Khadi , block printed
Our adventure begins with this Khadi Sari- Handloom, hand block printed. Organic dyes of madder red and Indigo.
I apologise for the terrible photos. I promise you, they will be better in the future.
A Pallu shot
Khadi, also Khaddar, is a hand spun, hand woven fabric, usually using natural fibre from, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This sari is cotton but you can also find Khadi silk and wool. Khadi's unique identity is that the yarn is hand spun and then woven on handlooms into fabric. Other handloom varieties use machine made yarn.
In India, Khadi is a political fabric. It came into public discourse when it became a symbol of the freedom struggle and the Swadeshi Movement- as a symbol of goods made in India and as symbol of a movement to boycott British goods. It became a representation of the Gandhian ideas of simplicity, Swadeshi spirit and decentralisation.
Here's a Gandhiji quote on Khadi which I thought captured what Khadi meant to him and the movement.
"I have only one message to give and that concerns khadi. Place khadi in my hands and I shall place swaraj in yours. The uplift of the Antyajas is also covered by khadi and even Hindu- Muslim unity will live through it. It is also a great instrument of peace."
Nehru, with his customary lyricism and turn of phrase, called it the "Livery of Freedom”.
India has a long history of spinning yarn and weaving fabric. Archeological evidence dates Indian weaving to the Neolithic period (7000-5500 BC).
Ancient Textiles of the Indus Valley Region, in Tana Bana: The woven soul of Pakistan, edited by Noorjehan Bilgrami, pp. 18-31. Koel Publications, Karachi, 2004 :
Most preserved fibres are found on metal or impressed into terracotta and there is no actual physical presence of the textile itself. That is on par for the course as the monsoon climate is very destructive to textiles.
There is archaeological evidence of a cotton textile industry atMohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley around 3000 B.C. At the site of Mehrgarh, actual seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium sp.) has been recovered from a mud brick building dating to the sixth millennium BC .Most of the extant textiles, however, are dated after the seventeenth century.
Ancient Textiles of the Indus Valley Region, in Tana Bana: The woven soul of Pakistan, edited by Noorjehan Bilgrami, pp. 18-31. Koel Publications, Karachi, 2004 :
'Numerous examples of preserved fibres have been recovered from the excavations at Mohenjo-Daro and more recently from the excavations at Harappa (Meadow and Kenoyer 2001). One of the most well studied fibre samples from Mohenjo- Daro was discovered against a corroded silver jar (Marshall 1931, Vol. 1:20, 218-219; Gulati and Turner, 1928). The analysis of this fabric indicated that it was made of cotton threads with a warp count of 20 threads per inch and a weft count of 60 threads per inch. Another fabric sample had a warp and weft count of 44/43 threads per square inch, and the calculated weight of the fabric was around 4 ounces per square yard (Marshall 1931, Vol. 2:585-586). This is clear evidence for the production of fine fabrics, presumably made with cotton. '
Most preserved fibres are found on metal or impressed into terracotta and there is no actual physical presence of the textile itself. That is on par for the course as the monsoon climate is very destructive to textiles.
One of the most important discoveries from recent excavations at Harappa is a small toy bed, with fabric impression made on the entire upper surface, apparently indicating the use of bed covers or blanket
There is archaeological evidence of a cotton textile industry at
What I found more fascinating and interesting were the references to textiles, spinning and weaving in ancient Indian literature.
Here is a Vedic account of spinning and weaving. It says that Sage Gritsmad was the first to sow cotton and obtained 10 sers (1 ser =0.8 kg) of cotton wool. With this, he made thread. Then he had a problem of how to make cloth. He made a wooden bobbin and with the tantu (raw thread), he made cloth. Thus, was the process of making cloth from thread started by Sage Gritsmad.
And in the Brahmanas (900-700 BC), which are a collection of ancient Indian texts with commentaries on the hymns of the four Vedas.
From “India of the age of the Brahmanas” by Jogiraj Basu
‘’garments made up of wool, cotton and silk were worn by the people. Cotton and wool, sewing and knitting are often referred to. The term sutra refers to cotton and urna to wool which was made up of sheep’s hair. The general dress consisted of three parts—the main portion fitting the body called vaasa, an outer or over garment called aadhi vaasa and an under garment named niivi.
From Purananuru, a collection of secular poems from the Sangam Period ( I BC to 5 BC) of Tamil Literature-
"While weaving was largely the job of men, it was destitute women and widows who spun the threads. These women used to be called ‘Paruthi Pendir.’ , which roughly translated means - cotton women ( like spinsters, perhaps?)
Andal ,a poetess who lived in the seventh century AD describes about a wedding sari called Koorai Pudavai. This type of sari, traditionaly in red, is still the sari Tamil Brahmin women wear on their wedding day. I shall share mine in another post one day.
Khadi itself has a long history.. The earliest reference is the 6th century description of a variation of Khadi cloth, from Bangladesh, by Huen Tsang of China
I acquired my Khadi sari from a weaver based in Karnataka, who has his own spinning, weaving, dyeing and design unit.
The red of sari is from Red Madder and Blue from natural Indigo. The block print on the border is hand block printed. Hand block printing will get its own blog, so more about it there..
The hand blocked printed border.
So one Ist Jan, when i chose to wear this for a casual afternoon Tea with friends I picked it, thinking of my ownsari goals and that, with its casual but smart , somewhat arty look ( the latter more because of the long sleeve blouse and the red tribal-beads chain), this sari would tick all the boxes.
I never thought i was be wearing a piece with a 2000-year history.
Sources:
https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Kenoyer2004%20IndusTextilesfinal.pdf
http://char.txa.cornell.edu/IndianTex.htm
https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/ancient-t
I start my journey with this one, I wore it for an afternoon,informal Tea to celebrate the New Year with a few friends. I can assure you, with it's smart casual look, it hit all the right notes.
Fine Cotton, Hand Block Printed with madder red and indigo blue
A Pallu shot
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