WHAT you see at the Marthanda Hall of Hotel Pankaj is not just another saree exhibition. Every square inch of cloth that you see there is purely hand-made, woven together by the weavers belonging to the Nadia village of Bengal on the Bangladesh border. Courtesy, Rang Mahal, the organisation from Bengal, representing the conglomeration of Bengal weavers.The exhibition is about tradition, culture and even history, just as it is about sarees. Be it the block-printed ones from Shanthiniketan or the signature Jamdani sarees, which when done in silk causes eye-problems to the weaver or the Tangail Nakshi sarees with an old world charm, all speak of the hours and hours of human effort that have gone into the making of each saree. The handwoven cotton kota with five types of embroidery such as the lakshmikantha, aari, bani and thilli, come straight from the Mughal era. The traditional Jamdani sarees in pure silk and earth colours is a dying art in the Indian weaving scenario, the exhibition has less than a dozen of them. And, of course, they are the most expensive of the lot at Rs 6000. Typical Jamdani sarees in cotton come at a cheaper rate but just as beautiful at Rs 4750, which drops to Rs 3800 after discount.While the rest of India has to wait for Diwali to see the arrival of master weavers from Dhaka to arrive at Kolkata and then send their wares to different parts of the country, Rang Mahal brings home fabric from the border districts, which have weavers of the same calibre.Dhakai Jamdani is unique for its extra weft and powder-soft yarn, say the organisers. The extra weft patterning with plied yarn ensures the smoothness of designs in the borders such as the phool bel, Pakhi Par and Dhaner Chari. The contemporary designs like the phool bel motif, the multi-coloured borders, the mystique motifs in weaved borders and geometrical and chequed body give the Tangail Nakshi sarees an instant appeal. A saree in a unique hue of maroon and violet with a phool bel motif tugged at many a heart. These sarees priced at Rs 1300 comes at Rs 1040 after discount. For those who have a fancy for embroidery, the sarees with the traditional nakshikantha work is worth a try.The unique shades, mostly in two-tone organic colours, have prompted the organisers to provide blouse materials for almost all the rare shades. Even the Jalchuri sarees are provided contrast blouses, the colour which matches the pallus but is in absolute contrast with the body. Improvisations of Jamdani with extra ornamentation and sarees with deep clustered butas in linear weaves are also on display.Coloured brightly with contrasts as stark as violet against peacock blue, Rang Mahal has also the senior citizens in mind with combinations of beige and brown, brown and lilac, an earthy green with cream, all with small polka or butterfly buttas. For the salwar-kameez -wearing crowd of the city are a vast collection of Jamdani woven dress materials in exquisite colour combinations such as ash and pink, rust and ochre, butadhar materials in purple and ochre and duree dress materials in combinations of peacock blue and orange and even a subtle lilac and screaming orange.But before you start off to Statue, make sure you have enough cash on you because Rang Mahal does not have the facility to take credit cards.The exhibition will conclude on August 7. Timing: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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