“The art of Pashmina shawl weaving is dying out. There are very few who are carrying it forward,” says textile designer Varuna Anand. In Chennai to showcase her collection of embroidered shawls under the brand ‘Splendor of Kashmir’, she says that it is a tribute to the weavers of Kashmir for the fine work they are doing.
Varuna, who is originally from Delhi, is married into a family from Kashmir. “That’s what sparked my interest in Pashmina shawls and embroidery. It is a way of venting my creative side,” she says.
Working with a set of weavers, she says that keeping the age-old, traditional art alive is her aim. She calls the shawls “drapable art” and that is indeed what they are: intricate designs and patterns are spread over the entirety of some shawls, and others have simple, but equally intricate borders.
“It can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months for a single shawl to be made. A kani jamyavaar will take about nine to 12 months. The value of something hand-done is more than that of something which is machine-made. The work done by our weavers is impeccable: the right side and the reverse are equally neat,” says Varuna. Prices start from Rs. 10,000 for a plain shawl and can go up to Rs. 1.8 lakh, depending on the type of work that has gone into it. “It’s not the cost of the material or labour that one is paying for. It’s for the art of weaving and the art of embroidery. Anyone who recognises the real thing will not go in for the fake,” she says.
With clients like the Maharana of Udaipur and the Maharaja of Indore, Varuna says it is a pleasure to interact with people who know the value of the work that she displays. “I travel around the country to constantly keep the fine art of Kashmiri design alive in people’s minds. In the North, buying a shawl is a necessity because of weather conditions. Perhaps four out of 10 customers will buy a piece simply for what the artwork means. For the rest, it is just another shawl. In Chennai, however, only those who admire and appreciate the art will buy it,” she says, explaining why Chennai is her favourite place to showcase her collection.
Varuna is definitely worried about the future of the craft, as she finds that the weavers’ children are more enamoured by the computer and the prospect of quick money with minimal work. “This is not something you can learn in school. It is a tradition, passed down from parent to child. But the next generation feels that it is too much effort and not financially rewarding enough. The shawl was always a luxury commodity and has survived for so long on royal patronage, but this collector’s art is dying out,” she rues.
While she retails the shawls online at >thesplendorofkashmir.com , Varuna does not take orders for specific designs. “I do not believe in replicating designs. Two pieces cannot look exactly alike even if done by the same weaver. Our customers can choose from the stock we have in our collection.”
