Vidarbha: Part 11

 

Karvati saree is one of the most versatile sarees you will come across. It is used as is out of the loom or can be subjected to various applications. It has indeed become the choice for designers to use as the canvas for their creative fancy. Interventions ranging from printing techniques like Bagh, Bagru,Ajrakh,block print Kalamkari or hand paintings also known as pen Kalamkaris to different forms of embroidery such as Kashida ( kasuti) , Lambani or Kutchi stitch can be found frequently these days. I will share old file pictures and notes of some of these applications on my karvati Kinar sarees in the upcoming posts.

Today’s saree is a karvati kinar tussar saree with Dhamadka print. Dhamadka is a town about 50kms east of Bhuj. Dhamadka print is nothing but Ajrakh print practiced by the Khatri community settled in the town of Dhamadka. I picked this saree for its rather unusual colors. The body background is in an intriguing bluish grey shade. Over it is a floral print with touches of a rusty pink. There is a very unique shade of purple on the border. The original woven karvati border is almost concealed due to the print. The elaborate design on the pallu uses purple as well as pink along with some black and white.