Twenty- five Seven

Valkalam and Venkatgiri #AtoZChallenge 2017

April 27, 2017

I’m afraid there’s been a delay in posting V but there was a major miscalculation of time on my part . I had a ton of things to do , and too little time to do them.

Apart from a lack of time, there was a toss up between which two southern beauties I should write about. Valkalam or Venkatgiri?

Venkatgiri

But let me start with Venkatgiri, soft, pure cotton that my mother loved so. These saris are woven in the town of Venkatgiri in Andhra Pradesh. Once upon a time, these saris were the patronized by the royal family and nobility of Nellore . This was largely because the saris were customised so that each piece was unique! Even today this tradition continues and you can be sure that your Venkatgiri is truly one of a kind. What sets this apart from the normal south cotton is the fine weave and the use of large Jamdani style motifs in the Pallu. Using mango, peacocks, parrots or swans in fine zari, and set in a sharply contrasting background, these saris have a simple elegance.

And combined with the comfort of cotton, this becomes an unmatched favourite for daily wear. With Zari thread worked in, the sari becomes more expensive and is the obvious choice for a summer celebration.

Valkalam

Ever since I got my first and only Valkalam, I’ve been fascinated by the name .Valkalam sounds exotic as it runs off the tongue. Made of pure silk, it’s border and pallu is woven with contrasting coloured threads.

Unfortunately I can’t find much information about this weave except that it’s rich satiny feel makes it an ideal sari to wear for special occasions.

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Uppada- Yet Another Stunner #AtoZChallenge 2017

April 25, 2017

The other day I was glancing through an issue of a glossy magazine. Surprisingly,I found that the ladies from the South preferred to wear saris rather than the trousers or Salvar Kurtis. And when I see the rich tradition of the saris from the South, I know why.

Contrary to what most people imagine, the sari is easy to drape and comfortable to wear. In addition, it is elegant and graceful – it hides what you want to hide and shows off what you want to! And when you think of the stunning weaves like the Uppada, you can under understand why this dress has withstood the test of time.

So what’s so special about the Uppada?

This is a relatively new tradition. Jamdani weaving was introduced to the region as late as the late 1980’s. And within a short span of time, it has overtaken the more popular Kanjeevarams , Pochampallis and other saris that the South is famous for.

Unlike the heavy silk Kanjeevaram, the Uppada is light, translucent and almost transparent. The Jamdani work in gold zari or silk thread gives it the feel of richness while yet being light and easy to wear.

It is no wonder then that the Uppada which gets its name from a small coastal town in Andhra Pradesh has become the rage in modern times.

Join me and hundreds of other bloggers participating in the #AtoZChallenge this April. You will also find me @Blogchatter and #UBC’s #BlogBoost
Tanchoi and the Chinese Connection #AtoZChallenge 2017

April 24, 2017
Is 80:20 worth it?

Today I really want to abandon the challenge. It has been quite tough finding time to post, read, comment and share. What is most disappointing is the fact that this effort has proved to be another 80:20 exercise where 80% effort produces 20% results.

And worse still, this morning, the news of the loss of a dear friend put things in their right perspective. For the past three weeks, I’ve been so caught up in this virtual world that I have let many things in my real world slide by. Like calling up friends I haven’t been in touch with.

For the past few months visiting R and meeting her grandson has been upper most on my mind. And that’s where it remained till I finally called her. We made two plans that had to be abandoned because neither of us could find a mutually suitable time in our busy schedules. Finally during our last call we decided to meet soon.

Little did I realise that I would meet her a week later .

At her funeral.

Tanchoi and the Chinese Connection

But while doing the research for this post on Tanchoi, I found out that the Tanchoi like the Gara was actually a Parsi import to India in the 19th Century. The word Tanchoi, is derived from the words Tan ( three) and Choi ( the Chinese master). It seems that so enamoured were the Parsis of the brocade fabric imported by the Chinese traders that three brothers from Surat actually went to China to learn the art of weaving the tanchoi from master weaver Choi. And back they came with this fabulous satiny fabric that was called Tanchoi.

Now isn’t that a great story?

My own Tanchoi

The orange and peach Tanchoi given to me by my mother in law to replace my zari tanchoi is hardier and has lasted for 36 years

My first tanchoi was presented to me at my wedding by my mother in law. It was a creamy satin with flowers and creepers in dull brocade. To describe it as stunning is pure understatment. And I was devastated when it ripped. So she gave me her own tanchoi bought at the same time. But since this was without any zari, it has stood the test of time.

Today Tanchoi is woven in Benares which has adopted it as its own tradition. It is woven in a single or double warp with 2-5 colours on the weft which are often of a similar shade on silk. The fabric has a rich satin finish with nature inspired motifs of flowers and birds.

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My friend R was a Parsi. So I felt that even though I am in no mood to write, I thought I should tell you about yet another Parsi tradition that is part of the Indian Textile Tradition.

If you want to know more about this fascinating community of happy people, do have a look at this brief history.

There are several books too like :
1. The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination
edited by Sarah Stewart, Firoza Punthakey Mistree, Ursula Sims-Williams

2. Parsis: The Zoroastrians of India: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY by Sooni Taraporevala

3. A Zoroastrian Tapestry:Art, Religion and Culture by Pheroza J. Godrej and Firoza Punthakey Mistree compares Zoroastrianism to Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.

Join me and hundreds of other bloggers participating in the #AtoZ Challenge 2017. Linking with #BlogBoost and #Blogchatter