Articles
Rajasthani embroidery of India
by Tassavur Shaikh Arts ConnoisseurA unique form of embroidery which can easily add more
character to any article it bestows was born way back in Rajasthan. A craft
carried through ancient times, gathering flavours and moods of the prevailing
scenarios, thought and beliefs in the society along with the political mood of
that time. The embroidery work is done by the needle on different cloths. The
women of Rajasthan are expert in this field and can make very attractive
embroidery works on various clothes like quilts, skirts (ghaghras), shawls, bed
covers and shoes among many other things. The most particularly ornamented
fabrics and articles found in Rajasthan are often those for personal
adornment. In Rajasthan, some form of
embroidery invariably embellishes the three garments worn by women, the blouse,
long skirts or ghaghras and odhni. So do
the men’s garments mostly the upper body wear and bottoms, often are found
beautified by little or more embroidery work. It can usually be seen around on
household articles like bedspreads, wall hangings and animal trappings. Since
it started for domestic use, the art of embroidery making is restricted to the
female Some of the traditional embroidery crafts like the Zardozi and Danka
were once practiced by menfolk and are patronised by folks belonging to the
royal family.
As in many traditional societies, Rajasthani women lead
somewhat restricted lives. With the
exception of a few pastoral and tribal communities, their interactions are
usually limited to the confines of their homes and villages. Embroidery was thus projected as a medium to
express the temperament of women artistically. Many of the crafts have
developed further from their origination as simple activity within the confines
of household. Usually these are the activities done in free time when all the
important work around the house, in fields or any other areas supervised by
them is finished. It is then that the needles come out and ply busily until
sundown. Thus, embroidery of Rajasthan
becomes the expression of girls, who usually never learn to read or write. Exposed at an early age to the fine art of
embroidery, these young artists in the making learn to form beautiful patterns
on simple fabrics. It is a gradual process that begins with simple designs and
leads to more complicated ones, teaching the girls the finer needlework in
process of becoming master artists. They play the role of assistant to their
grandmothers, mothers, sisters and aunts, who are already skilled and pass
their accumulated knowledge evolved over the ages in form of designs and
patterns.
A wide variety of techniques are used in the embroidery of
costumes and textiles. Some of the popular styles are, among others, metal
embroidery, lace or gota work, and suf bharata.
The embroidered motifs generally depict things like trees, flowers, birds
and animals which become source of inspiration. At times the embroidery is so
much detailed that it requires a special level of expertise and also a lot of
time, it shows the finesse and superlative skill of the artist. Scenes of
battles, patterns of Gods and goddesses and nature inspired themes are
dominant. Mirror work is applied to
provide a visual impact. These
embroidery works of Rajasthan are part of its tradition. But now, it is used
mainly as an occupation. These beautiful works need to be encouraged as it is
highly praised by the tourists all over the world.
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About Tassavur Shaikh 
Arts Connoisseur
0 connections, 0 recommendations, 9 honor points.Joined APSense since, February 7th, 2014, From Mumbai, India.
Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.
