Grass gets vibrant
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Grass is no longer left alone to remain a part of exterior greenery. The market is flooded with woven wonders, as mats and furniture adorn your home, says RANJANI GOVIND
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— PHOTO: K.V. SRINIVASAN
IN ALL COLOURS: The green river grass is woven in mats of different sizes to suit drawing room and dining table needs.
Watch your grandma’s reaction when you pay some generous hundreds for a grass mat which has been professionally dyed and weaved. It is most likely that she would snigger at the idea, even as you fancy putting it on the wall or spreading it delicately for your dining! Not that her genre had anything against mats, but the fact that these modern versions eat into your pocket would precipitate her hiss no end!
But professional machining for handling natural material and running enterprises to encourage dwindling people dealing with the art more than explains the price factor. Further, the scene clarifies the evolution of changing lifestyles and the technological breakthroughs in preserving an art to emerge as an industry.
River grass mats (made from a particular kere hullu grown in river beds) with glossy makeovers are attractive ethnic alternatives to their synthetic counterparts for getting in a traditional makeover.
The grass wall-hangers in drawing rooms, floor mats and window blinds especially blend with an array of selections — cane furniture, floor divans, terracotta floor and lampshade, corners and niche with red-oxide, bronze artefacts and stone sculptures.
Table mats and runners are adorned with zari borders to enhance their very earthy appeal. Coasters with bead-edging seize your attention at The Design Store in the city. Industree Craft Foundation (a division of The Design Store) helps the craft-based rural livelihoods and micro-enterprises to sustain themselves for preserving the mat-making art.
Fashion and art
“Fashion trends help in boosting the preserve of an art, and rural talent is kept intact,” say the representatives of the Foundation who travel to several rural districts in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where river-grass mat weavers are found.
Some of them, who migrated from Myanmar decades ago, are also trained in up-to-date patterns and scientific dyeing techniques.
Industree Craft Foundation conducts artisan projects through NGOs and rural cooperatives throughout the year. River grass, drawing minerals from rivers, possesses inherent soothing health benefits, and the grass’ tuber is an ingredient of traditional bath powders that prevents excessive sweating and lends a natural glow to the skin. The mats are thus recommended for use in yoga and meditation too.
The process
The dry grass, used as it is or spliced in varied thickness, is soaked in water for softening. It is artificially dyed and then put on the loom or crafted by deft hands for a spread of creative weave. Embellishments such as zari borders (to have an aesthetic and firm edge) from Surat are commercial additions to get in a flashy appeal. Use of natural plant dyes are also seen in several areas as a principle, but this would increase the cost factor though.
Both hand woven and powerloom products of river grass now flood the market. Mats are priced from Rs. 400 to Rs. 3,500, depending on the size, weave and make-up.
The choice of colours is a treat to the eye – cool greens, lemon yellows, flaming oranges, bold reds, soothing pinks, suave off-whites, earthy browns and peacock blues…beckoning hues!
(This column will throw light on natural materials that add dynamism to home décor. Feedback to ranju@thehindu.co.in
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