Shopper's Paradise: Textiles

The textiles of India demonstrate skillful weaving techniques, inimitable colour combinations and fascinating designs that make them a class apart in domestic & overseas markets.

BROCADE TEXTILES
Extremes softness, vivid colours and translucent texture characterizes the silk weaving of India.

Varanasi an important silk weaving centre is famous not only for its brocade or kinkab (superb weaving in gold and silver), but also for the wide variety of techniques and styles.

The brocades are distinguished by apt poetic names like chand tara (moon and stars), dhupchhaon (sunshine and shade), mazchar (ripples of silver), morgala (peacock's neck), bulbul chasm (nightingale's eyes).

Varanasi is also famous for the tanchoi saree which resembles a fine miniature. Its origin can be fraced to three Indian pursi brothers by the name of Choi. In tanchoi sarees the designs fre always floral with interspersing of birds.

Mubarakpur, is one of the important silk weaving centers in the area.

Jamdani or 'figured muslim' traditionally women in Dacca is now the specially of Tanda in Faizabad. The cotton fabric is brocded with cotton and sometimes with zari threads.

Each refion has its typical technical skills and variations and the silk of Mysore, Kanchipuram, Murshidabad and Kashmir are as well known as the cotton sarees of Bengal or the cotton and silk maheshwaris of Madhya Pradesh. The famous ikat technique is used in the Patolas of Gurajat and Orrisa.

EMBROIDERY
In the field of ornamentation, embroidery alone can match jewellery in splendour. It is an expression of emotions, rendered with patient labour which induces grace and elegance into articles of everyday use.

Noor Jehan, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir is said to have introduced the art of chikan embroiery to Utter Pradesh.

The chikan work of Lucknow, patterned on lace is delicate and subtle. The stitch by its sheer excellence provides ornamentation to the material. The charm lies in the minuteness of the floral motifs. Stitches used are satin, knot stitch, netting and appliqué work which brings a charming showdowy effect on lace.

Embroidery done in metal wires by kalabattu or zari as it is popularly called, is in a class by itself. The heavier and more elaborate work is called zardozi. The ground material used is heavy silk, velvet or satin. Salma sitara, gijai, badla, katon, seed pearls are used for decoration. Kamadani, a lighter needle work done on lighter material, produces a lovely glittering effect, especially in designs known as hazara booti, thousand dots, done with zari thread. Karmdani is used for weaving apparel such as scarves, veils, caps etc.

HAND BLOCK PRINTING
The fabric is further decorated by printing designs on it. Hand block printing in India was the chief occupation of the chhipas - a community of printers. They used designs on the fabrics by hand. This techniques is in vogue even today.

Besides Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh is also of a veritable treasure-house of traditional designs which range from the classical booties, known as dots of Kanauj, to the universal Mango, to the famous Tree of Life.

The great colour belt in India extends from the interior of Sind through the dersets of Kutch, Kathiawar, Rajasthan and Gurajat. Rajasthan and Gurajat are particularly noted for its bandhini design.

ETHINIC DRESSES
Smile, but do not laugh if you see a young French woman wearing a Kashmiri Shikara dress or Rajasthani ghagra and choli. India being a land of various communities, you can be sure of falling to temptation of buying atleast half a dozen ethnic dresses from various parts of the country. These are freely available in repective local markets.

IDEAL PLACE TO SHOP
Varanasi, Mysore. Kashmir, Luchnow, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gurajat, Chennai, Kerala.