The Northeast, in most of our imaginations, is filled with mystery, mystique, and otherworldliness. When Paramparik Karigar takes a trip this beautiful place, Indian craft is added to the mix.
Mishing Dance
Paramparik Karigar undertakes periodic visits to various states to discover genuine, traditional craftspeople and bring them into the organisation’s fold. This year, we visited the northeastern state of Assam.
On this trip, we focused on the rich textile traditions of the state and visited the workshops of karigars engaged in interesting and experimental work in this space. A quick introduction to textile history before we step into this magical land: Assam boasts four types of silk native to the state Muga, Tussar, Eri, and Noni, the local mulberry. Apart from these, the state’s weavers also import regular mulberry silk and cotton yarn.
The introduction to Assam’s rich textile history begins almost as soon as we land. Like many other Indian communities, the people here have a tradition of honouring their guests by draping a special length of cloth around their shoulders. It is usually white, although other colours are occasionally used. These fabrics are made special by their borders, which are woven with motifs symbolising good fortune and prosperity.
Two common motifs are Kes (the Braid), a deceptively simple-looking design that is actually difficult to weave, and Kopou (the fox orchid), which represents fertility and growth, making it a perfect symbol for celebrations and new beginnings.
The Gos – two birds facing each other on a tree, identified by the triangle that forms a canopy of leaves – is another recurring motif.
And then there is the paisley, a motif found in textiles across the subcontinent. The Japi a traditional umbrella worn while working in the fields pays homage to the strong farming culture that dominates the state. Pepa the curved horn – is another motif, echoing the spirit of the Bihu dancers it traditionally accompanies.
Every craft hunter knows that the success of a trip is marked by at least one serendipitous find. By that measure, we were successful – and that too on the very first day, at the very first place we visited. Day 1 took us to meet three women weavers who work with traditional fabrics and design elements.
On Day one, Arita Kashyap was generous enough to not only give us a peek at her 150-year-old bamboo Seneki but also allow us to document it.
A Seneki is a design card given to weavers as a blueprint.
Below is the material woven using the Saneki.
Bamboo Saneki – 150 years old.
Saneki fabric to preserve the original bamboo one.
This is the Saneki design, recreated in fabric to preserve the original bamboo one.
Arita’s specialty was her work with hand-spun yarn. She had on display hand-spun Eri and hand-spun Khadi. She also experimented with motifs found on traditional village textiles.
Chandrani Sarmah, along with regular mulberry sarees and stoles featuring traditional Assamese motifs, showcased glowing Muga silks, shimmering Eri silks, and vibrant home furnishings.
Eri-silk Saree
Eri-silk Saree
The next day was a long travel to the dyeing and weaving unit of the immensely knowledgeable Narmohan Das.For the next few hours we were given a master class in making the dye, pre- process of the yarn dyeing and details about each natural dye, a natural ingredient for a mordant and the dyeing itself.
Tea Dyeing
Lac
Range of Natural Dyed Yarn
Manjishta
We then visited his silkworm rearing centre, where we were given a crash course on the life cycle of various silkworms and a brief lecture on Ahimsa silk. There could not have been a more enjoyable or fulfilling day for Textile Seekers.
Eggs of Mugha Silk worm
Cocoon
Our last stop was a weaving unit even further into the interior of the state. The unit specialised in Bodo textiles but also produced traditional Assamese textiles, working with cotton and Eri. It was an introduction to a three, and four pedal looms, relating to the complexity of shafts and harnesses, unlike anything we had seen until then.
The trip left us dazed and satiated, yet paradoxically hungry for more. But we returned with our hearts full and minds abuzz. For those wondering — yes, we did play hooky! We stole time from our busy days to say hello to the rhinos at Kaziranga and take a boat ride near the Dacca Border on the glass-like river. We also made time to pay our respects to the esoteric goddess Kamakhya, who resides in the beautiful Nilacahal-styled temple.
A recommendation from the Paramparik Karigar team to those planning a trip to this beautiful state: Don’t miss the Veg Khasi Thaali.
