The Mughal era brought richness to textiles and costumes of India. The Ari work or Zardosi is a kind of hand embroidery believed to be introduced in medieval times during the reign of Muhammed Bin Tughlak. Embroidery done on velvet, satin or any other heavy material came to be known as Zardosi. The work is done by laying the gold threads over the material and is very heavy when the weight of the fabric and the metal wire used for embroidery are combined. Zardosi used to be a work of beauty combined with display of wealth, but today other metals are used instead of gold.

The earlier artisans of zardosi used only exclusive resham thread and wire hand embroidery on materials. The designs were original and mainly of royal taste. Wealth was displayed in the garments worn by men and women. But today, we can witness a blend of the past with the present, the old with the modern, the north with the south and the east with the west. Zardosi has become a well-known and fashionable hand embroidery.

Commercial Street in Bangalore is a familiar name for the fashion conscious buyers. In the hub of this street, ducked in a corner is the Narayana Pillai Street Cross. This lane displays a series of more than twenty shops offering this kind of work. Most of them have been running the show for the past twenty to twenty five years. Ninety per cent of the owners and workers are Muslims. Each person showcases amazing talent in the designs and needlework. And to my surprise I could only see men do the work. A walk through the street tempts one to own an exclusive hand embroidered suit or kurtha.

Stopping by Shabana Embroidery and Zari Works which is the first shop in the lane, I could see various styles of embroidered materials hung in a row. The artisan sits on the floor behind the wooden equipment working on a piece of cloth, held taut with two long pieces of wood and thread to enable him to work easily. And the speed at which his hands move, with a small pencil like instrument with a curved needle at the tip, is a treat to watch. "This is a kind of frame we use to tie the cloth so that the material is stiff when we are doing the embroidery", says Ahemedullah. I was curious enough to try my hand on a piece of waist material and gracious! It needs a lot of patience and skill. The needle used is the smallest available, generally numbered nine.

Each piece is charged as per the design and the materials used for embroidery, they use a variety like zari, sequence, coree, beeds, or the shiny stones that look like diamonds. The clients can specify patterns and motifs to suit their budget and choice. "Normally for a simple zardosi work we charge anywhere between Rs 300 to 450/-. But for bigger works we charge more. For bridal wear we have embroidery costing up to ten to fifteen thousand rupees," says Masood Ahemad the owner of Shabana Embroidery and Zari Works.

The materials used to do the embroidery are bought from the city market at wholesale prices. The smallest work takes a day to be completed and the most exclusive one can take up to ten days. "I generally take work that I can finish by three days, because I like to work on new designs. I have been here from four years and have learned this zari work", says Ismail of Rahmatullah Zari Works.

"Earlier we had to depend mainly on Muslims and those from north India, because they were the ones who placed great value on this kind of workmanship but today it is different, even South Indians spend to get zardosi work done," says Ahemad. It was quite impossible to go away without standing at each workshop for sometime to admire the dexterity with which the hands weave magic with cloth and thread and wires.

So if you are looking for an elite Mughal look in your ethnic clothing, take a walk down Narayana Pillai Street Cross!

Source : Kamini M.V

 
 

ZARDOSI A DYING ART OF BHOPAL.

Bhopal once famous for Zardosi (Hand Embroidory with Gold and Silver threads), now the same craft is becoming a dying art, It was the Mogul Emperors who patronize this intricate style of embroidery, it was done in pure gold and silver thread, with semiprecious stones on it, the cloth was often brocade and tissue. It matched with their royal taste, later it was adopted by the princely rulers of the country, the foreigners who came to India always took back these priceless pieces, The brides of India wear these glittering garments, the purses of Bhopal till today are very popular, infact at one time Bhopal was known for its Zardosi.

The credit goes to the Muslim women who are keeping this craft alive, in spite of their deplorable unhygienic surroundings in which they are forced to work 18 hours a day, cooped up in dark suffocating rooms, completely depended on the middle man for business. Its pathetic to see these women suffering with tuberculoses and eye problems, plus most of them suffers from the poisonous Gas. The Gas affected women of Bhopal, are struggling to keep body and soul intact. Due to strict parda they cannot come out of their houses to earn their living,

In this position the role of Mahashakti become very important, since its all women organization" our work sheds have becomes a facility centers to help with raw material, designs by famous designers of metropolitan cities of Delhi and Mumbai. plus a secure, clean, isolated work place to work in, and a good marketing center. All this under one roof. 

Mahashakti caters for 500 women in 3 work sheds allotted to the organization by the State Government, in the Gas affected area. BLOCK printing and Zardosi, are the main trades.

Source: Mahashakti