Indian Textiles
The ancient Indian textile industry has existed for more than 5000 years, relying on traditional techniques of dyeing, spinning and weaving. India is famous for its handloom textiles produced all over the country. Varieties of fabrics with intricately embroidered patterns are popular throughout the world.
Weaving is closely associated with women in India. They often inherit the craft from mother to daughter, while men typically work with leather or pursue other trades.
Hand-weaving techniques produce many types of cloth including coarse home-spun cotton khadi cloth and fine material made from silk or wool that can be embroidered or glazed to give intricate patterns and colors.
Weaving has been continuously practiced in India for thousands of years. The art of weaving was transmitted from mother to daughter in some families, and there were bans against it in some periods to prevent men from working with the women.
Apart from weaving, fabrics are also produced through hand-looms or power looms at home by using a variety of fabrics: "khadi", "churidar" and "salwar".
Also the "Tussar silk", produced from cocoons of wild and hybrid mulberry silkworms, is used in making sarees.
Weaving is popular in South India and the most famous type of sari from south India was created by weavers called 'Nayars' or 'Nairs'. It is also called as "Kasavu" or as "Zari" (gold thread) sari because it uses golden thread to decorate it. These saris are intricately designed with zari. They are often worn by Indian women on special occasions like marriages.
A cotton sari is draped over the right shoulder and pleated at one end. The pallu, or loose end of the sari, is then brought over to the left shoulder or tucked under it. There are different modes of wearing a sari depending upon what occasion it is worn for.This traditional outfit for women in south India can be seen in the many murals and paintings in the temples of south India and also in sculptures on temple walls depicting typical Hindu goddesses and forms of Siva .
In the north of India, the Garhwalis and Bishnois make a special type of sari called "palash" which is worn in ways as in south India. It is made from cotton or wool.
16-19 September 2013
The exhibition will display rare artefacts, journals articles, books and sculptures depicting the history of textiles and handicrafts through its various stages such as production, marketing as well as appreciation.
The exhibition will be set up on the first floor of Arts & Culture Centre’s own building, Nalanda House with ample parking facility for visitors. It will be inaugurated by Shri R.M. Ghosh, Minister of State for Culture , Government of Jharkhand with a talk on 19 September 2013 at 6 pm.
Following are some selected highlights:
-Rare artefacts dating back to ancient times depict various stages in history from the time when it originated till today.
-Textiles and handicrafts were expressions of human skill and creative soul of the people associated with them. Their manufacture was an art itself. So their appreciation was also an art as well as a science, since certain principles of appreciation had to be followed in order to understand their nature and function properly.
-The exhibition will cover a brief history of the development of textiles and handicrafts in India from ancient times.
-It will also bring together various types of textiles from India including cotton sari with its appeal to people, Rajasthani shawls and chanderi shawls that capture the spirit of their cultures, traditional silk saris that attract millions worldwide.
-During Nov. 2012-May 2013 a project "Textiles & Handicrafts: Old & New" was completed under the aegis of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India . This project took fourth place in the category of "Governance and Sustainable Development."
-This exhibition covers about 200 years of textiles and handicrafts from the 1950s to the present. Textiles are diverse in form, color, patterns, texture, style and can be classified into four categories – Natural textiles, man-made & synthetic textiles, finished art works of a textile nature e.g. abaya (dress worn by women) with accessories and shawls etc., handwork items such as embroidery on fabrics, beading work etc., handmade decorative objects like doll’s house (Kothi), clock etc., handcrafted handicraft items made out of wood and stone.
-The exhibition will showcase textiles and other handicrafts from various parts of India, including some of the finest examples seen in museums and art galleries.
-Several internationally renowned handlooms – Kanauji Nishad Chairloom, Khadi Farm Loom, Banarasi Silk Cloth, Khadi Gram Kutchi Loom etc. – and exhibitions on them will be displayed.
-The exhibition will also display unique samples of ancient textiles as well as rare manuscripts on textile arts dating back to the 16th century A.D. It will also showcase global influence on textiles and handicrafts since the 17th century, including some rare samples of miniature paintings from Jaipur, Bikaner and Rajasthan.
A three-day event from 19 September to 21 September 2013 at Art & Cultural Centre of the Central University of Jharkhand. Artists, designers and personalities from different fields are invited to discuss the theme as well as exchange their experiences.
This event is organised by Art & Culture Centre of Central University of Jharkhand with support from Ministry of Culture, Government of India and Ministry for Development Cooperation (MDC), Kingdom of The Netherlands. All details can be accessed on the website: www.jharkhand.nic.in/artcraft2013
On the concluding day, 21 September 2013 an exhibition from 9 am to 3 pm will be displayed in the Nalanda House premises of Arts & Culture Centre of Central University of Jharkhand
Address: Arts & Culture Centre, Nalanda House, Central University of Jharkhand, Rani Tanti Avenue, Ranchi – 834 004.
Conclusion:
In the past 150 years, textiles and handicrafts have been exhibited widely across India and abroad. However, Jharkhand has lacked any such exhibitions of a significant scale. It is hoped that through this exhibition we will be able to make people aware of the richness of our state in textiles and handicrafts. This event is therefore significant not only for Jharkhand but also for the entire country since it will help develop interaction between different centres of excellence in handlooms across India thus strengthening development activity in this sector.
To know more about these exhibitions please visit Arts & Culture Centre website:www.jharkhand.nic.
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Indian Textiles