Indian Textiles and Handlooms

My ultimate fashion dream is to one day have a collection of saris/ salwar kameez/ dupattas that covers traditional prints and weaves from regions all across India..:). The vibrant silks and the chikan kurtas in pastels, the intricate embroideries and the modest "not so perfect" hand prints, I want it all...I really havnt gotten far along but one day I will!

Here is just a glimpse of some of traditional weaves and prints of India..

Kalamkari: Hand painted on cotton generally the prints are very distinct featuring flowers and "bel" or creepers. The term Kalamkari comes from "kalam" or pen. The craft is native to Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. I do have a beautiful black and white kalamkari print dupatta from Fab India that I got more than 7 years ago..:)

Bandhani: Also called "Bandhej" or "tie and dye" bandhani comes from "bandh" or to tie. The authentic Bandhani uses natural dyes. Comes from the "Kutch" region in Gujrat and also parts of Rajasthan. Married into a Gujarati family, I got some lovely bandhani sarees as a part of my trousseau! :)

Batik: Batik printing technique is popular all across South East Asia. Originated in Egypt to wrap mummies. It is a wax resist dyeing technique where linen is soaked in wax and scraped using a sharp tool. The technique traveled to India centuries back and became it's own! Major centers in India include Calcutta. I have in the past had a couple of bartik kurtas, currently don't have any. Now added to my shopping list! :)

Chanderi: Famous for it's light-weight quality and intricate designs, Chanderi Silk sarees are hand woven in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh. I have a black and purple dupatta in chanderi, next on my wishlist is a saree! (Kareena Kapoor was recently spotted wearing a lovely Black Chanderi on the promotion tour for 3 idiots)

Paithani: Woven from very fine silk in Paithan near Aurangabad, Paithani saree is the quintessential wedding saree in maharashtra. Love the vibrant blues, reds and yellows that are very characterstic of a traditioal Paithani. Also Lookout for the "peacock" design if you want the real thing! And no I dont have any Paithani saree yet..:(

Kashida embroidery: "Kashida" itself means embroidery in Kashmir. The single stitch embroidery is done using very fine silk thread. Generally done on wool and silks, it is one of the most intricate embroidery styles that I have come across. When I was a little girl my dad got me a very pretty white pauncho with red embroidery from his Kashmir trip..loved it! Hopefully I will visit the beautiful Kashmir valley myself one day and indulge in some serious shopping! Those kashmiri shawls are gorgeous!!:)

Vegetable hand block prints: Hand block printing is a technique practiced all across India, each state has it's unique colors and patterns. The Hand Block Prints of Gujrat/ Rajasthan are called Ajrakh. Blues and Reds are the most characteristic colors of this print. I owned several cotton salwar kameezes with beautiful hand block prints (all brought from Sarojini Nagar market in Delhi) and these were actually my signature during architecture days.. :)

Patola: Patola comes from Patan in Gujrat. It includes a very intricate weaving process where threads of silk are carefully marked, tied and dyed separately and then woven together to create a beautiful piece of art!

I could recognize a patola print as early as I was eight, thanks to one of my mom's wedding sarees - patterns of green and blues woven into a deep pink/ purple base.. I still haven't come across any other saree so beautiful! Last time in India, I was shopping for a family wedding I kept asking for Patola and was always dismissed saying it was old fashioned! I know the heaps and heaps of embroidered chiffons and Georgettes can never match up to my mom's pink patola! :)

Kantha: Type of embroidery in bengal with decorative running stitch motifs. The traditional Kantha designs include flower patterns and animals. Recently got a turquoise blue saree with a Kantha print..:)

Chikankari: Shadow work embroidery from Luckhnow, done in white thread on muslin cloth. The classic all white chikan kurta and churidaar- Sheer elegance! :)

Zardozi: Very rich and elaborate designs hand embridered using gold and silver threads. Extremely popular in Bridal Wear these days. Main Centers are Bhopal and Lucknow.

With cheap mass produced garments and the influx of "branded wear" in Indian markets, many of these traditional crafts and techniques are on a decline. There are constant efforts being made by governments as well as several non profit organizations to revive these industries. I hope that these local handloom and textile industries continue to flourish and add color to our lives..:)

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Freakonomics is Fun!

Freakonomics is statistics made fun and entertaining!

I read the whole book (not very long , about 150 pages) in a breeze. For a book full of facts and "data analysis", it did not overwhelm me or bog me down, on the contrary it left me wanting for more...:). How effortlessly Steven Levitt uncovers the "why" behind a diverse range of everyday life topics. He analyzes the economics of drug peddling, crime, abortion, in the process humanizing these otherwise distant and touchy subjects. And then goes on to present a case for correlation between (people's)names and social development!

Intelligent,Witty and highly interactive, the book definitely challenges conventional wisdom and so many assumptions that we just consider "givens"... AND without sounding PREACHY!

If you are looking for a light read for your next beach vacation or those 22 hour India flights, this is IT! :)

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Kitchen Jugaads!

Jugaad: "Jugaad refers to an improvised solution; inventiveness, ingenuity, cleverness. It means creative improvisation and finding alternative ways of doing improbable things. It reflects on a person’s ability to think out of the box and optimize resources in the best possible way" (source: this blog)

Recent talks around sustainability and "Greening our lifestyle" led me thinking about all the little innovations in an Indian kitchen that we all grew up observing. Be it dishing out tasty recipes from leftovers or reusing "Bournvita jars" for storage, these little "jugaads" were always easy on the planet and on pockets! :)

Here are some green tidbits that I remember from my growing up years..

Use it up, Wear it out: Empty bottles and containers of any shape, size and kind found a use in the kitchen! Empty glass bottles were used for storing dals, chai, sugar..roohazfa bottles-washed clean and used to store drinking water in the refrigirator and the tiny ones which did not find a suiatble match were neatly displayed on the window sill with a little money plant. Most of us will also remember the little film roll containers-each and every one of them was put to a good use- to carry ketchup to school, for storing saunf/mukhwaas, a perfect little container for loose change and I still have one little one here with angara in it..:)

Eating off of leaves!: As a kid I loved attending weddings and family functions with my grandparents . As is a custom in marathi weddings, food was always served in batches and in pangats- sitting down on the floor in rows facing each other. The food used to be served in Patravli- plates and bowls made from dried leaves . I so vividly remember the aroma of varan bhat with ghee served on a dried leaf platter, think it actually made the food taste even more delicious! :)

Newspaper to the rescue: Old Newspapers were widely used everywhere. The paper cones with tasty chana chor garam and moongfali at the street vendors, as liners in kichen cabinets and drawers, and as paper plates during family trips and travels in trains. :) And come Diwali when aaji made several rounds of chivda and shankarpales in batches- newspapers were generously used to drain off excess oil in place of paper towels..:)

The multi use utensils : I still remember our oldest casserole-a green and white milton!. other than keeping chapatis and curry warm it made a great yoghurt maker- mix a little dahi in warm milk, stir well and place it in the casserole..whoa fresh curds for the next meal! Sharp edged vatis/ katoris were used to cut perfect round for pooris and the one pressure cooker was used for cooking and steaming and everything in between...

What trash? : I am still amazed at how little garbage an average household in India generates. Vegetable waste almost never finds its way into the trash can. packaging is minimal, all plastic bags (even the little amul milk bags) are washed and reused. No paper towels. No 100 type of kitchen cleaners. Amazing!

Old food, new avatar: And how can we forget resusing food in tasty and innovative ways? Leftover polis/ rotis became tasty kuskara, dals were hidden inside thalipiths, curds turned sour made the most delicious kadhi and spoiled milk meant matar paneer the next day....:)

As I struggle to make my kitchen as smart and easy on the environment, I understand how hard it really is. The economics have changed. We no longer think twice before buying a new kitchen gadget, paper towels are an "easy" alternative to the wash cloth and recycling takes "effort".

Maybe I will come back and post about our little experiments in sustainable living...

In the meantime I would love to hear green tips, stories and suggestions from your book of life as well! :)

Later.

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