Hand Embroidery Workshop

dāram presents a hand embroidery workshop on February 19 and 20, 2011

Traditional artisans of Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra, Karnataka and Sadhna, Rajasthan would be demonstrating embroidery at the workshop.

Lambani artisans of Sandur would be demonstrating their distinctive Lambani embroidery while Sadhna artisans would be demonstrating the Tanka embroidery they specialise in.

The workshop would be conducted in three sessions of a duration of two hours each. Registration is compulsory and would be on a first come basis. No fee would be charged from those willing to participate.

Naga Weaves and Jewellery

dāram presents for the first time traditional weaves and jewellery of the different Naga tribes spread across Manipur and Nagaland

R Pamringla Vashum is a Thangkul Naga weaver. She has been working with widows in Ukhrul, Manipur where a large concentration of Nagas exist.

The weaves are a range of

Shawls Stoles Sarongs Cushion Covers Table Mats Shoulder Bags

The jewellery is hand crafted by both men and women with materials traditionally available like bone, shell, stone, brass and glass.

The jewellery is a collection of

Necklaces Bracelets

Each weave and jewellery is rooted in the lore and history of the North East and of the Naga tribes in particular.

Ahimsa Silk

dāram presents, for the first time, Ahimsa silk from Bhagalpur, Bihar in a collection of shawls, stoles, dupattas, and rugs.

Generally, in the process of silk weaving, the pupae in the cocoons are killed by boiling, steaming and fumigating. In Ahimsa non violent silk, the pupa is allowed to complete its life cycle and when it takes wing as moth, the yarn is woven from the silk filaments entangled round the empty cocoon.

PRAACHI is an organisation that has been working in Bhagalpur in the design, production and marketing of Ahimsa silk through the efforts of its founder Varsha Rani. Bhagalpur has traditionally been famous for its silk weaving.

Mangalgiri saris and hand embroidered women’s kurtas

dāram presents

an offering for Sankranthi in a range of Mangalgiri saris and hand embroidered women’s kurtas

Hand Embroidered Kurtas

Chikankari

This is the first time that Chikankari has been threaded into the dāram design, which is a combine of many qualities: simple, elegant, subtle and ornate.

dāram in collaboration with the Serenity group, Lucknow , has worked on these kurtas.

Tanka

The tanka – the running stitch embroidery or straight stitch has been used for the dāram kurtas from Rajasthan. The tanka work has been done by Sadhna, a women’s handicraft enterprise in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

To know more, log on to www.sadhna.org

Lambani

The Lambanis are nomads settled in Sandur, Karnataka. dāram’s designer has picked a few from the wide range of Lambani stitches to highlight the neckline and to detail the dāram cuts.

Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra, a group working with the Lambanis, has worked to embroider the kurtas. To know more, log on to www.kushalakalasandur.com

Saris – Mangalgiri

Mangalgiri – a town in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh – and its surrounding villages has traditionally been known for its hand woven cotton sari weaves.

On display at dāram are saris in hand dyed yarns of cross colours in which the warp colour is different from the weft colour. The variety of zari borders includes the Nizam border, the temple border, the flower border and the pattern border.

Winter wear in pure wool at dāram

Shawls, Stoles, Jackets & Caps

Pure wool range in vegetable and chemical dyed hand weaves

Kullu Karishma

Located in Himachal Pradesh, Kullu Karishma puts to use the arts of spinning, weaving, knitting and crochet that have been in practice since a long time in the mountains. The knitting is primarily done by women in their homes with Angora rabbit wool and Merino wool.

To know more about Kullu Karishma please log on to www.kullukarishma.com

Kumaun Grameen Udyog

An associate of the Central Himalayan Action Group, the Kumaun Grameen Udyog or KGU is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand. KGU works with local artisans and producers. As with Kullu Karishma, the knitting is done by women in their homes.

To know more about Kumaun Grameen Udyog and the work they do please visit www.kilmora.in

Chaubundi

The Chaubundi is a traditional hand block printer of the Chippa community of Rajasthan. The hand block print on the shawls is the dabu – a mud resist technique of Kaladera, Rajasthan. The traditional block designs of Kaladera have been used in the geometric and floral motifs.

Chikankari

Chikankari is a traditional embroidery of Lucknow. Apparently, the word chikan is a derivative of the Persian word chikin or chikeen which means a kind of embroidered fabric. To know more please refer to Chikan – A Way of Life by Ruth Chakravarthy.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS from dāram!!!

On Christmas Eve, this year, dāram would like to wish all its customers and friends a warm and Merry Christmas!!!

For the season, dāram has eco sensitive ideas and gifts made form recycled material in a small collection of photo frames, jewellery boxes, pen stands, pads, runners, cloth and jute bags from

Prabhat & ecoexist

The display will be on till the New Year. There will also be more to look forward to, in this winter, till it slips by and leaves us all.