GI Tags To Goan Food Items, Uttar Pradesh's Metal Craft, Four Rajasthan Crafts Among Seven Products

The Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to seven products from various regions of India, including four from Rajasthan.

The products awarded the GI tags are ‘Jalesar Dhatu Shilp’ (a metal craft), ‘Goa Mankurad Mango’, ‘Goan Bebinca’, ‘Udaipur Koftgari Metal Craft’, ‘Bikaner Kashidakari Craft’, ‘Jodhpur Bandhej Craft’, and ‘Bikaner Usta Kala Craft’.

The application for the Mankurad Mango was filed by the All Goa Mango Growers Association, and it is also known as malcorada, cardozo mankurad, corado, and Goa mankur.

The mango was named malcorada by the Portuguese, which means 'poor colored,' and over time, it evolved into mankurad aamo in Konkani.

The Goan Bebinca, also referred to as the ‘queen of Goan desserts,' received its GI tag through the application filed by the All Goa Bakers and Confectioners Association. It is a traditional Indo-Portuguese pudding.

In Jalesar, located in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district, over 1,200 small units produce 'Jalesar Dhatu Shilp,' which includes metal craft such as ghungrus (anklets), ghantis (bells), and other decorative brassware. The Thatheras community residing in Hathuras mohalla creates these metal craft products.

From Rajasthan, four different crafts received the GI tags. The 'Udaipur Koftgari Metal Craft' involves exquisitely ornamenting weapons through a complex process that includes etching designs, embedding gold and silver wire into the metal, pressing and flattening it with moonstone, and finally polishing it.

The 'Bikaner Kashidakari Craft' involves fine stitching and mirror-work on cotton, silk, or velvet, primarily for objects related to weddings and gift items. The mirrors are believed to ward off the 'evil eye' with their reflective surfaces, and the craft was traditionally done by the Meghwal community in Bikaner and nearby districts.

The 'Jodhpur Bandhej Craft' is a famous textile art form in Rajasthan, involving the art of tying and dyeing. Fabrics like muslin, silk, and voile are used, and cotton threads are used to tie the fabric.

Lastly, the 'Bikaner Usta Kala Craft,' also known as gold nakashi or gold manauti work, features untreated raw camel hide processed and molded by the Dapgar community of leather craftspeople to achieve its long-lasting golden color, known as Usta.