The jamdani process in weaving in Srikakulam is intricate and meticulous Photo Credit: Sangeetha Devi Dundoo
Jyothi and Suma rarely took their eyes off the loom, and could even speak; they patiently count the thread and do the weaving process. They are among 50 women working in 25 weaving facilities, with two women working at each loom, in Alikam village in Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh. The women have been trained to weave the famous jamdani in Srikakulam. “We all work here from 9 am to 6 pm,” says Jyothi. The saris woven by these women were commissioned by Hyderabad-based textile designer Gaurang Shah, who plans to expand this unit to 100 looms. So far, they have helped build 120 looms in Srikakulam and facilitated the training of over 300 women weavers.
Gaurang recalls that the village hardly had good roads in the early 2000s. Annaji Rao, who oversees the facility, nodded in agreement. It started as an initiative with a few looms and grew as more and more women wanted to learn the process and earn a steady income. While the men mainly farmed, the women sold vegetables or helped in the fields. Looms provide alternative employment opportunities; the women weavers earn between ₹14,000 to ₹20,000 per month.
Hand painted or hand drawn design sheet and final sari, designed by Gaurang Shah | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
Some of the women who started as expert jamdani weavers have moved to nearby villages after marriage and work from home, with the looms for them. “There are two women in the village, there are five to 10. Their work is scattered but they must continue. So we set up the loom according to convenience,” says Gaurang. Unlike traditional pit looms, these are table looms that are easy to carry.
What is so special about these women weavers and their work? Jamdani saris woven in khadi, cotton or organza, are not mass produced. This can be considered wearable art, providing a premium segment. Some saris cost ₹3 lakh upwards. “Our jamdani designs require patience and women can weave only half an inch a day,” explains Gaurang.
What is jamdani?
Book Interlace: Discover the Soul of Jamdanicommissioned by Gaurang Shah to complement his earlier collection of woven sarees featuring jamdani techniques from various regions of India, giving a brief history of the craft. Jamdani is a non-continuous weaving technique. Motifs are laid on the fabric by adding denser threads to fine threads, by hand. Said to be one of the most advanced and time-consuming weaving techniques, jamdani originates from Dhaka and uses the finest muslin. Today, skilled weavers maintain the tradition in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, among other states. In Srikakulam, the loom holds the warp thread and the weft thread together, and the third thread is added continuously to create the desired pattern.
He also created a collection of museum collections that could not be sold. Textile connoisseurs may remember Gaurang’s project of recreating Ravi Varma’s paintings with the help of jamdani weavers in khadi, using natural dyes. The collection of more than 30 saris formed in this region, which has now been exhibited in national and international museums, is nothing but a weaving miracle.
One of the saris on the loom is part of the ‘Khadi, canvas’ project; Gaurang Shah Photo Credit: Sangeetha Devi Dundoo
Cut to the present and the female weavers are working diligently to execute the intricate designs given to them. Sari weaving can last a year or more. Jamdani weaving is done on organza or khadi with varying counts, from 80 to 150 or more, getting better as the thread count increases.
The designs for all six meters are hand-drawn or hand-painted on gateway sheets of custom-made paper for the length and width of the saris, Gaurang explains, showing the design of the tree of life. The Srikakulam jamdani technique allows designers and weavers to create patterns without repetition as the weavers place the entire six meter design sheet (which takes more than a month to draw) under the warp and execute the design.
Khadi is a canvas
Khadi: Canvas is a project presented by the Abheraj Baldota Foundation with Gaurang Shah as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Raja Ravi Varma. Gaurang’s team of weavers recreated Varma’s paintings on looms using jamdani on khadi. The collection was unveiled as part of a multidisciplinary exhibition titled Santati at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The collection was also exhibited in Hyderabad, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Baroda and New York.
Known for his experiments with weaving, Gaurang showed a sari in the making that uses 11 shuttles (11 wefts) in the loom. He then showed me a finished sari weaving using the Paithani jamdani technique in which brightly colored flowers and birds form the design palette, with the bird containing many flowers inside – all carefully woven like a painting. The women weavers, he said, patiently counted the threads – 80 or more inches, as needed for the design.
Some of the women in the jamdani unit established by Gaurang Shah | Photo Credit: Sangeetha Devi Dundoo
Gaurang, who interacts with weavers and artisans across the country, feels that the possibilities are endless. Sometimes, it’s about reviving forgotten heritage motifs. A sari with a Paithani design of four peacocks in a circle is an example. Some rare designs, displayed on textiles kept at the Calico Textile Museum in Ahmedabad, are also being revived. The jamdani facility we visited was one of two set up by Gaurang, apart from individual looms in some houses. “There is room to train and engage more weavers. More than 90% of the weavers in the facility are women. Because it provides a steady income, we often get requests. People tend to draw a community of handlooms and weavers. But there is a lot of room for good work. Gaurang must know, because of his journey of almost three decades in handloom. He proudly calls himself a textile, not a fashion designer, and likes to fulfill the niche of finding handloom saris.
(The author visited the loom by invitation)
