As the National Museum inaugurates its exclusive exhibition titled Atootdor-Unbroken Thread, ace designer Ritu Kumar showcases her collection of brocade sarees. She shares with Riya Sharma that the master weavers had lost the connect with their traditional sarees because of lack of patronage
How many of us knew that the old, traditional brocade sarees used to be worn with churidarsIJ If you are wondering the reason why we are not aware of it then the answer lies in a simple answer as pointed by Ritu Kumar that our master weavers of Benaras have lost the connect with their old sarees. “These brocade sarees are the most sophisticated weaving that the world has ever seen but unfortunately, our weavers have lost the connect with their traditional sarees,” said Kumar, eminent fashion designer associated with the craft of reviving brocade weaves.
Present at the National Museum to inaugurate an exclusive exhibition titled AtootDor - Unbroken Thread in collaboration with India Foundation for the Arts, Bangalore, where the museum has put brocade sarees on display for two months to maintain the legacy of the Benarasi brocade.
The exhibition showcased an exclusive collection ofsarees from the designer’s collection as well as from private collections. “It started three years back, when I went to Benaras on a private trip. It has been a personal initiative when I went there for the revival of sarees,” said the designer.
The designer during the talk Atootdor- Unbroken Thread, Exhibition of Benarasi Brocade Sari at Home and In The World pointed out that it took her one year and four trips to understand what the problem was with the weavers. “They had the skill in their hands, they understood the technique but they had no sample. The sarees that were making were stiff and considering the fashionable society that we live in, I knew nobody wanted to wear that stuff. It is also one of the biggest problems that they faced — lack of a sample,” she shared.
Highlighting the fact that many crafts in India have suffered a lack of patronage, she told that the weavers faced a setback because they had no one to guide them. “In last 100 years, many crafts in India have suffered a setback because of the lack of the patronage. Jaipur and other parts had their specific patterns and particular weaves according to the aesthetics of the region. But with the advent of colonialism, weavers lost the connect — not only to the golden past but also to the future. Weavers had no idea what they were weaving and the result was a saree which was so stiff that nobody wanted to wear. They were not equal to our wall paintings,” she said.
Giving a bit of history, Kumar shared how many master weavers came from parts of Gujarat. But, a lot of them came from Uttar Pradesh who are the master weavers in Benaras. Benaras is not only a place which only has resonance with culture and history but Kumar rightly pointed out, “The place is also keeping alive a tradition that all of us should be very proud of. But, due to their present condition, not all of them are following the craft. It is in their blood as they can create gold and silver weave on silk and in various colours. The present generation doesn’t want the younger generation to continue the craft, which is unfortunate.”
The designer also doesn’t wish to bring in innovative trends in a fabric as rich as brocade. “Why would someone take a classic like a weave, print or over design itIJ It is expected out of designers to create designs like this (pointing out to her design, saree with a churidar) so that it can be worn by the younger generation. They have lost the connect with the old sarees, we need to bring it back,” she said.
In the end, she also appealed to the Government to publicise the revival of brocade sarees and encouraged the initiative by the museum.
photos Sanjeev Kumar