Thursday, May 15, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Ikat sarees and kurtas for women
dāram, Hyderabad ’s
exclusive Cotton Handloom Garment Store, presents sarees in chitiki tie & dye technique of Nalgonda, woven by K. Narasimha, chitiki expert of Koyyalagudem, Nalgonda.
K. Narasimha is 78 years old and has been
practicing chitiki technique for the
last 55 years. He started weaving when he was 16 years old and learnt tie &
dye technique at the age of 20 years. He started his chitiki practice by weaving telia rumal thaans forty years ago.
He worked for the handloom co-operative in Koyyalagudem and wove ikat sarees,
dupattas and shirting in both single and double ikat techniques. He is a very
skilled artisan who continues to produce fine ikat in natural dyes along with
his wife K. Manemma.
He also worked as a tie & dye trainer
for 20 years for Weavers Service Centre, Hyderabad .
He has trained over 300 weavers across 12 co-operatives in Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu during these trainings.
Also available are telia rumals which are traditionally made in maroon, white and black
using natural dyes. This practice has disappeared slowly and today, K. Narsimha
is the last of the practicing experts.
Along with a limited collection
of natural dyed ikat sarees dāram will also launch a range of ikat kurtas for women in vibrant azo free
chemical dyes.
Natural dyed ikat sarees are designed and produced on the lines of traditional chitiki of Nalgonda. The sarees are
woven with yarn dyed in blue, black and red using natural dyes. Ikat range of
kurtas for women come in a range of colours and this range also reflects the traditional
chitiki of Nalgonda.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Gongadi at dāram
After two successful
years of Gongadi exhibitions in Hyderabad ,
Chennai, Delhi
and Bangalore ,
the Deccani
Gorrela Mekala Pempakadarla Sangham and the Unni vedika, embark on the third season of exhibition
in Hyderabad
organised by dāram
and Anthra.
This exhibition showcases
the innovation of Narayankhed weavers, Medak - the 2*4
prayer/yoga mat Gongadi along with the traditional 8*4 Gongadis.
The Gongadi narrates the stories of a tradition in the length
of a yarn. An intricate weave of Telangana, the Gongadi is a woollen
blanket handspun by women and subsequently hand woven by men. Black is the dominant
color of the Gongadi, woven from wool obtained from the Deccani breed of sheep
locally called nallagorre. The
Gongadi was widely used by the village community and continues to be an
integral part of the Kuruma traditional sheep rearing communities’ culture, and
a popular symbol of Telangana.
The breed was rapidly diluted, via government policies begun
in the mid-nineties, to introduce the heavier and fatter growing hairy non-wool
Nellore breed of sheep, originating from coastal Andhra, into
Deccani flocks. Such policies resulted in a ‘mixed bred’’ sheep that had more
hair than wool that could no longer be spun into yarn. Unprecedented rain in 2013, resulted in large mortality of the Nellore
and Nellore
cross breeds in Telangana, whilst the Deccani sheeps withstood dramatic
climatic changes, exhibiting low mortality and high resilience.
The revival of the Gongadi, reflects the commitment of the
Deccani Shepherds Sangham of Medak to sustain the Deccani Breed, which has been
diluted in other parts of the State. The Sangham demonstrates its leadership to
conserve the breed and craft: from defending their rights to graze, protecting
forests, community grazing resources and water bodies, promoting animal health
and sustainable agriculture, to rediscovering the knowledge of the Deccani and
reviving the wool and the Gongadi woolcraft. From 40 women spinners 12 weavers, and 3 Kada makers in 2011, today in 2013 nearly 100 women spin wool, 35
weavers and 13 Kada makers, are
anchoring the production of the Gongadi, through the Unni vedika. The exciting news is that today sons and daughters are
returning to the craft.
We invite one and all to support the
craftspeople, the Gongadi, and the Deccani sheep which
are entwined with one another- much like the Gongadi’s warp and weft, that will lead
to sustainable and resilient livelihoods for the women and men of Telangana.
We cordially invite you to the Exhibition and Sale
at dāram, from 20th – 22nd December 2013.
Anthra
B-228/229
Sainikpuri
Secunderabad-
500094
040-27113167/
27110977
anthra.hyd@gmail.com, www.anthra.org
DeccaniGorrelaMekalaPempakadharla Sangham
Unni Vedika,
Village Peddagottimukula, ShivampetMandal
Medak , Telangana.
Mr Yadgiri-+918897853333
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