Wearing our national identity
Once upon a time, the simple, homespun Khadi became the symbol for India’s self sufficiency and defiance against the British raj. A symbol of our independence from the yoke.
Recently we saw another interesting challenge on the world arena, which got me thinking. This time the challenge was to global fashion giants! Team Mongolia wore their traditional tunics with the beautiful gold embroidery depicting motifs of Mongolia’s heritage and relationship to the games. Team Haiti merged Haitian fabrics and motifs with Western silhouettes as “a tool of counter colonization.”
In India too, 78 years after Independence, Khadi is still seen as a symbol of self-reliance, national pride, and social upliftment. The texture, comfort, and eco-friendliness of Khadi have contributed to its resurgence as a favored fabric among environmentally conscious consumers
Wearing the handwoven is a way to protect our cultural heritage, a tangible link to the past that represents our traditions, beliefs, and values.
You may have questioned, how do we understand the genuine from the machine made, mass produced variety? I share a quick checklist here:
Whether cotton, wool or silk, Khadi (made from hand spun yarn) is different from handloom cloth (which uses mill made yarn). Hold a khadi outfit against the light, you will notice a slight difference in the density and there is light that shines through the cloth. If the density is not so uniform, or if it does not become so transparent, it is most likely handloom.
The beauty of both lie in their imperfections. Hand woven and khadi both feel like there is an embossed texture, there are knots in some places on the threads, definitely not smooth and monotonous
Machine weaves are perfectly ‘papered over' or ‘ironed out' feel, they do not drape around the curves of the body in the same way.
Our handwovens dyes like ikkat are very easily replicated as digital prints these days. Just look at the “palat”, the inside. In most cases of the handcrafted, the front and the back of the fabric are the same because the design is in the yarn, not on the surface of the fabric like in a print.
Here is a picture of some of us, just for fun!
Today, on the eve of the 78th Independence Day, let us all take a pledge to support the indigenous, sustainable ways of life. Whether you choose to wear handwoven. Or teach your children to be bilingual with their mother tongue. Or even when you choose the local kirana store over the glitzy plastic choices at supermarkets.
Join us? Just make those small changes in your daily lives. We would love to hear your stories, your inspirations. Do drop a comment here
PS- EkiBeki was set up to keep the traditional ways of the art relevant and mainstream in our lives. Whether it is through exhibitions or corporate gift boxes. Even the handcrafted wall murals for corporate houses are EkiBeki ways to keep the art forms visible.
So, if you are looking for corporate gift boxes, or bulk order for the upcoming festive season, we invite you to consider handcrafted. We offer curated combinations of our products, or even the option to customise. Download our catalogue for 2024 here, or fill this form to arrange for a call back.
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