In the western Indian state of Maharashtra, a traditional Paithani saree is regarded as a family heirloom, passed down to the daughter or the daughter-in-law. Some families have 100-year old Paithanis, lovingly preserved over the generations. It was called ‘maha-vastra’ (grand attire), part of trousseaus and worn on special occasions like religious ceremonies and weddings. 

The Paithani saree is named after the place it originated from – Paithan, situated about 40 kilometres from Aurangabad. However, these days, they are woven predominantly in a place called Yeola, near Nasik.

A combination of criss-crossing border design along with colourful motifs on the ‘padhar’ (end-piece) make a typical Paithani. While the border threadwork in traditional Paithani was woven in gold thread (zari), subsequently, silver thread with a gold finish began to be used. The end-piece of traditional Paithani sarees are woven with gold thread in its warp thereby making a shimmery base for the colourful motifs to be worked into the weft.

The motifs are borrowed from nature. There are ‘munia’ (parrots), ‘bangdi mor’ (peacock inside a ring), ‘asavali’ (creepers), ‘kamal’ (lotus) and ‘narali’ (coconut). These are worked in gold thread when placed in the body of the saree and in colour when on the end-piece.

The richness of a Paithani also comes from ‘buttis’ (small gold motifs) that dot the vibrant colours in the body of the saree. The silk saree body is usually in colours like magenta, peacock blue, turmeric yellow and crimson. Dual-shaded sarees, called ‘dhup-chaav’ (light and shadow) are also made with different colours in the warp and weft, for example, red and green.

However, authentic Paithani is not for the common man with prices ranging from a few thousand rupees to even half a million rupees!

It is one of the saree types that comprises a traditional categorisation called ‘shalu’ or sarees in muslin with gold threadwork, made exclusively for the royalty and aristocracy.  

One reason for the exclusivity (and the price) of a Paithani could be the use of gold thread. The other reason being the workmanship involved in weaving the coloured motifs on to the base of the end-piece. Even today, it takes a month to handweave one simple Paithani and several months, for more intricate work.

Paithanis are usually woven in pure silk but there are some synthetic blends in non-traditional colours using gold-copper threadwork also available. However, they all carry the signature Paithani motifs and border design.

(an edited version appeared in the June 2009 Issue of At A Glance. Pics by author)

While tie-and-dye is a fairly common textile tradition, Bandhni, also called Bandhej, holds pride of place in India. Bandhni gets its name from the root word, ‘baandh’ meaning ‘knot’ and this technique has its origins in the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. 

The process of creating a Bandhni fabric is divided into three fundamental steps – preparing the material, making the knots and then, dyeing it. The fabric is first bleached, then folded and motifs are imprinted on it with a reddish dye called ‘geru’. Then, the tying process begins. Small knots are tied by hand to make up the motifs. The smaller the knots and the gaps between them, the more premium the finished product. The lightest colour, usually yellow, is the first dye. The knotted portion retains the base colour of the fabric with the rest of the fabric dyed yellow. 

The sections that need to be retained yellow are then tied and the dyeing continues thereon until the fabric has been dyed with all the desired colours. If a border is to be created, a loose stitch is run through the desired border line and the fabric is gathered. The border line is then bound with thread and dipped in the desired border colour. 

Leheria is a variation named after ‘leher’ (or wave) pattern. This pattern is achieved by rolling the fabric on the bias i.e., diagonally and binding the roll in intervals with thread. The bound roll is then dyed. A crisscross pattern is achieved by going one step further by opening up the dyed roll, rolling it from the other direction, binding it as earlier and then dyeing it.

Between Gujarat and Rajasthan, there are variations in not just the motifs, colours and socio-cultural significance, but also in the craft. In Rajasthan, the craftsmen apparently grow the fingernail on the little finger to a sharp point to enable picking the cloth for better knotting. Some also use a ring with a sharp point for the purpose. However, in Gujarat, the intricate knotting process is done entirely by hand. 

The finished Bandhni fabric is usually sold with its knots intact to prove that it is an authentic tie-and-dye piece and not merely printed.

There is a clear difference between traditional Bandhni and the newer varieties. 

Traditionally, the tie-and-dye technique of Bandhni was worked on cotton or silk fabric. But today, you will find a wide range of textiles like georgette being used in addition to cotton and silk. Bandhni fabric was used mainly for odhnis (veils), turbans (headgear) and sarees. But walk into one of the many Gujarat or Rajasthan emporia across India today and you are bound to find it in the form of dupattas (a larger sized stole worn with the salwar kameez) as well as sarees. These are also available in boutiques and saree stores but one does need to check for authenticity. 

Motifs in traditional Bandhni are typically ethnic patterns, along with depiction of nature. Anything other than these is a more recent innovation. While traditional Bandhni used bold natural dyes for yellow, red and black, the newer varieties boast of a myriad pastel colours like lavender, gray and pink worked in the Bandhni technique with commercial dyes. 

However, one thing remains the same – the colours in authentic Bandhni fabric tend to run and it’s best to do a first wash in saline water or stick to dry-cleaning the fabric. 

Pic by author

An edited version of this article was published in the February 2009 issue of At A Glance.

Kalamkari is a style of textile printing indigenous to the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The name ‘Kalamkari’ is derived from the arabic words – ‘qalam’ (pen or stylus) and from ‘kari’ (work or craft). This refers to the pen-like instrument used to ink the motifs on the fabric. Some say that it was also called Vrathapani before the craft came to be called Kalamkari during the reign of the Golconda sultanate.
 
Kalamkari is distinct in its colour and choice of motifs and to understand the craft, it is essential to learn about the two main centres of Kalamkari technique based in Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti.

Machilipatnam is a town that has a rather strong association with textiles. The word, ‘muslin’ allegedly came from the Greek name for this port, Masalia.

A colour-fast printed Indian fabric originated in India along this coast called ‘cheenth’ (meaning variegated). It was also called ‘pintado’ among the Portuguese, gave rise to the European ‘chintes’ that ultimately came to be known as chintz. Chintz is a glazed fabric with floral motifs printed on calico, a style that originated in India along this coast and became extremely popular in Europe in the 1600s.
 
Machilipatnam was also a prominent port of the Golconda empire of the Qutb Shahis in the early 1500s during whose reign, the Kalamkari style flourished. The designs were even adapted to suit demand from South East Asia. The empire traded extensively with Persia and this influence is evident in the profusion of non-figurative motifs like trees, flowers, creepers and even some calligraphic lettering. All these were drawn free-hand with a ‘qalam’ or pen, but are lately being block-printed. The very Persian ‘Tree of life’ is a popular subject.

The Srikalahasti school, on the other hand, focusses primarily on figurative art in the depiction of Hindu deities and mythology. In technique, the Srikalahasti style continues to rely on free-hand drawing even today. Kalamkari panels were used to adorn temples and temple chariots as well as visually supported folk narratives on epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Popular subjects include Dashavatara (the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu), Bhagavad Gita (the charioteer Krishna’s sermon to Arjuna) and Kaliyanartana Krishna (Krishna dancing on the hood of the serpent, Kaliya).
 
Creating a Kalamkari panel or piece of fabric is a process with many diligent steps chief among them being the preparation of fabric with an alum mordant solution that enables the resist-dyeing process. First, the unbleached fabric called ‘gaadha’ is washed to remove starch and later dipped in a base of ground myrobalan fruit mixed with fresh buffalo milk. The cloth is soaked thoroughly in it and then dried to create a base for the drawing to follow. Outlines of the drawing are made on the cloth using charred tamarind twig. The designs are ‘inked’ using special pens or ‘qalam’ with nibs of varying thicknesses holding a reserve of colour. Natural dyes are used where possible. The four prominent colours that are applied in stages are black (derived from iron pieces), red (derived from a root called chavalikodi and a bark called suruduchakka), Yellow Ochre (derived from the myrobalan flower) and Indigo blue (from a chemical called Bengal Blue). Other colours like green and purple are achieved by treating the blue on sections already dyed yellow and red respectively.
 
Kalamkari fabric with non-figurative motifs are used in apparel, home furnishing, wall hangings and even in accessories like bags.The figurative designs are primarily used as decorative wall panels but lately, enterprising designers have adopted the designs in home furnishings as well as apparel and sarees. 

Pic by author
An edited version of this article was published in the January 2009 issue of At A Glance.