By Karishma Roy
Human history Past and present can never ignore the importance of textile in a civilizatondecisively affecting its destinies, effectively changing its social scenario. A brief but thoroughly researched feature on Indian Textile culture.
From the time of creation as portrayed in the Bible Adam and Eve ensconced themselves with leaves and then in all the ages which followed, from the bark of trees to the finest linen, cloth was mans constant companion. Civilizations one after the other gave cloth or the industry, which goes by the name of Textiles, an important role, making it a part of their culture, tradition and heritage. Sartorial identification slowly became Mans requirement in the society.
Textile has been one of Indias major sources of income since yore. Most of Indias trade links according to history was based on the Textiles apart from Spices. The diversity and richness of Indian Textile tradition has always been a subject of discussion amongst the occidental milieu. The fact, which supports this discovery, is the hoards of fragments of cotton material originating from Gujarat found in the Egyptian tombs at Fostat, belonging to the 5th century AD. Some of the Tamil writings of the 13th century tell that silk was exported to Indonesia and that Indian silk had found a great market in Europe.
The origin of Textiles in India in tandem with literature goes back to the days of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Both the epics describe the costumes of the characters, be it the most graceful Ram or the serene and kind Krishna, long descriptions of their costumes added color to the two epics. The Indus Valley civilization that traced Indian roots back to thousands of years in Harappa and Mohan Je Daro explicates the importance of clothes or costumes or textiles, to the people who lived in those days in the form of sculptures and paintings. Latest excavations reveal more about the passions the race in the valley had for textiles. The sculptures belonging to Mauryan era throw light on the fact that Textile was considered an important factor. Ancient Buddhist scripts and murals also support this fact. Legend has it that when Amrapali, a courtesan from the kingdom of Vaishali met Gautam Buddha; she wore a richly woven semi transparent sari, which speaks volumes of the technical achievement of the ancient Indian weaver.
The textile tradition in India is always subjected to a number of factors like Geography, climate, social customs, availability of the raw material etc. A variety of raw materials like silk, cotton, wool, jute are used in India for creating fabric.
Indian textile scenario now is as vibrant as ever with Gujarat, a state in the northwestern part of the country popularly known as the Manchester of the East. Gujarat has been involved in the textile trade for centuries. The Entire State is specialized in some form of exotic textile weaving or the other. It has been truly remarked by a writer in the late 16th century, “For the peasant women of Gujarat, a needle is her pen with which she gives expression to her creativity and reiterates her relationship with religion and nature.” From the ancient times Gujarat has been the gateway for intercultural and intercultural exchanges. Gujarat can be linked to the ancient civilizations of Sumer, Babylon and Egypt. The influence of various cultures had its effect on crafts of the state as well. It is believed that the textiles from Gujarat graced the court of the legendary King Solomon who is considered to be the wisest man ever since creation. The best example for that lies in the film, “Guru”, directed by veteran filmmaker Rajiv Anchal. The costumes used in the film by more than 1000 artistes, resemble the summer and Egyptian costumes, exported from Gujarat centuries ago.
Indian Textile is famous basically for its uniqueness and style. Fabrics from diverse raw materials form-to-life umpteen numbers of wear catering to the needs of man. The most famous among them is Applique. Applique is a decorative work in which one piece of cloth is sewn or fixed onto another or the activity of decorating a cloth using glass pieces metals or wood. This is one of the most traditional handicraft art form from Orissa. The traditional applique of Punjab is called Phulkari. Phulkari is generally made on shawls using the darn stitch to attach pieces of cloth onto the surface of the shawl. Apart from flowers, stylized figures of animals and plants are also used. Silk thread is generally used in creating phulkari, though occasionally cotton thread is also put in use. In Andhra Pradesh, the blouses and headscarves worn by the Banjara tribal women are not only embroidered but also decorated with appliqu and mirror work. The most ethnic and traditionally designed textiles have also found a place in the fashion circles abroad as well as in India.
No matter what the style or the fashion is Sari continues to be the best Indian textile and the silk weaving tradition in India revolves around sari, as it is the choice of most women in rural and urban India.
The Silk no doubt is the best kind of clothe from India even though China enjoyed greater popularity in producing it. In association with ceremonial rites of ancient India, Silk has been a highly revered fabric. Silk was popular not just among ordinary people but also the Royal clan. The silk sari was the next attraction.
The magical combination of material and color associated with silk has led to the creation of a myriad of traditional sari styles .The main silk weaving centers in India are Banaras, Chander, Murshidabad, and Assam Kancheepuram, Tanjore, Dharmavaram, Mysore and Tirupur. From deep down south to up north, each state in India is in one way or the other is famous for its uniqueness in textile production.
The past traditions of the textile and handlooms can still be seen amongst the motifs, patterns, designs, and the old techniques of weaving still employed by the weavers.
Currently one third of Indias export earnings is from the Textile Industry. The industry with its sound economic resources has employed a lot of youth and has organized and decentralized sectors, in rural and urban areas, particularly for women and children. Textile Industry in India is not just another rear view mirror of our once glorious past but also caters to the present day needs. Breaking all econometrics Indian textiles and allied products touched a high of RS 870.08 crore in 1997-1998 and the export of woolen shawls reached a peak of RS 40.02 crore in 1997-“98. The Government of India has set up National Center for Textile Design (NCTD) to promote traditional and contemporary designs in response to the changing market. NCTD provides adequate growth opportunity to the textile industry in India. A lot of companies have come up in the past two decades exporting textile materials on a regular basis to many countries.
Man cannot be precluded as far as his individual liberty is concerned. He has the freedom and the power to choose his own way and not have it decided by others. From the basic need to luxury, cloth has been his boon and thats an empirical fact. From time to time he changed his clothing styles, from moment to moment he came up with new avenues to make clothing more attractive and conducive. From what was nebulous cloth became lucid and it sparked off as an industry. Indian Textile innovations have started a frisson to course which in the years to come will raise this Industry to the pinnacles of glory.
About the Author: Karishma Roy works at Netlink Solutions (India) Limited as a Web Content Writer
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