Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
It's an ikat mela in town!
Intricate patttern
WELL, ANY saree could pass off for a rectangular piece of cloth. But not this one. Even as the weft and the warp on the loom go TUG, tug, TUG, tug, noisily a thousand times this way and that, a beautiful story unfolds. That of silent elegance and inimitable sophistication. That's ikat for you.
The traditional textile craft from Orissa and Andhra Pradesh (more popular as Pochampalli there), ikat is about intricate patterns and meticulous dyeing. The weaving is carried out based on the graph of a design.
The intricacy of the art lies as much in its dyeing as in the design. The single ikat involves yarn of a single colour on the weft (for cross threads) and the process is comparatively undemanding. The double ikat entails yarn with more than one colour on the weft or the warp (for parallel threads) or both.
The process is complex, for the yarn has to be dyed as many times by tying a rubber band around areas that ought to resist the dye. (That explains the etymology of ikat, from the Malay word `mengikat' meaning to tie or bind!).
Further, the weaver has to ensure that the threads are aligned so as to produce the desired effect. Of course, more the exertion, more exclusive the material!
And here's how you could experience the unique ikat feel. In an effort aimed at introducing to Coimbatoreans, artisans and craft forms from various parts of the country, Lavanya - Shivanjali's Craft Shop has organised an ikat mela on its premises till September 12.
On display are works of Govardhan, a master weaver and national award winner, from Andhra Pradesh. Born in a family that has been into weaving for the last 75 years, Govardhan's métier is telia rumaal, a textile craft that earlier involved vegetable dye.
With a price tag from Rs. 350 to 3,500, one could choose from an assortment of sarees, dress materials, dupattas, stoles, bed spreads and cushion covers, in both cotton and silk. The good news is that the artisan's brother, Narasimhagaaru, says he would take tailor-made orders at the mela, if it were feasible. What more? For the curious lot, they even have put a loom on view!
... Chaats too
Whoever panicked that burgers have jinxed the taste buds of this chinos-clad generation, has to sit up and take notice. Our indigenous chaats are here to rule! The ongoing chaat mela of Sweets and Spices, a unit of the Women Welfare Center run by the Shivanjali Trust, is enough proof of that. The permanent chaat counter now has two chaat experts from Bihar in Suboth and Rathan.
They introduce you to the exclusive raj kachori, naram garam chaat and anaarkali chaat. The practised hand fills a huge puri with generous films of tamarind chutney, curd, pakoda, chana masala, steamed green gram, a dash of black salt, jeera powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala, some sev and coriander leaves. The anaarkali chaat had been saved for the last. With layers of aloo (potato) slice, banana slice, grapes, pomegranates, curd, chutney and masalas adorning a slice of bread, it is a fruity delight.
A special salad counter would also be open till the 12th. So, what would your weekend chaat spot be? Then again, it doesn't have to be a weekend, you know!
By Sreelalitha W
Photo: K. Ananthan
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
|
