Article Title: The Text Of Indian Text Styles

Author: Karishma Roy
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Human history Past and present can never ignore the importance
of textile in a civilizaton decisively affecting its destinies,
effectively changing its social scenario. A brief but
thoroughly researched feature on Indian Textile culture.
 
From the time of creation as portrayed in the Bible Adam and
Eve ensconced themselves with leaves and then in all the ages
which followed, from the bark of trees to the finest linen,
cloth was man's constant companion. Civilizations one after the
other gave cloth or the industry, which goes by the name of
Textiles, an important role, making it a part of their culture,
tradition and heritage. Sartorial identification slowly became
Man's requirement in the society.
 
Textile has been one of India's major sources of income since
yore. Most of India's trade links according to history was
based on the Textiles apart from Spices. The diversity and
richness of Indian Textile tradition has always been a subject
of discussion amongst the occidental milieu. The fact, which
supports this discovery, is the hoards of fragments of cotton
material originating from Gujarat found in the Egyptian tombs
at Fostat, belonging to the 5th century AD. Some of the Tamil
writings of the 13th century tell that silk was exported to
Indonesia and that Indian silk had found a great market in
Europe.

The origin of Textiles in India in tandem with literature goes
back to the days of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Both the epics
describe the costumes of the characters, be it the most
graceful Ram or the serene and kind Krishna, long descriptions
of their costumes added color to the two epics. The Indus
Valley civilization that traced Indian roots back to thousands
of years in Harappa and Mohan Je Daro explicates the importance
of clothes or costumes or textiles, to the people who lived in
those days in the form of sculptures and paintings. Latest
excavations reveal more about the passions the race in the
valley had for textiles. The sculptures belonging to Mauryan
era throw light on the fact that Textile was considered an
important factor. Ancient Buddhist scripts and murals also
support this fact. Legend has it that when Amrapali, a
courtesan from the kingdom of Vaishali met Gautam Buddha; she
wore a richly woven semi transparent sari, which speaks volumes
of the technical achievement of the ancient Indian weaver.
 
The textile tradition in India is always subjected to a number
of factors like Geography, climate, social customs,
availability of the raw material etc. A variety of raw
materials like silk, cotton, wool, jute are used in India for
creating fabric.

 
Indian textile scenario now is as vibrant as ever with Gujarat,
a state in the northwestern part of the country popularly known
as the Manchester of the East. Gujarat has been involved in the
textile trade for centuries. The Entire State is specialized in
some form of exotic textile weaving or the other. It has been
truly remarked by a writer in the late 16th century, "For the
peasant women of Gujarat, a needle is her pen with which she
gives expression to her creativity and reiterates her
relationship with religion and nature." From the ancient times
Gujarat has been the gateway for intercultural and
intercultural exchanges. Gujarat can be linked to the ancient
civilizations of Sumer, Babylon and Egypt. The influence of
various cultures had its effect on crafts of the state as well.
It is believed that the textiles from Gujarat graced the court
of the legendary King Solomon who is considered to be the
wisest man ever since creation. The best example for that lies
in the film, "Guru", directed by veteran filmmaker Rajiv
Anchal. The costumes used in the film by more than 1000
artistes, resemble the summer and Egyptian costumes, exported
from Gujarat centuries ago.
 
Indian Textile is famous basically for its uniqueness and
style. Fabrics from diverse raw materials form-to-life umpteen
numbers of wear catering to the needs of man. The most famous
among them is Applique. Applique is a decorative work in which
one piece of cloth is sewn or fixed onto another or the
activity of decorating a cloth using glass pieces metals or
wood. This is one of the most traditional handicraft art form
from Orissa. The traditional applique of Punjab is called
Phulkari. Phulkari is generally made on shawls using the darn
stitch to attach pieces of cloth onto the surface of the shawl.
Apart from flowers, stylized figures of animals and plants are
also used. Silk thread is generally used in creating phulkari,
though occasionally cotton thread is also put in use. In Andhra
Pradesh, the blouses and headscarves worn by the Banjara tribal
women are not only embroidered but also decorated with appliqué
and mirror work. The most ethnic and traditionally designed
textiles have also found a place in the fashion circles abroad
as well as in India.
 
No matter what the style or the fashion is Sari continues to be
the best Indian textile and the silk weaving tradition in India
revolves around sari, as it is the choice of most women in
rural and urban India.
 
The Silk no doubt is the best kind of clothe from India even
though China enjoyed greater popularity in producing it. In
association with ceremonial rites of ancient India, Silk has
been a highly revered fabric. Silk was popular not just among
ordinary people but also the Royal clan. The silk sari was the
next attraction.
 
The magical combination of material and color associated with
silk has led to the creation of a myriad of traditional sari
styles .The main silk weaving centers in India are Banaras,
Chander, Murshidabad, and Assam Kancheepuram, Tanjore,
Dharmavaram, Mysore and Tirupur. From deep down south to up
north, each state in India is in one way or the other is famous
for its uniqueness in textile production.
 
The past traditions of the textile and handlooms can still be
seen amongst the motifs, patterns, designs, and the old
techniques of weaving still employed by the weavers.
 
Currently one third of India's export earnings is from the
Textile Industry. The industry with its sound economic
resources has employed a lot of youth and has organized and
decentralized sectors, in rural and urban areas, particularly
for women and children. Textile Industry in India is not just
another rear view mirror of our once glorious past but also
caters to the present day needs. Breaking all econometrics
Indian textiles and allied products touched a high of RS 870.08
crore in 1997-1998 and the export of woolen shawls reached a
peak of RS 40.02 crore in 1997-"98. The Government of India has
set up National Center for Textile Design (NCTD) to promote
traditional and contemporary designs in response to the
changing market. NCTD provides adequate growth opportunity to
the textile industry in India. A lot of companies have come up
in the past two decades exporting textile materials on a
regular basis to many countries.
 
Man cannot be precluded as far as his individual liberty is
concerned. He has the freedom and the power to choose his own
way and not have it decided by others. From the basic need to
luxury, cloth has been his boon and that's an empirical fact.
From time to time he changed his clothing styles, from moment
to moment he came up with new avenues to make clothing more
attractive and conducive. From what was nebulous cloth became
lucid and it sparked off as an industry. Indian Textile
innovations have started a frisson to course which in the years
to come will raise this Industry to the pinnacles of glory.


About The Author: Karishma Roy works at Netlink Solutions
(India) Limited as a Web Content Writer. Website:
http://handicrafts.easy2source.com E-Mail: gifts@vsnl.com

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About The Author: Karishma Roy works at Netlink Solutions
(India) Limited as a Web Content Writer. Website:
http://handicrafts.easy2source.com E-Mail: gifts@vsnl.com