Dhakai Jamdani

The beauty of the  jamdani lies in the motifs, woven on sheer muslin, that seem to float and dance in nothingness. This gives jamdanis a unique sensuousness combined with grandeur. Jamdanis may not have the most intricate of designs, but their simplicity brings out the best in the women who wear them. I always felt that a great saree is one that takes your attention from its own beauty to the woman wearing it. 

The word jaamdani orginated from Persian, jam meaning flower and dani meaning vase. The art of making fine muslin and jamdani textile developed in Bengal, particularly in the Dhaka and Narayanganj region, under the patronage of the Mughals. The advent of machine made textiles from England led to the decline of this fine art in Colonial India. Fortunately, the art has been revived, with state support, both in India and Bangladesh.

The designs of  jaamdani are woven on muslin using the supplementary weft technique. While the standard weft holds the warp, creating a fine fabric, the supplementary weft of thicker, colored and zari threads, weave intricate patterns that create a dreamlike canvas.   The supplementary  weft motifs are added by interlacing the weft thread with the warp by hand, using fine bamboo sticks. This calls for high degree of dexterity. A good jaamdani is created when an evolved sense of aesthetics meets deft weaving skills.

As is the case with most hand loom textiles of the subcontinent, the weavers of this grand tradition find it difficult to survive in the highly competitive global marketplace. They face problems ranging from rising cost of inputs to competition from foreign made textiles to changing preferences of buyers. The younger generation of the weaving communities are not too keen to learn the trade. Besides, the technique of creating jamdani is a high cost affair making the saree a high priced one, limiting its consumer base.   

Though traditionally, jamdanis were crafted on white of off-white background, in recent years there has been increasing use of  coloured background and also much deviation from traditional designs.

A very old Dhakai jamdani from my collection

A fashion revolution in 19th century Bengal

Jnanadanandini Devi (wife of Satyendranath Tagore the first member of the Indian Civil Service and elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore) adopted the Parsi style of wearing the saree and modified it as the Brahmika (pertaining to the Brahmo Samaj) style. Before this, women in Bengal draped the saree around without any blouse and petticoat. Any stitched garment was forbidden for women. In fact, it was considered uncivil and too modern to wear a blouse. Jnadanandini introduced the modern way of wearing the saree with blouse or chemise, petticoat, shoes and socks in 1871. She publicised it in the magazine Bamabodhini Patrika. This created a fashion revolution in late nineteenth century Bengal among the upper and middle class educated families.

Standing from left: Jnanadanandini Devi, Satyendranath Tagore, Kadambari Devi. Seated:Jyotirindranath Tagore (Kadambari Devi's husband and Rabindranath's elder brother)
 

Garod/Gorod and Koriayl: The undyed tradition

As a child, I used to be fascinated by the red-bordered, flower stained,gorod saree that my grandmother kept tucked away in her Burma teak almriah (this beautiful word has traveled quite a bit. First, from the Latin armarium, meaning closet, to the Portugese armario. The Portugese traveled with the word to India, where, the Indian languages lovingly adopted it by rechristening it as  almaari. The word then found a resting place in English as almirah, though it is rarely used now, replaced by the nondescript cupboard or wardrobe). 

Coming back to my grandmother's gorod, it was reverentially brought out during the family pujas (hence, the flower stains). I realised then, that there must be something sacred about the saree. Gorods were not merely 'puja' sarees exuding  scent of flowers and incense, but they  made many interesting social statements in upper caste Bengali society. Owning a gorod was a status symbol to be flaunted in style. Women would proudly  show them off at family gatherings, especially if gifted by a son or a son-in-law. Interestingly, these 'puja sarees' were woven by weavers from both the Hindu (tanti) and Muslim (julaha) communities in Murshidabad,  Shantipur, and Tangail. 

Gorad or gorod and koriyal are two varieties of traditional Bengal hand loom silk. They are made from either mulberry or tussar. The term gorod means silk that is not dyed, rather than white silk. Korial/koriyal is version of gorod that has a heavier texture, giving it a much richer look than ordinary gorod. Another version of this variety is the Koriyal Benarasi with gold and silver intricate designs on the border and the pallavs. The simple gorods have a finer and softer texture than gorod-koriyals.  

The distinguishing features of these sarees are that they are based on white or off-white (kora) backgrounds, borders that are usually red, though other colours are also being used now and they mostly feature paisely motifs. 

A gorod-koriyal saree from my almirah

It is a good idea to team up a gorod with a jamevar stole

Versatile Shantipuri

Shantipuri Saree

Shantipur, a city in the Nadia distrcit of West Bengal, India, is known for its sarees since ancient times. After the Partition of India, many weavers from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) moved from Tangail and Dacca (now Dhaka)to Sahntipur-Phulia and Kalna. The weavers from Dacca brought with them the skill and technique of creating exquisite dhakai jaamdani. 

The weavers of Shantipur make two vaieties of srees: dhonekhali and tangail (previously known as begum bahar) Shantipuri sarees are woven in fine textile. The borders and pallavs are the most distinguishing features of these sarees. 

Nature plays a very important role in the designs of Shantipuri sarees. The borders have fascinating names according to the designs they depict: ardha chandra (half-moon), bhromra (bumble bee), raaj mahal (palace), tara (stars); benki (spiral), aansh (fish-scale) and many others. Neelambari (dark-blue starry night-sky) is a well known Shantipuri design.


Intricate pallav of a Shantipuri cotton saree

Fading heritage: Dhonekhali Saree

Dhonekhali Saree

 Dhaniakhali/ Dhonekhali is an administrative division in the Hoogly district of West Bengal, once known for its very fine dhutis/dhotis. With falling demand for dhutis, the weavers switched over to making sarees. The material for dhonekhali sarees  is coarser than the ones used in other varieties of Bengal handloom sarees. The designs of these sarees range from the simple elegant horizontal stripes (dure-saree) to intricate ones with fish and conch shell motifs. The jacquard weaving technique is used to make these sarees.

Wearers of dhonekhalis swear by the comfort the textile gives after a few washes. My mother always preferred them over tangails for daily use. The textile being coarser, these sarees are also more durable. Unfortunately dhonekhalis are fast losing favour among buyers. From my experience, I have found that most sellers no longer store these sarees. The dhonekhali weavers are in distress. If not revived through concerted efforts of multiple agencies, we are going to lose yet another beautiful textile heritage. 

 Dhonekhali sarees can be identified and distinguished from others by the vertically running woven braided line near the anchal (pallu).

The unstitched galaxy........

I lived within the folds

Of my mother's sari.....

My universe 

An unstitched galaxy

Of endless comfort

A promise of scented organic 

Shelter......