After school, Taher Siddiqui, then nine, would go directly to the karkhana (factory), helping his father with the craft that would come to define his life: Bidri art. Now, his son does the same.
Taher Siddiqui at work
Bidri, which means “from Bidar” is an art form that has its roots in Persia and is part of what is called Koftgiri art, i.e. inlay of one metal (usually gold or silver) on to another metal, mostly iron. Bidri art comprises eight steps that transforms an alloy of copper and zinc into something beautiful.
The eight steps of creating a Bidri product
This art was greatly encouraged by the Bahmani Sultanate, and flourished under their rule in the 14th and 15th centuries. Bidriware has been part of Indian art and craft since then, and even as kingdoms changed, the art form grew in strength and complexity. Today, it is a GI-tagged art form that has evolved over time and is looking at a shinier future.
Taher Siddiqui is part of that future. He does not remember how many generations have been working on the craft, but says he recently came across a paper from 1917 for a Bidri workshop registered in the name of his grandfather. After having trained under his father, he then studied abroad, before returning to India to take the field of Bidri further.
‘I always knew I would work here, in this craft. It’s in my blood,’ he says. Taher Siddiqui, whose company Mahboob Bidri Craft works on various new products, is also the laboratory for new ideas. Taher is full of them. He works with corporates to provide bulk gifting, and also creates large artistic pieces that bend reality. His pieces have won several awards including a Global Impact Award given by Creative Dignity and the AD x JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship. The artisans are based in Bidar, the home of the art form.
With Club Artizen, he and his team have created several accessories for men, including tie pins and cuff links.
While creating masterful ideas, Taher is also mindful of the toll the craft takes on its practitioners, including inhalation of smoke during the smelting process, accidents during buffing and smoothening processes, and other occupational hazards.
Club Artizen’s partnership with Mahboob Bidri Craft is envisaged as a deep relationship that will work to maximize the potential of the craft itself.
