CRAFT
A stitch in time
RITIKA SHARMA
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Intricate embroidery, unique stitch, a hefty price: No wonder, the Chamba rumal is special.
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"Gaddi-Gaddan" seemed by far the most popular theme. Siraj Begum's workshop had numerous rumals embroidered with this theme. Almost all show a couple of Chamba's native Gaddi tribe.
Unique stitches: The designs resemble the Chamba miniature paintings. Photos: Ritika Sharma
MR. Awasthi's laughter puzzled me. I had good-naturedly agreed to get him a dozen traditional handkerchiefs from Chamba and he was rolling in mirth. "You won't take any money either," he gasped. "How can I?" I said, triggering another bout of laughter.
Mr. Awasthi's humour gets better with age. This time he had caught me unawares. Of course, being a Himachali, he had the benefit of knowing his home turf.
When he finally stopped laughing, he explained a Chamba rumal (handkerchief) cost a few hundred rupees each at the very least. I withdrew my offer forthwith!
Beginning the quest
We had three days in Chamba. It was late afternoon when we reached the town after an eight-hour drive from Chandigarh. A light shower on the way from Banikhet had dissipated the killing June heat and Chowgaan, Chamba's centrepiece overlooking the noisy Ravi, was alive with children playing cricket.
There were several hours of daylight left and local sightseeing could wait for another day. Without wasting any time after checking into our hotel, we set out in quest of the famous Chamba rumal.
Chowgaan is a large fenced ground surrounded by the town on three sides. The 11th century Hari Rai Temple stands across the road at its far end. Facing this temple is an old market, where most of Chamba's handicrafts are sold. In those narrow shop windows, we found our first specimens of Chamba rumal displayed in ornate wooden frames.
True enough, the rumals cost Rs. 1,200 at the least. But a friendly shopkeeper, realising that our interest was largely academic, led us down a narrow lane, past the old hospital to where one of Chamba's best rumal makers lives.
Award winning artist
"Firdous Handicrafts," said the board. The elderly bespectacled woman behind the counter was Siraj Begum and numerous Chamba rumals spread in her glass cabinets depicted themes from Hindu mythology. We asked the award-winning artist whether faith (she was a Muslim) had ever stood in the way of her work, but she laughed at the suggestion. "Religion has never been an issue in Chamba. In fact, I regularly read Hindu mythology to come up with new themes," she said.
"Gaddi-Gaddan" seemed by far the most popular theme for Chamba rumals. We had seen plenty in the shop windows and Siraj Begum's workshop had numerous rumals embroidered with this theme. Almost all showed a couple belonging to Chamba's native Gaddi tribe walking.
Before we got down to the details, we noticed that every rumal was embroidered with brightly coloured silk threads. Cheerful red and yellow were dominant shades. Secondly, the designs strongly resembled miniature paintings of the Chamba style.
As in the market, Siraj Begum's rumals were quite expensive. Being a specialist, she had some rather large pieces for walls that were worth many thousands even in the local market.
So, what made Chamba rumal such a prized item? The stitch, she answered. Called do-rukha (two-sided), it is a unique stitch that looks the same on either side of the cloth. So a Chamba rumal can be used as a partition between two rooms or cubicles, with people on either side seeing mirror images of the design.
For the artist, the challenge lies in concealing thread joints. This, they accomplish by packing stitches tightly together. Since each inch of cloth length has four stitches, the number in an entire rumal is mind-boggling. This makes the embroidery time-consuming.
Siraj Begum showed us rumals she had completed in a month and others that she had worked upon for a year. "But there is nothing mechanical about the work. You can't sit at it hour after hour, as in a factory," she added. Thus, the only way to mass-produce is to employ more hands, which proves expensive.
Household activity
Three centuries ago, when this craft caught on in Chamba, it was largely a pastime of noble women. This was also the reason for most designs resembling the Chamba miniature paintings patronised by the town's rich and powerful. Gradually, the craft seeped out of elite circles and became a household activity. Skill in making Chamba rumals came to be counted as one of the accomplishments of women. And the tradition continues in most households of the town.
The Chamba rumal didn't seem in any danger of becoming history and Siraj Begum gladly confirmed this. But, she said, the craft sorely needed publicity to find takers beyond natives of Chamba and foreign tourists. We agreed with her wholeheartedly.
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