Surat zari to dazzle at city castle

Surat: Appalled by the red cloth put on display covering the throne of the Nawab of Surat at the Surat Fort gallery, Mir Jaffar Imam, the direct descendent of the Nawab, has decided to donate a 150-year-old Zari Masnat -especially designed by Surat's artisans in pure gold and silver zari thread . "
Masnat has been used by several generations of the members of the royal family of Surat on various ceremonial occasions . It is a spread-out on divans for seating the royals.
“Although it is an heirloom piece, I have decided to donate it for the noble cause of creating awareness of the wealth of Surat's past ancient artists who excelled at this spectacular craftsmanship," Mir Jaffar Imam told TOI from Mumbai .
Impressed by the revival of the Surat Castle by Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the conservationists working towards the cause, the scion will also be donating an intricate and exquisite piece of ‘karchob zari angarkha’ that his famous ancestor Darbar Shri Mir Jafar Ali Khan of Surat and Kamdhia wore to his visit to London in 1844. He had became the first Indian royal to win a case against the British regarding his pension from the East India Company then. Made out of Surat's pure gold and silver zari, its lustre continues to dazzle viewers till date .
Apart from these excellent craft work, enlarged photographs of portraits of Nawab Nairuddin and Mir Jafar Ali Khan will also be handed over to Surat fort's conservationist architect Sumesh Modi of People for Heritage Concern ( PHC ) to be displayed at the existing gallery at the fort.
Surat Museum has been known for its silent philanthropists. But several exhibits were unfortunately lost during the floods when the museum was situated near Chowk. Although zari is one of Surat's most globally renowned industries, and was an absolute rage with royalty around the world due to its pure form and artistic weaves as well as zardosi work, there is not a single example of it on display at Surat museum or the fort. This will be the first-of-its-kind exhibit for the city and visitors from all across to observe the glimmer created by Surat’s artisans.