Sari is a serious business for Himanshu Verma aka the Sari Man. When there was no buzz around the six-yard drape, Himanshu was possibly one of the first people to trigger it with his Sari Festival in 2014 in Delhi. And with each passing year, Himanshu is expanding it to other cities like Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. He sometimes organises a full-fledged festival and at times does a small showcase.
Sari Summery is a smaller presentation, a special collection of weaves for the summer for Bengaluru to be held on June 9 and 10.
Chanderis, kota dorias, cotton Banarasis, linen saris, khadi saris will dominate the exhibition.
There is a vintage section as well which will have West Bengal’s Balucharis, Assam’s mekhela chador, Kala cotton sarees from Kutch, Dabu prints from Jaipur and ilkals, with reinterpreted colour patterns from Bagalkot in Karnataka. “The idea is always to bring the weaves which are not known in the city. And I have noticed that Bengalureans have a fondness for weaves from Bengal, which is why we have got Balucharis. Chanderis are also not easily available in the city. So we have brought them for the first time. Kota dorias are also very suitable for the weather here,” says Himanshu. The popularity of linen saris, he says, has established the style into a distinct category. “You can have linen interact with a banarasi border or with jamdani influences. It is becoming a huge trend.”
He feels that the numerous sari projects, pacts happening across the city have made people aware of the unique Indian weaves. “I feel so humbled when I open my social media accounts and learn about a lost weave or textile being worn by a lady somewhere. There is this whole movement of learning about weaves that has started.”
After the event ends, Himanshu will visit the Molakalmuru weaver cluster in Molakalmuru in Chitradurga district. “It is called the puja sari and worn during special occasions. It bears motifs like kalash, birds and is not found easily. I want to see it.”
Himanshu fell in love with saris when he started Red Earth, an art organisation, in 2004. And he started to wear it which got him the title of Saree Man. “Occasionally people sniggered but mostly people were positive and curious. The drape has been central to our clothing. I also realised that how much we don’t know about our traditional clothing. Even if one steps out in a dhoti, people will be a little taken aback.” Himanshu will be back with the full-fledged version of Sari festival soon.
(Sari Summery will be held at RainTree, No.4, Sankey Road, High Grounds on June 9 – 10 from 10 am to 7 pm)
