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Mesmerising Mangalagiri
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Indulge in buying attractive Mangalagiri saris and dress materials spread out by Subbalakshmi Boda from Vijayawada at `95 Parklane', Secunderabad before September 7.
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Colourful clothes on display.
THIS SMALL temple-town close to Vijayawada is now in national limelight on account of the fabric it produces. Mangalagiri, the abode of Pankala Narasimhaswamy, is known more for its fabric than its temple. This fabric has invaded markets in the country as well as travelled overseas. The protagonists of various serials on television are sporting it these days on a fairly large scale.
Hyderabadis are not new to Mangalagiri but with the boom in demand, considerable reworking is going in the fabric in terms of design development in - colours and weaves. Subbalakshmi Boda of Vijayawada has embarked on the journey of making Mangalagiri contemporary - in tune with today's needs. She is zealously working on these developments. At present she is having a sale of Mangalagiri dress materials and saris at 95 Parklane, Secunderabad (tel: 7812160) till September 7.
Catchy colour combinations, new types of dupattas entice the viewer into looking at them. "When I started to work on Mangalagiri cottons four years ago it was not as popular or known as it is today," says Subbalakshmi spreading out a few of the fabrics. By working with 10 master weavers, she has introduced certain innovations within the existing traditional weaves. Through her `Dhyeya' boutique in Vijayawada, she retails the saris and materials.
Colour is one area she has worked upon. Mixing and matching colours and working on new shades is her forte - evident from the range on display. Dupattas are another area which received her attention. "In the beginning weavers just produced running material and no dupattas." So she took up designing dupattas. This is certainly a core area of her creativity. Blending shades and zari (gold and silver) she has created dupattas with two shades, four shades and even seven. Even the zari is innovatively woven as panels in some of the dupattas without being garish. She has chosen mostly pastel shades to blend. The traditional single colour dupattas with the usual zari too come in attractive colours. As far as sets are concerned there are indeed some new colour combinations. There is a wide range to choose from and the price starts from Rs.500 onwards. Gold-checked dress materials are also available for about Rs. 1000.
The salwar suits material in various shades.
Missing checks as a pattern is very much in vogue. The fabric has a net-like effect and people should not worry about the longevity of the fabric. "It washes well and lasts long," says Subbalakshmi brushing of the worry. This weaving pattern is seen in both saris and dress materials. A lining may be necessary for the salwar-kameez.
There are about 10 different borders available in saris. Subbulakshmi has displayed the Mangalagiri creations at various exhibitions (Mahila utsavas, Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka besides at Visakhapatnam and Coimbatore. Her future plans include making silk-cotton (silk in the warp and cotton in the weft) saris (she has a few samples) and dress materials because "quite a few of NRIs want something easily maintainable. Cotton needs starch and is difficult to maintain." She has built up a good clientele in Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore outside Andhra. "My clientele is mostly through word of mouth and I have not indulged in big publicity," she says humbly.
Her first show in Hyderabad is worth a look. Let the Mangalagiri mystique linger on.
RADHIKA RAJAMANI
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