Traditional Treasures

 Our early childhood was spent in Aurangabad. One of my vague memories there is the 'himru' shawl Papa bought for Aai. Unbelievably beautiful it was. It could be worn either ways, and the patterns on both sides were unique. They had a shine made of silk threads of reddish black, red, bluish green, and a slight ochre. The shawl is forever etched on my mind as the peacock glory. It seems, in those parts of Maharashtra, a bride wears the 'himru' shawl on her wedding day. That special and unique it is.

That is the traditional treasure called Indian handlooms. A huge variety thereof exists, so much so that a fashionista can have some three grand wardrobes full of these, and yet a few might be missing!

It is not just the variety that makes the Indian handlooms unique. Most of them are made of natural, bio-degradable, enviornment-friendly materials. They are very sturdy, too. The naturally made colours are unique and fast. The designs and patterns depicted on these are very close both to nature and the Indian culture. 

The pallu of a Banaras silk saree  would either have the peacock or the elephant or the mango leaf/fruit pattern, for instance. Personally, i like the khadi clothes, too. The khadi silk sarees are often heirlooms, handed over from generation to generation.

As these are hand-woven, they sure provide some financial help to artisans who are very good at the traditional warp and weft. These artisans are so fine that you can buy a silk saree that can be folded and kept in a match-box!

Given all the hard work involved in the making of such fabulous art pieces, they sure deserve a more efficient distribution system, at home and abroad, on the internet and offline. If the government were to subsidise the raw material, may be, the costs would suit every pocket, right?

Pratima@  During the big fat Indian shadi of the youngest of the Ambani brood, there was  a very beautiful use of handloom products as drapery. As for the clothes of the guests and the family, you could see a truly rich (literally and figuratively) exhibition of handlooms. Most noteworthy were the hand-painted ghagra of the bride, and the gold interwoven pallu's and blouses of her mother-in-law!