Entertainment · Film · 7 hrs ago
Assam artisans made cane-and-rubber armour for Ramayana
A team of 15 artisans in Assam made armour for Ramayana after the project reached them through a local organisation in Jania Banglipara.
Led by master artisan Jaynal Abdin, they made 30 to 35 pieces over about three and a half years in Barpeta district.
The production initially kept the film’s identity secret, telling the team only that the work was for a film shoot.
Pure cane proved too stiff for the actor to move comfortably, so the artisans developed a more flexible cane-and-rubber design.
The armour was made for a film starring Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman, and finished pieces were sent from Barpeta to Guwahati Airport when needed for filming in Mumbai.
The work brought traditional Assamese cane craft to a major film, and the artisans learned only later that it was for Ramayana.
Fifteen artisans in Jania Banglipara, Assam, handcrafted 30 to 35 pieces of cane-and-rubber armour for the film Ramayana.
Led by master artisan Jaynal Abdin, the team worked on the pieces over about three-and-a-half years.
The artisans were told the work was for a film shoot but were not told it was for Ramayana.
Pure cane proved too rigid and tight for the actor, so the team developed a design combining cane and rubber.
The armour was sent from Barpeta to Guwahati Airport when the production needed pieces for shooting in Mumbai.
- Who
- Master artisan Jaynal Abdin and 15 artisans from Jania Banglipara made the armour.
- What
- They handcrafted 30 to 35 pieces of cane-and-rubber armour for Ramayana.
- When
- The work took about three-and-a-half years.
- Where
- The artisans worked in Jania Banglipara, in Assam’s Barpeta district.
- Why
- The armour was made for the film’s production and shooting needs.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The project reached Jaynal Abdin through Abdul Malek of Gram Unnayan in Jania.
A pure-cane prototype proved too rigid and tight, and Abdin proposed a half-cane, half-rubber design.
The artisans made the pieces intermittently as the production requested them.
Finished armour jackets were handed over at Guwahati Airport for the production in Mumbai.
The artisans learned that their work had been made for Ramayana.
- Artisan team
- 15 artisans
- Location
- Jania Banglipara, Barpeta district, Assam
- Lead artisan
- Jaynal Abdin
- Pieces made
- About 30 to 35
- Time spent
- About three-and-a-half years
- Materials
- Cane and rubber
2 sources
What people are saying
At that time, they did not tell us we were making this for Ramayana. They only told us it was for a film shoot and assured us that our work would bring us recognition later.
They sent us black and green rubber, but weaving with rubber alone was not working. When I spoke to costume designer Ajay, I suggested using half cane and half rubber.
The work was not continuous; sometimes there would be no news for three to six months, and then suddenly a call would come asking for eight or ten pieces on very short notice before shooting resumed.