Solapur to LA

Govardhan Chatla woke up last week to a buzzing phone The entrepreneur behind one of the oldest furnishing businesses in Solapur Maharashtra has somehow found a connection with a celebrity in LA Actor Priyanka Choprarsquos singerhusband Nick Jonas was photographed wearing a boxy shirt with camp collars a shirting style reminiscent of the 1950s American leisurewear Woven on a jacquard loom its patterned knitted fabric features distinct and recognisable geometrical shapes and floral motifs a hallmark of the Solapur chadarOn the border close to the frayed selvedge of the half sleeves shirt was the name Chatla His family and friends notified him that an international celebrity was wearing a garment that seemed to be crafted from a Chatlamade Solapur chadar or blanket ubiquitous with scores of middle class Indians looking for a warm cover on a nippy nightGovardhan ChatlaUnfortunately none of Nick Jonasrsquos photos posted to promote the ongoing rememberthistour series of summer concerts credits designers or brands including the shirt in question that embodies a historical textile legacy Curiously though his earlier posts have made a mention of international lsquoheritagersquo brands like Dior and Fendimidday had reached out to press representatives for Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas but received no reply to our queries Chatla who we managed to track down though was far more forthcoming about the humble chadar that retails at approximately R400 apiece finding global fame He told this writer over a phone call ldquoIf it wasnrsquot for CHATLA a registered trademark mentioned on the sleeves I wouldnrsquot have known that itrsquos one of my designsrdquo The unknown designer of the shirt thankfully chose to retain the prototype design including the frayed selvedge with lsquoSURrsquo shorthand for Solapur written acrossthe border In a recent social post global pop icon and Priyanka Choprarsquos husband Nick Jonas was photographed wearing a campstyle shirt designed entirely from from the GI registered Solapur chadar PicInstagramIn a promising symbolic crafts story Chatlarsquos ancestors were originally weavers from Telangana the Southern state shares a border with Solapur district Before India gained independence Chatlarsquos ajoba grandfather relocated to Solapur in South Western Maharashtra He was employed at a power loom mill but in 1965 he quit his job and switched to manufacturing and supplying Solapur chadars with his brother and son That changed in 2001 when Govardhan took over the business and launched a flagship store at the now famous Daji Peth address ldquoWe produce and supply Solapur chadars to multiple retailers in India This makes it difficult to identify when and where the blanket for this shirt may have been picked uprdquo he addsAs it turns out the Solapur chadarmdashalso known as the jacquard chadarmdashis the first creation in Maharashtra to obtain Geographical Indication GI status ldquoAside from the GI tools such as trademark and design registration are available to creative practitioners to safeguard their original work I am not convinced that in todayrsquos world of the Internet and social media where images are freely shared across the globe these tools can be as effective as they are meant to berdquo believesMayank Mansingh Kaul writer and curator with a focus on contemporary histories of textiles and designMayank Mansingh KaulDelhibased Kaul canrsquot recall the first time he came across the Solapur chadar Although it fits within his broader two decadelong understanding of handloom traditions from India which have been known specifically for their home textiles ldquoAlong with the khes and durries of Panipat Madurkathi or Masland grass floor mats of Bengal and the Ikat durries of Warangal the Solapur chadar is a distinct product associated with everyday middleclass aesthetics of the region it comes fromrdquo Universally the Marathi word chadar translates to bed sheet but when woven in a thicker count of cotton it also functions as a pillow cover throw blanket or rugThe timehonoured story of this handloom textile goes something like this the development of the handloom weaving industry in Solapur as cited on the Sahapedia website began under the rule of the Peshwas The settlement of Madhavrao Peth presently Mangalwar Peth in Solapur sometime in the last quarter of the 18th century CE proved to be an attraction to many trading and artisan families from the Nizam territory These included families of caste weavers such as the Khetri and MominVaishali Srsquos runway collection in 2015 focused on the indigenous Khunn textileThe extension of the railway line to Solapur in 1860 accelerated the expansion of both industry and trade in handloom products to markets beyond the Deccan districts Solapur Spinning and Weaving Mills popularly known as Juni Girni is the oldest mill there established in December 1876 The central library at Pune University has an online report that states that Juni Girnirsquos superintendent along with staff member Allauddin masterji first produced the jacquard or Solapur chadarJuni Girni shuttered in 1947 A year later KG Kshirsagar who worked with Alauddin masterji branched into the production of chadars Through exports the Solapur chadar industry has contributed foreign exchange worth R1592 million to Indiarsquos economy according to the Solapur Textile Directory ldquoIt is also important to note that Maharashtra was one of the first regions in India to industrialise cloth production so mainstream handloom production like with this chadar went into power loom and mill production early onrdquo says KaulVaishali S PicInstagramSolapur continued to thrive as a textile industry it once enjoyed the status of being Asiarsquos largest spinning mills location However like with most textile traditions the Solapur chadarrsquos position has changed dramatically because of heavy duplication with cheaper products being sold using the Solapur logo The original product is dying Chatla ruesThat Jonas is a known face in the international arenamdash31 million Instagram followers while this particular post was Liked by four lakh usersmdashthis single image could have done it great service had the designer come forward and discussed its significance in Indian textile historyWhat the post did manage to do is add to the conversation around selective craft altruism and cultural appreciation and purposeless celebrity marketing ldquoThe larger Indian textile narrativemdashwhether itrsquos through publications research collections or exhibitionsmdashtends to focus on trophy textiles made for the social cultural and financial elite So yes more mainstream production centres creating handlooms like the Solapur chadar on a relatively larger scale for the masses have been ignoredrdquo Kaul admitsWhich brings us to the issue of why India attaches morals to handlooms with some arguing that it might be playing a part in keeping a chunk of consumers away from traditional handmade products Kaul thinks it has to do with Indiarsquos history of independence Mahatma Gandhirsquos call to buy Indian made clothes and khadi as a means to challenge the British power and their control over cotton production made the handloom narrative deeply linked with morality ldquoAt the time when there was an urgent need to revive rural livelihoods this morality took the form of the governmentrsquos patronage of the crafts Indiarsquos cultural elite over decades took over these wellintended causes acting as patrons of all things handmade This early example of consumer activism within mainstream fashion as it were is a unique phenomena of 20th and 21st century India We were talking of sustainability buying local and recycling before it made its way to the global network on fashionrdquo he saysMumbaibased designer Vaishali Shadangule understands the significance of a GI textile with roots in India finding itself in the high fashion global space Shadangule who launched her eponymous label almost 20 years ago has managed to change the sartorial narrative around the oldstyle Khunn GImdasha handwoven blouse material used by women in Maharashtra and Karnataka Traditionally woven in 35inch width to suit the blouse Shadangule worked with weaver clusters to introduce bigger looms to achieve wider width ldquoKhunn is a lightweight intricate brocade weave not very different from the Banarasi except itrsquos a lot less famousrdquo she says matteroffactly about the textile whose origins date back to the 15th century CEBorn in a Marathi family the designer says she grew up watching her mother and grandmother get dressed in jeweltoned Khunn blouses ldquoThe weave is almost like a painting instantly identified by its bright metallic sheen holding within it patterns and motifs grounded in Badami Fort the face of Goddesses animals and flowers and geometric shapes like the honeycombrdquoIn 2012 Shadangule set out on a road trip into Maharashtrarsquos countryside around Pune Kolhapur and Solapur to hunt down the Khunn weaving cluster She ended up in Guledgudda Karnataka where weavers were well versed in the handmade textilersquos making but several of them had given it up or switched to power looms to meet cost and speed With their help Shadangule created three collections from Khunn and showcased them to an encouraging media coverage but the reality outside the fashion playground was a different story ldquoI was shocked when I discovered in 2018 that the village Guledgudda had only 40 to 50 handlooms left The weavers I had originally worked with had only one loom in their house while earlier they had sixrdquo she addsSince then Shadangule has adopted the surviving 40 looms in the village with plans to use the fabric for home textiles apart from giving the weavers a monthly stipend that translates to job security ldquoIt works both waysrdquo she says of urban couture designers who choose to work with Indian crafts artisans ldquoBut it also comes with its own set of rules We have to commit to provide consistent business to them while ensuring right credit respect and wagesrdquoIn July Shadangule was invited by the Feacutedeacuteration de la Haute Couture et de la Mode FHCM to showcase her brandrsquos couture collection called Shwas Breath at the prestigious event She thinks ldquoOur heritage weaves are the original haute couture they encapsulate everything from exclusivity to design aesthetic and texturerdquoKnow your jacquard chadarClassified on the basis of the weight of cottonDeluxe 1000 to 1100 gm falls under lighter weight category known as Naurang Deluxe Dollar Supreme and Supreme DeluxeMayurpankh 1100 to 1400 gm a heavyweight version also called Monalisa Mayur Princess MohinilsquoChadar misappropriated without due authorisation could make it case of infringementrsquoA notable copyright lawyer decodes the jargon to reveal how and where GI registration can protect crafts artisans and handlooms manufacturersSafir Anand senior partner and head of trademarks contractual amp commercial IP at Anand and AnandMr Govardhan Chatla told midday that his chadar design has been tailored into a shirt retaining the selvedge detail as is In this instance then does Mr Chatla have any proprietary rights on the design that was paid for and later lsquomanipulatedrsquo into a shirtGeographical Indication GI protects communities that have perfected over time the manufacture of arts textiles and products imbibing unique attributes or characteristics owing to geographical origin Hence being a significant sector that helps the Indian economy flourish the textile and handloom industry needs protection both in domestic as well as global markets A GI protection is instrumental in this endeavourWith regard to the Solapur chadar it is a cotton bed sheet produced in Solapur city of Maharashtra and happens to be the first product in the state to obtain GI status which is currently subsisting and renewed till 2024The fact that the GI protection in this case extends to the Solapur chadar as a whole and was misappropriated without any due authorisation in place could make this a case of infringement regardless of the product being converted and tailored into a shirt In fact the selvedge itself comes under the ambit of protection since it is unique forms part of the textile and the principles of distinctiveness will apply to a selvedge equally as required under the trademarks law It is also possible for patterns and prints to be protected as trademarks or as design copyright In each case the novelty distinctiveness originality is importantThe GI protection is not granted to a single entity or enterprise but rather to any association of persons producers organisation or authority established representing the interests of the producers in a particular area On the basis of the registration that has been sought proprietary rights over the protected GI of the Solapur chadar is owned by Textile Development Foundation and in fact Mr Govardhan Chatla is the Treasurer of the organisation The body can assert its rights since they have a registration in place for the chadar And so it will be interesting to see how the ownership is claimed in this case if at allIf I buy a piece of a registered GItag fabric and redo it into something else does it automatically become my sole propertyGI rights are nontransferable and do not confer any proprietary rights to a third party just by replication The registered proprietor of a GI tag authorises the producer of goods to use the registered indication under appropriate conditionsThe registered proprietor of the Solapur Chadar of Maharashtra is the Textile Development Foundation a leading association of textile manufacturers in Solapur that has been instrumental in getting GI registration for not only the Solapur Chadar but also Solapur Terry TowelsConsequently it becomes immaterial that the GI fabric was converted into a shirt since the authorisation to use the protected GI in any manner itself is missing in this case and does amount to violation of protected rightsMany Indian textile experts believe that Geographical Indication was a concept introduced by the West to exploit and optimise production In India do you think that the whole business behind the GI tag is shrouded in ambiguity and needs urgent reanalysis especially now when everybodyrsquos attention is squarely focused on ldquosavingrdquo Indian craftsGI tags help protect the unique characteristics of a product that are exclusive to its origin A cutaway legislation that recognises intellectual property rights of a community instead of the individual producer is the Geographical Indications of Goods Registration and Protection Act 1999 ldquoActrdquo The Act recognises and protects Indiarsquos wellknown place specific and naturally originating products such as Darjeeling tea and thus acts as a tool for regional promotion and protection of Indian heritageHaving said that the actual gap that needs to be bridged is between providing the benefit of art and creation to the local craftsmen rather than the traders only as is the current scenarioThe Indian Government has already initiated various action plans such like Digital India coupled with the initiatives taken up by the Ministry of Textiles to ensure that the benefit to artisans and indigenous local communities is channelled in the right direction These actions plans are to empower the local craftsmen and provide them a global platform to market their productsWhile this is a good step to ensure that the rights of the craftsmen are protected the need to educate the community about their rights is important tooIn the context of this particular episode does it matter who designed the shirt or if the design was made for mass consumption If so could you explain howSince the GI rights are nontransferable and cannot be assigned to any third party unless inherited or authorised it indeed becomes pertinent to take into consideration the actual producer of the shirt Furthermore replication of a traditionally exclusive and protected textile design might not live up to the accepted quality standards and in turn not only infringes the GI but also tarnishes the established reputation of a regionally originating productWhen does cultural appreciation turn into misappropriationCandidly speaking while borrowing from cultures is definitely a part of the creative process when any brand or designer is inspired by traditional Indian craftsmanship the spirit of cultural appreciation must be championed I strongly believe that consent compensation and credit go a long way in cultural appreciationUnderstanding of any culture must always precede the commercial usage This ensures accuracy in representing the specific culture and avoids hurting any cultural sentiments Especially in cases of protected GI products coupled with the advent of the digital era the rights of the registered proprietor must never be overlooked as it may land one in trouble for misrepresentation as well as misappropriation Even otherwise it might lead to bad publicity