Above: Zari work on a silk saree
Each time I set foot into a bazaar in India, it fairly whisks my breath away (even now). Clothes dyed artfully with striking colors, tastefully hand-embroidered handbags, mirror work wall hangings, bedspreads, jewel-encrusted paintings, bronze artfully sculpted into myriad gods and godesses all continue to dazzle the visitor. It is not the presence of these works of art that is impressive; it is the fact that these are so omnipresent and abundant. Even the vendor hawking wares on the sidewalk has goods that have a certain degree of artistry and workmanship!
I recently purchased a painting made on silk that has been so finely woven that it feels like paper. The painting is no Van Gogh or Rembrandt...:) But it is attractive enough to be hung in a living room. From huge silk houses that weave intricate designs on sarees to the simple hawker who sells beautiful accessories by the roadside, here's my salute to Indian artistry and workmanship! :)
4 comments:
really, hav been amazed by the artwork in the silk sarees.... once my mom showed me a saree with ramayana on the zari.... it was totally awesome..... n some sarees, u find 2 different patterns on 2 sides, jus incredible...
for a moment i thot i landed in thomas friedman's blogspot whose admiration to indian things shows the admiration of an alien to the culture. i did take sometime to reconcile that i have not :)
kuttichuvaru,
I agree! I've often felt that we are doing grave injustice to the silk weavers by moving away from cottage industries..sigh. But well, I guess this is collateral damage in the war of globalisation.
sridhar,
So, only aliens should admire Indian culture? I don't see why we as Indians, shouldn't take the time to appreciate it.
subha,
i appreciate your explicit admiration.
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