To give a fillip to the traditional print heritage of West Bengal, couturier Ritu Kumar has now created a collection of vintage hand-block woven silk saris. Titled “A Silk Tale”, this collection is a tribute to weavers who have put their blood, sweat and tears into producing a fabric which epitomises the Indian heritage. And the credit for bringing them into the mainstream of society goes to the veteran couturier who has shown remarkable perseverance by working with them for the past four decades. She seeks to strengthen the hands of weavers who have lately been facing stiff competition from machine-based products as well as imported silk.
Attracting Indian women who want something traditional but with a contemporary touch, the collection is in a wide assortment of chintz, paisleys and bold floral prints. From cream, yellow to fuschia, reds, turquoise and emerald tones, each printed sari has its own uniqueness in terms of richness of the fabric and embroidery. Available at her store in Khan Market, the collection has been put up in a manner that the public realises that our nation’s rich cultural heritage needs to be preserved. And they understand the relevance of those who work at the grassroots.
She has recreated the vintage effect of hand-block prints. One colour has been printed at a time. The range celebrates the hereditary skills of Bengali weavers as they weave ancient designs in originally conceived aesthetics.
Shedding light on the collection, Ritu says, “It is a collection which highlights the unique features of ahimsa silk which is found in Murshidabad in West Bengal, Bhagalpur in Jharkhand as well as on trees of the Terai region. Moth and silk cocoon come from these regions. These are indigenous, organic in nature. We encourage marginalised women to obtain fabrics by using traditional hand weaving. We do not use machines and desist from using the China silk which is obtained through machines but is popular as like any other machine product it produces silk in bulk.”
Revealing that ahimsa silk is being cultivated in the country for thousands of years, Ritu says, “Therefore, our endeavour is to work for the upliftment of the weaving community in our way.”
Explaining how she has been working for the revival of ahimsa silk, Ritu says for this collection weaving started last year. “The basic purpose behind this whole initiative is to make people understand that ahimsa silk is a better alternative to China silk, which is mill-made. This way our weavers will get employment. It is far more heartening and rewarding to see them occupied in work which provides them livelihood opportunities.”
For Ritu this association with the weaving community from West Bengal, started years ago when she first stepped on the banks of Ganga. “I have been working at Serampore for over 40 years. This place is unique as it has so many brilliant weavers who produce such outstanding work. In virtually every household you will find a loom and see how these women do their job with utmost precision and care,” says the designer , who off and on travels to this place to inspect work and interact with the weavers and their families. She feels that she owes it to the hard work of the weavers. “We have to provide them work so that they pass their hereditary profession to their children. Otherwise they would discontinue their work their forefathers have been doing for centuries. My attempt is to look after them and work for the revival of ahimsa silk which cannot be matched by any other silk.”
For the veteran couturier statistics have no meaning. The exact number of weavers working for her full-time or part time does not matter to her. What matters to her is that every family is self sufficient in earning a living. “I am happy to see that in every house there is a loom and it warms my heart to see that women are earning with a mission to provide education to their children.”
