JOIN USSaris can be as varied and diverse as the regions they hail from. Neha Baheti takes you on a cross-country journey of the many crafts and textiles that add an elegant touch to the Indian woman’s wardrobe
We are living in a world where machines are slowly changing the way we do things. As a result of this, local arts and crafts alike are losing their identity.
It’s a worthwhile mission to preserve and showcase the age-old Indian culture through various craft forms, with the focus primarily on creations made by traditional techniques that use hand-based processes. Beauties that are unique and local in their appeal.
Just like the culture of India, the range of fabric creation is diverse. You can pick from an ambit of woven, painted, printed, brocaded, tie-and-dye, hand-coloured, hand-embellished, hand-spun, and hand-embroidered creations. Paithani, Katha, Chanderi, Benarasi, Maheshwari, Bandhej, Patola, Chikankari, Ikat, Assamese silks, Kanjivaram, Uppada and Jamdani are just some of the popular choices.
Each of these crafts is unique, intricate and made with care. To understand them better, let’s take a look at some textiles from across the country.
Worth the wait
Made on handlooms with bright silks and shimmering gold and silver zari, Paithani is made in a small village in Maharashtra. Antique wooden homes with hand-painted walls that depict ancient folklore and mythological legends are woven into the Paithani weave, Maharashtra’s pride.
The narrow, warm lanes of this village will give you a glimpse of artisans of all ages blissfully weaving up tales of the Maharashtrian heritage into nine yards of silk.
Preserved for over 2,000 years, the art suffered under the British rule, but saw a revival during the time of the Mughals, when the Nizam of Hyderabad’s family patronised it.
No Maharashtrian wedding, even today, is complete without these heirlooms. The saris are made of pure silk and feature a statement border and a grand square pallu. Originally, the sari was made of pure silk and gold and was nine yards in length. Its dhoop-chaav, a double reflection effect, and the grand pallu are all hand-woven.
The saris are adorned with intricately designed motifs that are hand-woven with zari and coloured threads, ornamental borders and beautiful bootis . The designs are always a reflection of nature, the Marathi culture, the Mughal royalty and the grand paintings of Ajanta as seen through the weaver’s eye. Traditional patterns include peacocks, parrots and flowers, among others.
Named by their creators (the weavers), the Paithani sari weaving is a highly sophisticated and time-consuming art. It begins by degumming the white pure silk threads to make them soft before they are dyed into colours. Dyeing is a tricky process and is done only by the most experienced dyer. Once dyed and dried, these threads are detangled by hand using sticks of shisham wood and winding it on a bamboo charki — a practice that dates back a 100 years and is still the preferred technique by artisans.
The threads are then fixed to the handlooms to weave the body of the sari. The warp and weft can be of a single colour or a mix of two colours that gives the silk a statement dhoop-chaav. Motifs are now drawn free-hand and filled with the finest colours and zari in an intricate process of weaving and locking. Depending on the depth of the design, it can take anywhere between a month to a year to complete a single sari.
Vibrant appeal
Made in Bengal, the Jamdani saris showcase a fusion of the region’s ancient cloth-making techniques that are about 2,000 years old. The patterns on these light and subtle saris are mostly geometric or floral.
This sari is woven with a complicated methodology where the standard weft creates a fine, sheer fabric, while the supplementary weft with thicker threads adds the intricate patterns to it.
Each supplementary weft motif is added separately by hand by interlacing the weft threads into the warp with fine bamboo sticks using individual spools of thread. The result is a rainbow of vibrant patterns that appear to float on a shimmering surface.
What’s remarkable in this weaving technique is that the artisan does not sketch or outline the design on the fabric; instead, he draws it on a graph paper by hand and then, places it underneath the loom before starting the weaving process.
The craft has seen a sharp decline since the 19th century, but is now being revived by the efforts of dedicated organisations across India. Jamdani demands the most lengthy and dedicated work by artisans on handlooms.
Light, yet festive
Uppada silk is made in Andhra Pradesh using the old Jamdani technique of weaving. This silk is popularly used during the wedding season. Known for their unique and bold designs, Uppada saris are hand-woven on looms.
The zari work is mostly intricate, which makes them light-weight, yet grand and festive in appeal. Uppada sari first originated in Uppada, East Godavari and continued to be made there. Usually Uppada handlooms are made in silk and cotton warp and weft.
For all seasons
Woven in Patan, a small town in Gujarat, Patola is a light sari that can be worn in any season. The sari is woven using a method known as Ikat, which can be done in two ways — single and double.
Double Ikats are extremely rare today with only three families who still make them. Single Ikats have managed to survive the hard times faced by the craft form to maintain its originality and heritage. Once worn only by royalty, they are unique and have a personality of their own compared to other craft forms. This style of weaving is a closely-guarded family tradition.
Get the block
Hand-block prints is a unique craft done in Rajasthan. It is a traditional art of stamping fabric with a hand-carved wooden block that is dipped in vegetable dyes and natural colours, and finally dried out in sunlight with mud sprinkled all over it.
Bright colours, indigo prints and fine designs seen on these garments are reflective of the state’s culture, preserved over many years. A finished hand-block printed garment could use up to 20 different blocks and several rounds of printing!
(The author is co-founder, Indian Artizans)