Of all the traditional textiles India prides itself on, bandhani always seems to find its space in the exhibit tapestry. Extending the narrative on the craft is Craft Council of India’s upcoming pop-up that brings Abdul Jabbar of Kutch-based SIDR Craft to the city. The brand — working with over 250 women artisans — is known for the sarkam , dani and bharti techniques, and will have on sale bandhani saris (a blend of tussar, mulberry and moga ), dupattas and stoles.
“Traditional craftsmen have a fixed notion in their minds about what their fathers and grandfathers used to do,” says Jabbar, who leads the brand, along with elder brother, Abdullah. Not only does Jabbar experiment with the motifs and colours, but the material too. While gaji silk is traditionally used for bandhani , SIDR uses a variety of canvases: mulberry silk, georgette, crepe, chanderi , etc. As for the designs, Jabbar’s contemporary patterns find company with traditional ones such as khambhi and chandrakhani . The collection’s highlight is pieces crafted using the bharti technique which relies on the artisan’s eyesight and judgement to, quite literally, ‘fill in’ the spaces on the textile using the dots, with no pre-drawn pattern or sketches. ₹9,000 onwards. November 7 to 15 at Kamala, Egmore. 10.30 am to 7 pm 28191457