While the Kashmiri shawls were making news abroad, the shawls from the other states were quietly and beautifully doing their jobs of keeping the people in those areas warm. The intricately embroidered kantha shawls of Bengal are a case in point. The ornamental growth of the shawl industry is closely associated with the textiles, weaves and prints of the particular areas that spawned it. Shawls from Gujarat have the traditional bandhini prints. Bandhini shawls have vibrant colors, though the background may be of a neutral color. They are often decorated with embroider, mainly chain stitch, and with mirror work for a richer and prettier look.
Such embellishments are almost never seen in the shawls from Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, and the other north-eastern states. The shawls from these areas have a primitive charm of their own. Black and maroon are the favored background colors, and the designs in red, white and yellow, are chiefly abstract and highly conventional representations of human and animal figures. Not very popular outside these states, these shawls nevertheless do a very effective job of keeping the inhabitants of that cold area in warm comfort.
The same cannot be said of the pretty Himru shawls of Aurangabad and Hyderabad. Himru is an inferior type of brocade in which both silk and cotton threads are used to produce the multi-colored designs. The actual ornamental design is formed on the principle of extra weft figuring - the silk weft used for patterning is thrown over the surface only here and there, were the actual pattern appears the rest of the weft is left hanging loosely underneath. Because of this extra layer of loose silk weft, the Himru shawls are soft, and almost feel like silk. It is believed that Tughlak, the eccentric ruler, settled weavers from Ahmedabad, Banaras and Gujarat in Aurangabad, which led to the start of the Himru industry.
Closely linked with the climate and conditions of the region, the warmth and popularity of the shawl decreases as we travel from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. In fact, to the south of the Deccan plateau, there is hardly any shawl weaving industry.
There are shawls to suit every budget. The pashmina, kani and amli shawls from Kashmir, are a costly affair. Same goes for the rich brocade shawls from Banaras. The Himru shawls are moderately priced, so are the shawls from the north-east. These different varieties of shawls are popular in India as well as abroad. |
