Anonymous artisans have been doing a yeoman’s service in reviving our country’s rich textiles and traditional craft. To bring them into the national mainstream and boost their morale, the Ministry of Textiles organised an event, “Artisan Speak”, showcasing India’s glorious textiles and honouring the people behind them, at the Red Fort over the weekend.
The event manifested the synergy between artisans and designers and how the two are inter-dependant. While the two professionals come from contrasting backgrounds, they can be on the same page as they both share the passion for giving a push to textiles and traditional crafts. They exemplified their bond and craftsmanship at the fashion show.
Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani honoured 16 master artisans including Gajam Govardhana, Gajam Anjaiah, Devji Premji Vankar, Shribhas Supakar, Govardhan Panika and V. Sundarajan for their unparalleled contribution to the handloom industry.
Twist to Kanjeeveram
The artisans at the event
The man of the moment was Gajam Anjaiah, who worked on Kanjeevaram saris for designer Gaurang Shah that was showcased at the event. “I weaved traditional designs and temple art. One sari takes three months,” he said modestly.
Standing next to him, Gaurang added: “I am fortunate to be working with him. Kanjeeveram is made in Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu but he develops it in Telangana. Secondly, while most saris in the region are made with two-ply yarn, these Kanjeevaram saris have been made with three to four-ply yarns. This gives them a languorous fall and solidity that can bear the weight and scale of his intricate designs.”
Speaking about his other achievement, Gajam said : “I revived Telia rumal. The double ikkat weave used for headgears was on the verge of extinction when I started using it for saris, dupattas and bedsheets.”
Devji Premji Vankar, from Bhuj in Gujarat, who won the National Award in 1997 and Sant Kabir Award two years ago, said that designers, big and small, were in touch with him. On the kind of work he does, he said, Gujarat shawl was the best when compared to shawls made in other parts the country. “In our shawl made in Kutch there is an extra dhaaga (thread) in the warp and weft. And that gives it an edge.” His major contribution was introduction of fine quality yarn to create soft fabrics in traditional Kutch weaving.
The evening saw a beautifully-choreographed show of gorgeous saris and outfits created by six of India’s top designers who are known for their passion for traditional textiles and craft – Rahul Mishra, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Gaurang Shah, Rohit Bal, Anita Dongre and Anju Modi.
Inspired by Mughals
The show started off with Rahul Mishra’s all-white Charbagh collection which had an imprint of Mughal architecture . There were outfits in chikankari, metal mukesh work from Lucknow and zardozi.
Rahul said: “It was inspired not only by Mughal architecture but also shared the vision of Mughals who gave patronage to artisans. This setting is actually a Charbagh with all four sides having gardens and on the centre is the structure. It reflects the idea of India.”
“Everything I make is hand-made. Our artisans work like entrepreneurs. We maintain utmost transparency and work with no exclusive contract. We allow them to prosper and work on their own. Hukum Kohli, an artisan from Chanderi, now drives a car, owns two-storey house,” Rahul underlined.
From a distance, Rohit Bal’s collection looked like white silhouette but as the models came closer the audience discovered its varied facets.
The designer greeted a couple of artisans with folded hands at the culmination of his show. Later, he posed for pictures with Shibani Kashyap, the compere of the evening, who was dressed in Gudda’s outfit emblazoned with poppies, tunics, zardozi, “The colourful outfit is almost like a garden of Kashmir. Wearing this outfit, I feel like a part of Mughal era,” she gushed.
Anju Modi showcased her collection, Raas Leela, in which the garments were an amalgamation of rich handcrafted textiles and traditional hand embroidery. “Indian craft and textiles have always intrigued me and that's something I have always been passionate about. I used Indian heritage textiles like mashroo, Banarasi brocade and matka silk in this collection along with bandhani, Rajasthani gota patti work, and zardozi embroidery.”
New avenues
Pointing out that she explored varied textile craft clusters of India during her Bharat darshan, Anju said this collection was a homage to those clusters and collectively to the Indian textiles and craft.
Interestingly, Madhu Jain was the only designer who was felicitated with Special Recognition Award in the Textile Sector for her work with natural fibres. “With India being the second largest producer of bamboo in the world, I recognised early that India is well positioned to grab ascendancy in bamboo-yarn production. My dream is to help India realise this,” she said.
The Special Recognition Award was also conferred upon the FDCI president, Sunil Sethi, for his pursuit of the Made in India campaign and for working for the languishing handloom industry.
Summing up, designer Nitin Bal Chauhan, said the only way forward for Indian textiles to survive was a solid collaboration between designers and artisans.
“This is the best way to provide value addition to crafts that fall in the luxury category. Earlier craftspersons worked in isolation. It is a happy progression for them to work with designers who come with a lot of knowledge and understanding of what sells in the market.”