Three near-forgotten Benarasi silk weaves get a fresh lease of life at Taj Khazana's ongoing Trunk Sale. Pick up a sari support a weaver and his village in Varanasi
Three near-forgotten Benarasi silk weaves get a fresh lease of life at Taj Khazana's ongoing Trunk Sale. Pick up a sari support a weaver and his village in Varanasi
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Think silk saris and typically, and visions of Varanasi (Benaras) come to mind. For centuries, weavers from Benaras have created saris meant for royalty largely because of the cost and the effort that went into creating them. Then, the wave of commercialisation took over and the power loom replaced the handloom. Hundreds of weavers and villages were affected.
Project Varanasi
Six years ago, the Taj Group of Hotels started Project Varanasi to support the holy city's master weavers. As part of this project, Varanasi weaves were sourced directly from weavers to create uniforms used across the Taj Group of Hotels. This apart, they supported three to four villages where these weavers hailed from. 
The Shikargha showing details of a hunting expedition with tigers, deer,
elephants and a man hunting in thick jungle foliage PIC/Bipin Kokate
Currently, Taj Khazana, the in-house lifestyle store for traditional Indian wares is hosting an exclusive Trunk Show of a collection of Varanasi weaves and many other Indian hand woven saris. After Mumbai, the Trunk Show will move to Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
"After sourcing these saris we felt these weavers need a steady source of income and that the art of hand weaving needs to be sustained. So, we began working on saris, which are crafted in the traditional way, with hundred-year-old designs. We decided to showcase these at the Khazana stores. With this edition of the Trunk Show, we are introducing three such revival designsu00a0-- Jhangla, Shikargha and Kinkhaab," says Sarita HegdeRoy, Chief Operating Officer, Taj Khazana.
Jay Ramrakhiani, the brain behind these designs elaborates, "I sourced sari designs from the museum at Benaras Hindu University, the Weavers' Service Centre and a few that were from a family heirloom. We added several new elements; some of these were so complicated that the weavers refused to make them, initially. After much persistence and hard work things fell into place."
Weaving Tradition
Traditionally, Indian royalty wore the Kinkhaab because of the pure gold zari that was used to create it.
Weavers use four threads of silk and two of zari to make a Kinkhaab and the number of threads reduce if the design is more intricate. In fact, prices of such saris shoot up to Rs 1.5 lakh per piece. Such is the complexity of the design that many weavers lost their vision while weaving them. Also, because of the elaborate use of zari, the sari can be woven only at certain lower temperature and hence the work on the sari begins in the winter months. On an average, from sourcing the material to weaving, a weaver takes four to six months to make a sari.
The Jhangla is another design weave associated with royalty. The word Jhangla is derived from jungle and like the forests the design also covers the entire sari. Motifs range from different flowers and fruits like pomegranates or guavas. This sari, which takes up to three months to weave uses zari and silk for creating the designs. Also seen are Badla or pure silver circles at centres of flowery motifs.
Hunting trips have been synonymous with kings and these expeditions led to the creation of Shikargha designs.
Master weavers who worked with the royal families created the Shikargha designs as a tribute to this fixation with hunting and horse riding. Most saris depict hunting trips and include foliage, elephants, peacocks, tigers or deer.
On Today, 10.30 am to 8.30 pm
At Trunk Show by Taj Khazana, Gateway Room, The Taj Mahal Palace, Colaba.
PRICE Rs 5,000 onwards
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