Hail a handloom! A National Handloom Day preview

The Solapur sari
“There are hardly 100 handlooms left in Solapur, we am perplexing to revitalise them yet it’s formidable to make a Solapur sari consistently as a weavers are not forthcoming. Most are impending retirement and don’t feel a need to acquire given they count on their wives, a infancy of whom are in a beedi-making business,” rues Solapur-based law-yer-turned-designer Vinay Narkar (right), famous as many for his Solapur sari creations as his Gadwal weaves.

A Kosa silk outfit designed by a NIFT student

Belonging to South-eastern Maharashtra, a string Solapur sari, also called a Deccan sari, is hand-woven regulating a two-shuttle technique. Created in a sheer colour palette featuring reds, blues, purples and browns, it was traditionally a nine-yard wonder, with motifs crafted in a border.

Shelves with Ilkal saris in Solapur

Considering a vicinity of a dual regions, a sari bears similarities with Ilkal, constructed opposite a limit in this city in North Karnataka. Now, on a margin of a fadeout, this sari has been transposed by Ilkal varieties during many shops in Solapur and adjacent areas, yet customised according to a ambience of a state.

A Solapur sari with a Ruiphool pattern from a book, The Sari: History, Pattern, Style, Technique by Linda Lynton

“The checks and motifs are different. While Karnataka Ilkal has a plain body, a Maharashtra chronicle facilities opposite forms of checks, famous as chokda (square checks), duphda (double checks), along with motifs like Ruiphool, Aankh and Karvat (axe),” he adds.

Khun weave
Originating in Maindargi, a city in Solapur district, Khun (a.k.a Khand) is a counterfeit fabric, mostly woven into a blouse. “It is formidable to find weavers of a strange Khun,” says engineer Vaishali S, who featured it in 3 of her collections.

“Khun was used as charity to a enchantress and so, we can see a goddess’s face on a borders, along with flowers, and temples. It retains a colour and radiance even after several washes and can be used as a complicated silhouette.”

Motifs of Maharashtra

Totapuri or a parrot motif

Narli (coconut) motifs. Pics courtesy/Shruti Sancheti

Rasta (parallel lines)

Weaves of Vidarbha
“East and South Maharashtra is abounding in weaves, yet many are lesser-known. I’m operative with weavers to supplement contemporary pattern motifs and a improved thread count, so they can get tellurian bearing too,” says Nagpur-based engineer Shruti Sancheti, a face of Maharashtra State Handloom Corporation. She guides us by opposite weaves and motifs.

Tussar silk: Few competence be wakeful that Tussar silk is also constructed in Vidarbha. Unlike other states, Tussar here uses a resigned and dim colour palette.

Kosa silk: From Gondia and Bhandara regions, a fabric is woven in colourful colours, yet it doesn’t have a lush tumble of a Tussar silk.

Nagpur checks: Similar to a Solapur checks, a Nagpuri chronicle is woven in a two-colour tone.

Narayan Peth: This sari bears similarity with a Paithani. “It is seen opposite Maharashtra. It is woven in checks, especially in silk with church motifs,” says Sancheti.

The Paithani sari
Produced for over 2,000 years, Paithani sari originates from Paithan nearby Aurangabad and Yeola nearby Nashik and it is a many renouned Maharastrian weave. Traditionally, it was an essential partial of a bride’s trousseau, mostly woven in china and gold.

“The Paithani technique is tighten to a ones of tapestry weaving. Due to vicinity to a Ajanta caves, a change of a Buddhist paintings can be seen in a Paithani motifs,” says Nilima Singh, executive of NIFT Mumbai.

Shobhaa De in a Paithani sari during a NIFT event

The many renouned motifs embody kamal (lotus flower) on that Buddha sits or stands, hans (swan), ashraffi (coin), bangadi mor (peacock in bangle), tota-maina (parrot-mynah), humarparinda (peasant bird), a Amar Vell (a Moghul-inspired design) and Narali (a normal coconut border), that was a many common Paithani limit until a finish of 19th century. Small motifs like circles, stars, kuyri, rui phool, kalas pakhhli, chandrakor and clusters of 3 leaves were common for a physique of a sari.

“Paithani also facilities animal motifs like a peacock, elephants and parrots that are stylised to make appealing patterns. The weaving is intricate. The resisting colour combinations in a pattern with splendid colours like pink, green, blue and magenta creates a Paithani mount out,” sums adult Singh, whose students and a hospital have worked extensively with a weave.

Himroo
Singh believes that a Himroo textiles of Aurangabad are unique. The word Himroo originated from a Persian word Hum-ruh that means similar. Himroo is a riposte of Kum-khwab, that was woven with pristine golden and china threads in a ancient days, and was meant for a stately families.

Nilima Singh, executive of NIFT, Mumbai

“Himroo uses Persian designs, and is particular in appearance. However, some historians trust that Himroo was a creation of internal craftsmen with small Persian influence. In a progressing days, it was finished regulating a brocade techniques of Jaala. Now, a Himroo is mostly finished on energy looms regulating Jacquard mechanism. Such high is a value and hardness that this fabric is mostly seen imitative a golden cloth,” shares Singh, adding that, “of a all a weaves, Himroo is obtuse known, as a art of creation by palm has discontinued and few artisans are prepared to work on a craft. However some of a energy dawn versions are now being sole in a market.” Popular motifs from Himroo embody musical ambia (derived from a mango, a stylised form is also famous as paisley, globally) and perplexing floral patterns desirous from a Moghul architecture.

Kolivan
Apart from a Solapur sari, a segment also weaves a normal clothes ragged by a Koli fisherfolk in Mumbai. Known as Kolivan (meaning Koli design), a sari is heavier than other versions given it is woven with a unchanging 60 or 80 thread count. “It is 10 metres in length and mainly, ragged by a comparison era from a community. A few handlooms in Solapur make a saris, yet they supplement fake element to cut costs. we am perplexing to reinstate them with string and regulating a wobble to erect panoply and folders to boost a awareness,” adds Narkar.

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