13 March 2016

Parsi Ghara Embrodriery

I never had a fascination for embroidered sarees; until I saw Ashdeen's Parsi Ghara sarees recently at an exhibition!

So we know they came from Persia, and settled in Gujarat for thousands of years, but had their religious and ethnic identity intact! When the British came and the ports of Gujarat and Bombay developed, these boat builders and traders amassed huge fortunes.

The influence of British reflected in the pastel colours of their sarees. Though they wore their sarees like Gujarati style draping, their wedding sarees took to the influence of lace and Broderie anglaise (English embroidery - a whitework needlework technique of 19th century incorporating features of embroidery, cutwork and needle lace associated with England).

Parsi trade was traditionally with China, and so they wore the gauze or embroidered satin sarees on special occasions. The heavier crepe de chine was called Ghara, and the Chinese derived silk satin was called Gaj, commonly worn in Gujarat (gajji silk). Since Chinese looms were only two thirds of Indian Saree width, the Parsi sarees made of Chinese woven fabrics has a lengthwise seam added to the fabric and were called "do-patti", two strip saris.

All the silks embroidered in China had the traditional oriental motifs - Flowers, leaves, birds, animals, people in Chinese dress etc,.but very detailed and with rich effects!

Other traditional Parsi saris included the satin bandhanis from kutch. They also did gold badla embroidery in chiffons, sometimes with chinese embroidery, satin bands or with sequin embroidery! Till 1950 Chinese peddlers would visit the wealthy Parsi families in Bombay and sell such embroideries, Ghara and Gajji fabrics to them. The interesting fact is that the Chinese embroidery were never adapted mainstream in India.

One Parsi fabric which has become an exclusive Indian textile is Tanchoi. The Tanchois were imported from China until the Chhoi brothers learned the weaving techniques and set up shop in Surat ( the Parsi owned weaving concerns were pushed out of business by Banaras weavers who undercut their prices in early 1950s)!

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