Kajol in Gulmohar
Woven in the finest of cotton muslin, this saree is our ode to Bengal and the eternal love affair that we share.
KAJOL in Gulmohar , is a fine handwoven muslin saree that has a sprinkling of multi coloured ‘Tara’ buti jamdani woven all over the saree. The temple border on either sides of the saree is woven delicately in black. The pallu has multi coloured stripes in all the colours of the Tara.
This saree is truly a Paromita Banerjee signature piece.
No Blouse piece.
Designer speak :
Every since I remember, I have seen Ma wearing the most choicest of weaves, the simple tangail or the jamdani in the softest of muslin cottons . She has worn sarees all her life, and Im so glad she has.This saree reminds me of her and of Durga Puja : the simple days gone by where Pujo and festivities in Bengal meant ‘Laal Paar’ or ‘Gorod’ or simply starched white and red taant. This is our ode.
What is a Jamdani ?
The word “Jamdani” is of Persian origin coming from the word “jam” meaning flower and “dani” meaning vase. ( It is a prime example of a handweave and there are multiple meanings of the word, but the name itself is suggestive of the beautiful motifs on the sarees that are handwoven.) Originally, jamdani sarees were woven in Bangladesh, Dhaka, and hence the name “Dhakai Jamdani” . After partition of Bengal into East and West Bengal, a cluster of weavers migrated across the border to West Bengal and settled here. These are the weavers, who weave our Jamdanis.
A jamdani weave is a prime example of the power of hand weaving, since the entire process of weaving the motifs is extremely time consuming and done completely by hand.
A jamdani weave is characterized by its motifs. We at ‘Paromita Banerjee’ work on both graphic and floral jamdanis. The motifs are woven by a thicker yarn, called the extra supplementary weft which is woven one line at a time, to make the motif, along with the standard weft technique of weaving the base of the fabric . The base is usually of a sheer yarn than the motifs which is opaque on its surface. As such, this creates a certain light and shadow effect. In a good jamdani, the motifs on the back of the fabric will be of the same neatness as the front, which speaks volumes for the skill of the weaver and the tenacity with which he weaves every single piece. There are times when a single saree might take over 8-15 days to weave.
There are some things that cannot be replicated by a machine. Jamdani weave, is one of them. Such is the power of the handmade. A timeless luxury.