Beautiful Balucharis: Narrative Silks of West Bengal
Darshan Shah, Founder, Weavers Studio and Weavers Studio Resource Centre, in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal state, India, has been deeply involved in handmade textiles for the past thirty years. She shares her thoughts on Baluchari weaves that are striking for their narrative designs.
Guest edited by Brinda Gill
Brinda Gill: Please could you give us a glimpse of the traditional textiles of West Bengal
Darshan Shah: The state of West Bengal located in eastern India and the neighbouring country of Bangladesh previously formed one contiguous region known as Bengal. The region was partitioned at the time of India's independence in 1947. It has been famous for its hand-woven textiles since ancient times. The most celebrated were diaphanous muslins that were hand-woven from fine yarns that were hand-spun from Phuti Karpas, a cotton plant indigenous to Bangladesh. The region, home to communities of skilled artisans, has kept alive its rich textile heritage.
A spectrum of traditional textile techniques are practised in West Bengal. From intricate Nakshi kanthas embroidered by women to majestic, embroidered quilts from Satgaon, sheer muslins and fine Jamdanis from Sonargaon, lustrous silks from Malda, fascinating narrative Balucharis from Murshidabad, hand-block printed textiles from Baharampur and Serampore, and saris with woven figurative borders from Santipur and Tangail, the span of traditional techniques is admirable.
BG: Please tell us about Baluchari weaves
DS: Baluchari weaves are synonymous with a combination of particular yarns, texture, colours, motifs and format. The weave flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries, when saris, sashes, shawls, table cloths, scarves of a unique design were woven. Balucharis are woven with fine lustrous silk yarns, and the motifs/patterns are woven with supplementary silk yarn. Deep maroons, reds, chocolate, oranges and purples were traditional favourite hues.
Baluchari saris are instantly distinguished by their design layout with a distinct end-panel. These typically feature large decorative floral paisley (kolka) motifs in the centre with narrow ornamental borders, and figural motifs set in compartments around it. In addition, there are corner paisley motifs where the field of the sari meets the end-panel.
In times past, Balucharis were woven on the jala loom. The jala is a mechanism hung above the loom and tied to the warp yarns and used for lifting these yarns that enable weavers to weave complex designs. Balucharis are now mostly woven on jacquard looms. A variety of colours are now being used for weaving. Synthetic dyes being used to dye yarns.
BG: Where did the Baluchari originate?
DS: It is surmised that the Baluchari was originally woven in Baluchar, a village -or perhaps a cluster of villages- along the Bhagirathi River in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, from which it took its name. It is speculated that Baluchari weaving declined as the village of Baluchar submerged in the shifting Bhagirathi River and/or with the passing away of master weaver Dubraj Das in 1903.
As experts were unable to trace Baluchari weaving in Murshidabad, they sought a solution in the city of Banaras, famed for its hand-woven textiles. In the 1950s through the initiative of All India Handicrafts Board, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, master weaver Ali Hasan in Banaras was asked to work on Baluchari weaves to help in its revival as there are some similarities between Baluchari and Banaras weaves; both were traditionally woven with silk yarns, with motifs of supplementary yarns, and on jala looms. Ali Hasan made precise drawings of each segment of Baluchari saris and then framed them in blocked-in units with grid structuring to ascertain the exact number of warps and wefts, and immaculately replicated Baluchari saris with fine twisted silk. In 1965, he received the National Award for his recreated Baluchari pieces.
BG: Please could you tell us about the narrative designs on historical Balucharis?
DS: The vocabulary of historical Baluchari motifs span figurative, floral and faunal, geometric and decorative designs. They weave a fascinating tale of tradition and change while documenting events and lifestyles of a bygone era. One sees seated figures of men and women, in European or courtly Indian attire, smoking hookahs, placed within architectural members of pillars and arched brackets. Other motifs are of men and women riding horses; a seated woman holding or smelling a flower in one hand; elaborate horse-drawn carriages; a prince seated on an elephant led by a mahout; individuals engaged in conversations; warring, hunting and processional scenes. Some saris had no figurative motifs and only had paisleys. It is probable that these were commissioned by the Sheherwali Jains of Murshidabad, who did not wear figurative silks or they were woven by Muslim weavers who did not weave figures.
Technological advancements were reflected in motifs of Europeans or Indians travelling on steamboats and trains. To ward off the evil eye, the weavers often wove Nazabatu or an intentional flaw by filling in one of the paisleys in double colours or different colour contrasting others placed in the parallel row. All these narrative designs make the Baluchari a unique textile.
BG: How did you get interested in Balucharis?
DS: I was completely awed by the textiles at the Sahib, Bibi, Nawab: Baluchar Silks of Bengal 1750-1900 exhibition, organised at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, in collaboration with the TAPI Collection, in December 2014, and the accompanying publication. They introduced me to a completely different language of Balucharis as there were figural designs I had never seen or heard of before.
Subsequently, while searching for a Baluchari sari for my daughter’s wedding trousseau, I looked in many shops famous for traditional saris in Kolkata, however I was unable to find a sari of the designs seen at the exhibition. This curiosity led me to travel to Bishnupur (Bankura district) to meet weavers and share the exhibition catalogue with them. They were completely surprised by the designs published in the book. A few had seen some of these at the Bishnupur Museum, but nothing as spectacular, intricate or iconic as the ones that were in the publication. The saris being woven at Bishnupur did not have the historical designs, were woven in bright and unfamiliar colours with Chinese silk yarns instead of mulberry silk yarns. All these prompted me to revisit Balucharis in Bengal and explore the Banaras story of Balucharis.
BG: What is the present status of the weave?
DS: The Weavers Service Centre (Government of India) and the MSME&T (Government of West Bengal) collaborated with Tantuja (under MSME&T) to guide the weavers with computerised card-cutting, dyeing the correct colours, the use of Malda silk and to recreate old museum quality textiles. The Government of West Bengal has encouraged power loom weaving to generate more opportunities for the not-so-skilled weavers. Therefore Balucharis are now woven in both the jacquard and power looms.
BG: Please tell us the efforts you have taken to create awareness of Baluchari weaves
DS: Weavers Studio held an exhibition titled Baluchari: Bengal & Beyond on Baluchari silks in Birla Academy, Kolkata in 2016 with archival textiles from WSRC and various private collections including TAPI; Balucharis revived by weavers with the collaboration of MSME&T and Tantuja; and Balucharis designed by modern designers. An accompanying catalogue was published. We organised a symposium with lectures from eminent experts from the field, including Rosemary Crill, Mayank Mansingh Kaul, Monisha Ahmed and many others.
The textiles were exhibited at the National Museum, New Delhi, in 2019, and we published a comprehensive book Baluchari: The Narrative Silks from Bengal edited by Jasleen Dhamija. Subsequently, we took more than 100 experts, enthusiasts, students, and media persons for field trips to Bishnupur to create awareness for the entire area. In addition, there are on-going initiatives and documentation. We have documented over 300 Balucharis in various lesser-known private and reserve collections in museums. West Bengal never had a specific wedding sari for brides. We now see brides and close family members wearing Balucharis at weddings. This was our moment of feeling a sense of fulfilment as this initiative showed the way forward.
Images Courtesy of Weavers Studio Resource Centre, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India
Find out more:
weaversstudio.in
Guest edited by Brinda Gill
Brinda Gill: Please could you give us a glimpse of the traditional textiles of West Bengal
Darshan Shah: The state of West Bengal located in eastern India and the neighbouring country of Bangladesh previously formed one contiguous region known as Bengal. The region was partitioned at the time of India's independence in 1947. It has been famous for its hand-woven textiles since ancient times. The most celebrated were diaphanous muslins that were hand-woven from fine yarns that were hand-spun from Phuti Karpas, a cotton plant indigenous to Bangladesh. The region, home to communities of skilled artisans, has kept alive its rich textile heritage.
A spectrum of traditional textile techniques are practised in West Bengal. From intricate Nakshi kanthas embroidered by women to majestic, embroidered quilts from Satgaon, sheer muslins and fine Jamdanis from Sonargaon, lustrous silks from Malda, fascinating narrative Balucharis from Murshidabad, hand-block printed textiles from Baharampur and Serampore, and saris with woven figurative borders from Santipur and Tangail, the span of traditional techniques is admirable.
BG: Please tell us about Baluchari weaves
DS: Baluchari weaves are synonymous with a combination of particular yarns, texture, colours, motifs and format. The weave flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries, when saris, sashes, shawls, table cloths, scarves of a unique design were woven. Balucharis are woven with fine lustrous silk yarns, and the motifs/patterns are woven with supplementary silk yarn. Deep maroons, reds, chocolate, oranges and purples were traditional favourite hues.
Baluchari saris are instantly distinguished by their design layout with a distinct end-panel. These typically feature large decorative floral paisley (kolka) motifs in the centre with narrow ornamental borders, and figural motifs set in compartments around it. In addition, there are corner paisley motifs where the field of the sari meets the end-panel.
In times past, Balucharis were woven on the jala loom. The jala is a mechanism hung above the loom and tied to the warp yarns and used for lifting these yarns that enable weavers to weave complex designs. Balucharis are now mostly woven on jacquard looms. A variety of colours are now being used for weaving. Synthetic dyes being used to dye yarns.
BG: Where did the Baluchari originate?
DS: It is surmised that the Baluchari was originally woven in Baluchar, a village -or perhaps a cluster of villages- along the Bhagirathi River in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, from which it took its name. It is speculated that Baluchari weaving declined as the village of Baluchar submerged in the shifting Bhagirathi River and/or with the passing away of master weaver Dubraj Das in 1903.
As experts were unable to trace Baluchari weaving in Murshidabad, they sought a solution in the city of Banaras, famed for its hand-woven textiles. In the 1950s through the initiative of All India Handicrafts Board, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, master weaver Ali Hasan in Banaras was asked to work on Baluchari weaves to help in its revival as there are some similarities between Baluchari and Banaras weaves; both were traditionally woven with silk yarns, with motifs of supplementary yarns, and on jala looms. Ali Hasan made precise drawings of each segment of Baluchari saris and then framed them in blocked-in units with grid structuring to ascertain the exact number of warps and wefts, and immaculately replicated Baluchari saris with fine twisted silk. In 1965, he received the National Award for his recreated Baluchari pieces.
BG: Please could you tell us about the narrative designs on historical Balucharis?
DS: The vocabulary of historical Baluchari motifs span figurative, floral and faunal, geometric and decorative designs. They weave a fascinating tale of tradition and change while documenting events and lifestyles of a bygone era. One sees seated figures of men and women, in European or courtly Indian attire, smoking hookahs, placed within architectural members of pillars and arched brackets. Other motifs are of men and women riding horses; a seated woman holding or smelling a flower in one hand; elaborate horse-drawn carriages; a prince seated on an elephant led by a mahout; individuals engaged in conversations; warring, hunting and processional scenes. Some saris had no figurative motifs and only had paisleys. It is probable that these were commissioned by the Sheherwali Jains of Murshidabad, who did not wear figurative silks or they were woven by Muslim weavers who did not weave figures.
Technological advancements were reflected in motifs of Europeans or Indians travelling on steamboats and trains. To ward off the evil eye, the weavers often wove Nazabatu or an intentional flaw by filling in one of the paisleys in double colours or different colour contrasting others placed in the parallel row. All these narrative designs make the Baluchari a unique textile.
BG: How did you get interested in Balucharis?
DS: I was completely awed by the textiles at the Sahib, Bibi, Nawab: Baluchar Silks of Bengal 1750-1900 exhibition, organised at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, in collaboration with the TAPI Collection, in December 2014, and the accompanying publication. They introduced me to a completely different language of Balucharis as there were figural designs I had never seen or heard of before.
Subsequently, while searching for a Baluchari sari for my daughter’s wedding trousseau, I looked in many shops famous for traditional saris in Kolkata, however I was unable to find a sari of the designs seen at the exhibition. This curiosity led me to travel to Bishnupur (Bankura district) to meet weavers and share the exhibition catalogue with them. They were completely surprised by the designs published in the book. A few had seen some of these at the Bishnupur Museum, but nothing as spectacular, intricate or iconic as the ones that were in the publication. The saris being woven at Bishnupur did not have the historical designs, were woven in bright and unfamiliar colours with Chinese silk yarns instead of mulberry silk yarns. All these prompted me to revisit Balucharis in Bengal and explore the Banaras story of Balucharis.
BG: What is the present status of the weave?
DS: The Weavers Service Centre (Government of India) and the MSME&T (Government of West Bengal) collaborated with Tantuja (under MSME&T) to guide the weavers with computerised card-cutting, dyeing the correct colours, the use of Malda silk and to recreate old museum quality textiles. The Government of West Bengal has encouraged power loom weaving to generate more opportunities for the not-so-skilled weavers. Therefore Balucharis are now woven in both the jacquard and power looms.
BG: Please tell us the efforts you have taken to create awareness of Baluchari weaves
DS: Weavers Studio held an exhibition titled Baluchari: Bengal & Beyond on Baluchari silks in Birla Academy, Kolkata in 2016 with archival textiles from WSRC and various private collections including TAPI; Balucharis revived by weavers with the collaboration of MSME&T and Tantuja; and Balucharis designed by modern designers. An accompanying catalogue was published. We organised a symposium with lectures from eminent experts from the field, including Rosemary Crill, Mayank Mansingh Kaul, Monisha Ahmed and many others.
The textiles were exhibited at the National Museum, New Delhi, in 2019, and we published a comprehensive book Baluchari: The Narrative Silks from Bengal edited by Jasleen Dhamija. Subsequently, we took more than 100 experts, enthusiasts, students, and media persons for field trips to Bishnupur to create awareness for the entire area. In addition, there are on-going initiatives and documentation. We have documented over 300 Balucharis in various lesser-known private and reserve collections in museums. West Bengal never had a specific wedding sari for brides. We now see brides and close family members wearing Balucharis at weddings. This was our moment of feeling a sense of fulfilment as this initiative showed the way forward.
Images Courtesy of Weavers Studio Resource Centre, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India
Find out more:
weaversstudio.in