times. They traded in salt, bullocks and other essential items to various villages. The term ‘Banjara’ is from the words ‘vanaj’, meaning to trade and ‘jara’ meaning to travel.

History

They were previously listed under the Criminal Tribes Act in 1871 and the Habitual Offenders Act of 1952. The Banjaras are now a scheduled tribe in many states. They are settled mainly in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is reported that the tribe originated in Marwar region of Rajasthan.

Sandur Lambani Embroidery

The Sandur Lambani Embroidery technique of the Banjara people is a GI tagged art form. This style of textile embroidery is tagged to Sanduru in Bellary of Karnataka. Red and blue are the most common colors used in the embroidery. It has about 30 different stitches and 10 motif design types. It includes decoration with shells, beads, mirrors, coins, etc.