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Saris galore, all types
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On the lookout for traditional, exclusive and pocket friendly saris? Here’s this new place to go in town
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Six yard wonder Saris straight from the loom to the shelf
Unbelievable. At the risk of indulging in hyperbole, T.A.K Sankaranarayana Iyer and Brothers’ new outlet on Cloth Bazaar Road in Broadway is precisely that in terms of what it stocks and in terms of pricing. Old timers in the city remember the
tiny store on Broadway with its fine collection of cotton saris at reasonable prices. The charm of the new shop is that it successfully manages to retain the parent shop’s old world charm. For those who have not been to the old shop, a bit of history – the shop is 90-years-old – and in the course of all these years has been selling handloom saris, dhotis, and salwar-kurta materials, besides a number of other textiles as well. People who have been regulars to the store swear by the quality and the prices. Space was a constraint, one that the present owners of the shop have set right. There is ample space and you will be spoilt for choice. From Arni to Karaikudi to Kanchipuram to Pochampalli to Dharwar to Burdwan, the odds of finding it at T. A. K. are very high. The list reads like a what’s – what of handloom saris – Venkatagiri, Mangalagiri, Sungadi, village cotton, Kanchipuram cotton, Chettinad cotton…the list goes on.
Chic and traditional
The collection of saris at the shop spells chic and traditional. “A lot of attention has gone into what we stock, we source directly from the weavers and what we stock is handpicked,” says K. Ganesh of the store. Those on the lookout for traditional saris that are sophisticated and stylish minus all the garish glitter that goes under the label ‘fancy’, this is the place for you.
Art silk (although it sounds not so original and ‘oh-so look-alike’) is a surprise, at prices that hover between Rs. 250 to Rs. 1,000, you get stuff that will surprise you. For those of you devoted to Sungadi, there are variations of this sari which is so broad that if you are one of those lucky few who are really tall, no more sari worries for you.
If you want that different Sungadi then there are those with different motifs, Chettinad saris with block print borders, all priced at around Rs. 200 upwards. Printed silk saris, the real and the look-alike are all available and very attractively priced, to boot.
And if you have been meaning to ask that cousin’s mother-in-law’s sister’s daughter-in-law to get the Pune sari that you have always been craving for, stop right there. This is the one place you are sure to get the Pune sari and it’s variations. The collection of Kalakshetra saris and pure silk saris with the exquisite colour-combinations, thread-work and temple borders (to name a few) are marvellous.
And mind you, we are told that some of these saris are “weaver folded” because these do not get to the local markets or to middlemen. “The absence of middlemen is what makes the saris so reasonably priced,” says K. Ganesh. There are the poly-cotton saris that deserve more than a dekko, these are priced anywhere between Rs. 190 – Rs. 1, 200. There are Bengal handlooms saris too and there are plans to get Dhakai saris as well.
Materials
And then there are salwar-kurta materials in cottons and handlooms such as Batik, Bandhini, block prints, Kalamkari, cotton thread-work, silk cotton are just some of the kinds of materials available. The prices for these start at around Rs. 250. Then there is the nine-yard sari, dhothies (silk and cotton), blouse material too. In fact this is probably one of the few places in the city where you will find nine-yard saris and the ‘patthara’ dhothi. That is not all about the store. If you want to get uniforms (saris) done, dyed or woven, this the place to head for.
SHILPA NAIR ANAND
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