The beautiful art of paper craft

Wednesdays and Saturdays are two very sacrosanct days for Delhi-based Shachi Jain. On these two days, she, like many others, reaches the Japan-India foundation to attend the muchin-demand Origami Oritai club.

“I am a homemaker and joined the club for the kind of thing one gets to learn here and the advantage it offers in helping me concentrate on my work,” she says.

Origami is unique among paper craft as it requires no materials other than the paper itself. This ancient art of Japanese paper folding is over 1,000 years old and, surprisingly, relevant even today.

Origami is composed of two Japanese words—‘ori’ meaning folded and ‘kami’ meaning paper. Interestingly, paper-folding has left a stronger impact on Japanese culture than any other traditional folding art. After all, one doesn’t need any special skills or artistic talent for origami. One just needs ample patience to try and practice. The art of origami typically involves folding paper in different ways for turning them into beautiful artefacts. Says Hitomi Ashta, president, Origami Oritai: “Although a good amount of patience and perseverance is very helpful, paper can be folded by following simple instructions for the desired design.” Today, origami is an international creative pastime. Building upon the basics of the traditional designs, many paper folders follow the creatives of past masters by devising new designs. It is no wonder that the repertoire of a couple of hundred traditional folds in the beginning of the 20th century has grown to over tens of thousands now with endless number yet to be discovered. Originally considered a child’s activity, origami now attracts the interest of mathematicians, engineers, scientists, computer programmers, college professors and, of course, professional artists. It is an art form than can be practiced by pre-schoolers to senior citizens, and even those who are hospitalised, handicapped, or even blind. The craft can be practised individually as well as in groups, especially if one wishes to explore the infinite possibilities of paper-folding.

Mind bender

Origami is a folk art, a creative art, a mathematical puzzle and can even be described as a game. Some people are attracted to origami for its simplicity, while others marvel at the minds of people who can devise the patterns for such ingenious creations. Says Shikha Rajvanshi, a mathematics teacher and a regular at the origami club: “Involving in origami is like a workout session at the gym for your brain. I consider it to be a memory enhancer.”

Some look to origami as a way to entertain themselves, while others find it calming and relaxing. Though paper folding is essentially a hobby or a craft, it does have spiritual connection. Advanced practitioners swear by its therapeutic effect and claim its practice rejuvenates the brain and keeps it sharp and active. So, the next time you go out for a drive don’t be surprised when told that the air bags are designed using the principles of origami. Even scientists at NASA use origami techniques to find ways to design more compact space use materials. Not just science, even the world of fashion is charmed to origami with the number of paper dresses reaching the fashion ramps. The other common use is in learning geometry, especially for children in school. Whatever the origins, the benefits of origami are plenty. Also, the fact that it does not cost much to get started makes it a good hobby to be hooked on to.

Some of the club members in Delhi are so adept with their skills that many of their designs have been even bought by others, which make the paper folding art a way to earn money. Himanshu, a youngster in the group has used the activities he learnt at the club to develop a more evolved form of artistry by developing animation with his creations. He says, “It has been an enriching experience and something that is helping me further my imagination.” Origami is not limited to Delhi alone. There are many other clubs like Origami Mitra, with the same motive with centres in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Nagpur. Moreover, once you get hooked on to it, you can always look up the Internet to learn more about this old artistic paper craft. All you need is paper, some patience and time to start folding paper to create interesting looking things, such as boxes, flowers and even envelopes, all from the comfort of your home. Who says paper folding is not creative!

aakar@outlookindia.com