It’s the season to create summer magic with soft and airy cotton saris. Crafted at the loom in a profusion of ancient weaves and textures, block and hand are painted with imagery of stylised flowers, curling vine, gamboling animals, birds in flight and of gods and goddesses, myth and local lore. At the Central Cottage Industries’ ‘Cool Cotton’ exhibition, hand-woven saris from different regions of India unfold ‘cool’ stories in exuberant colours and pastels, jewel tones and shades of white.
Soft Bagru mulls and cottons in earthy oranges, indigo blues, yellows and mehndi green imprinted with ‘kairi’, ‘butties,’ exotic nargis and chrysanthemum for day wear. Chettinad cotton saris in jewel-coloured stripes and rare checks or bold colours offset with typical woven borders. Odisha’s Sambalpuri ikats in dramatic greens and blues for the evening and a range of Bengal cottons, block printed in Jaipur with unusual motifs and checks offer both day and evening wear options.
Banaras cottons bring a touch of evening glamour in sherbet coloured backgrounds woven with ‘butties’ and lotus motifs, while Bengal hand woven silks with Jamdani flowers entice.
With their cool textured surface, tussar saris smack of elegance. Among the attractions are the superbly painted kalamkari saris by State Awardee Lakshmiamma of Sri Kalahasti. Motifs of flowers, vine, peacock and parrots in vegetable colours cover the entire body of the saris, while the pallus feature rare depictions of Siva-Parvati legends, Nataraja in eternal dance and beautifully painted Dashavatara imagery.
Says Lakshmi, “I finish each sari in 30-40 days, from concept to conclusion. It’s a laborious job. I first prepare the sari canvas, soaking it in a mixture of buffalo milk and crushed kadduka seeds. Simultaneously, I prepare my own kalam and natural dyes such as indigo for blue, black by soaking iron filings and gud in water, turmeric to achieve yellow, etc. After the application of any one colour, the cloth is washed in running water, dried and the process repeated till the painting is completed.”
The ‘ Cool Cotton ’ exhibition is on at Central Cottage Industries Emporium , Temple Towers , 672,Anna Salai, (near Nandanam), till April 26 .
