This Thamarai blooms in a congested lane in Guindy. As you pass the dust and din to enter its spacious workshop, 50 men, their head bent over pieces of colourful fabrics, stretched over wooden frames, are embroidering in absolute silence. There’s a rhythm about the way they pierce with the needle and gently pull the threads. Four of them are working on an intricate ‘tree of life’ wall panel with tracing paper spread out beside them for design reference. Yoga, Kiran and Sangeetha, the three friends, who set up this house of embroidery, are busy discussing colour combinations and patterns with their drawing artistes.
“See these leaves,” points out Yoga to the huge panel. “They appear as if they have been created in a single colour. But look closely and you will find shades of beige, brown and yellow. You need to visualise each work with care and in great detail. If something goes wrong, it’s not easy to get back to the beginning,” she smiles.
Unlike the flimsy threads that usually go into making embroidered clothes available in the market, their pieces are crafted from high-quality and expensive metal wires sourced from Surat. “We have to ensure that the colours are fast and the stitches don’t give way because they are custom-designed for clients who prefer distinctiveness in décor for their home or office. Right from the time of royalty this rich craft has been a mark of luxury,” explains Kiran, who handles the marketing, sitting by the huge French window through which enough sunlight pours into the room already lit by many tube lights.
It took a lot of convincing initially for the three women to make customers realise the need to pay more to buy a hand-crafted product as it is highly labour-intensive and time-consuming.
“All these craftsmen from Tiruvallur are third-or-fourth generation embroiders but not many of them are passionate about keeping the craft alive. They have not initiated their children into it and are keen that they take up jobs in companies or banks,” says Sangeetha.
Besides a regular income, their morale needs to be bolstered so that this tradition does not fade. “We talk to them about the great value of their craft and how they can make a decent living practising it,” says Yoga. “We had a master-embroider, who had an amazingly deft pair of hands. One day he just stopped coming. We later came to know he was working in a construction site. After many months, he returned to Thamarai. We were only happy to have him back, but, sadly he had lost touch with the craft and couldn’t handle the needle and thread,” she recalls picking up a piece in bright blue silk designed stunningly with glass beads and silver threads. It is part of a collaborative work with a Moroccan designer who will be using Thamarai embroidery in her kaftan collection. On another frame two embroiderers are working on off-white silk fabrics; embroidering motifs in gold, combining European and Indian sensibilities in their ornate stitches. “It is a project for a French designer,” points out Kiran. A lot of research is done before the team arrives at a final design for an assignment. Since Thamarai specialises in décor, they do a meticulous study of the space where the work would be displayed, for instance, size of the area, lighting, wall colours etc.
“Today it’s not just about buying a house. It is heartening to see how much people are spending in doing up the interiors and investing in rare artworks. This changing attitude has immensely helped us in resurrecting a fading craft,” says Sangeetha, who feels that every project takes them closer to their creative dreams. Among the many moments of pride is when singer Beyonce wore a pair of jeans that bore the Thamarai embroidery. “We were delighted when we saw the photograph,” they exclaim in unison.
As for the design inspiration, says Kiran, they keep their eyes wide open during their travels within the country and abroad. “I get ideas even during my daily commute between home and studio. Actually anything can spur you to think in terms of design. Like bees, blooming or withering flowers, heritage structures, food or just human faces and emotions,” adds Kiran who is excited about her upcoming trip to Greece.
The three forged a strong bond while working at Vastrakala, an internationally-known house of embroidery, launched in the city by Jean-Françoise Lesage, who hails from the celebrated Lesage family of embroiderers in Paris.
“It was a great place to understand, enjoy and get passionate about the craft. Also Jean-Jean-Françoise is a wonderful person to work with. He was extremely supportive when we told him about our plan to quit and do something on our own. He even gave some of his projects to help us establish,” says Yoga. “After all craft is about connecting people and cultures,” she smiles.
