A story of mojaris

Shoes which are made in Punjab were formed out of leather by diverse traditions. They are light weight shoes and are considered to be the best option for footwear. To promote this footwear, the cobblers used to say that even the sparrows can fly with them, moreover, these juttis were, and are still used as a tool of weapon for children when they misbehaved or did some kind of mischief. These celebrated light weight shoes are known as Nagras or Mojaris or Punjabi Juttis which are assumed to be traditional footwear of North India. Jutti is a word which originated from Urdu language, they were initially embroidered with gold and silver wires (zari) all over the textile in different patterns covering every part of the pair so that it looked as if it was made of solid gold and silver. They are still decorated with golden and silver threads. It is an integral part of Punjabi outfits, both men and women wear it.

Juttis provide an indispensable ethnic appeal to the person wearing them. One can wear them every day, on weddings, on religious occasions, to parties and festivals. They are a popular craft work which has a soft quality leather carved out from buffalo and camel soles while the upper decorated part is made with simple textile. The speciality of these juttis are that its pair is identical and has no left and right demarcation with slip on style and inexorably flat-souled. Juttis are not merely just any other footwear but it also has a subjective value for the people who are attached directly to it.

Historically there was a rise in leather tanning in 3000 B.C. which allowed man to use leather products to sought his life. The earliest skins were used to sit on were mats and the skin of tiger was bid at the highest price. Later the skin of buffalo and camel were taken for producing menial wear such as footwears. This is where the first step of making juttis must have started. Over many centuries, humongous varieties of footwear were started being produced. Although the process of making juttis changed centuries by centuries, but one must note that its intricate value did not change, it remained leather. No vast differences were changed, only different patterns were adopted. The ‘Chamars’ were the ones who processed raw materials, ‘Rangaars’ who coloured rawhides and ‘Mochis’ who stitched the raw material.

The creation of substantial embroidered juttis date back to the era of rulers. It depicts the exceptionality of oriental fantasy of the ‘Maharaja’ age. Jutti or nagra was then patronized in Mughal era and were tremendously prevalent amongst the kings and the queens who belonged to the amusing era of Indian history. Even the Salim Shahi jutti named after the emperor Jahangir marked regional variations which came forward. Rajasthan in particular was a hub, where the making of these attractive shoes first originated. These ethnic shoes were worn by wealthy kings, Queens and zamindars. The style of Jutti back then was far more ornate and rich in texture and design which incorporated fine gems, stones, and precious pearls and was embroidered with real gold and silver threads.

With the passage of time, there was a downfall in application of precious gems followed by the rise of artificial materials such as beads, bells, mirrors etc. They were affordable to everyone and were then called as Tilla juttis. Nagra shoes gained a lot of popularity in Punjab specially in the Bishnois clan, and underwent through various forms of experimentation and innovation. Since then there had been no evolution in the material but more exquisite design started to enter in the markets.

Today the major hub of the Punjabi Tilla juttis is Patiala. Patiala juttis are the pride of shoe industries and also the essential form of handicrafts. Though factory made leather shoe and cheap rubber had come in market since Britishers came in India, but Tilla Juttis remained the prominent footwear that manifested ethnic charm and diversities.