The saris of India

While it would be impossible to give details of each weave and weft, Saryu Doshi touches upon some better-known works of art.

Gujarat:

Probably the most famous sari from this area is the bandhani. This tie-and-dye saree was traditionally available in black, red and green. Now, however, the sari is available in all colours. One of Saryu’s favourite bandhani is an Amba-daal bandhani. This particular design represents the branches of a mango tree.

There are many different types of bandhanis. In a bandhani sari made by a Muslim weaver, for instance, there is no figurative work.

These saris are normally in black and with circular designs. A bandhani with gold squares is a ghar-chola, traditionally worn in weddings. When you buy a bandhani, it is usually tied up in a bundle to maintain the special crushed look. To see it, it’s best to stretch one corner of it. The neater the work, the more expensive the sari is. The Patola is another popular sari from Gujarat. There are two types of Patola saris. The Rajkot Patola has a single ikat, while the Patan Patola has double ikat. Which means that a Rajkot type is only vertically-resist dyed. It, therefore, has a shot effect; whereas the Patan type is horizontally-resist dyed. These cost about Rs 80,000 as it takes days to make one piece. "Before the sari is woven, the yarn is resist dyed, which is a laborious process," says Doshi. She does not own a Patan patola as she hasn’t found one that is subtle enough for her taste.

The Parsis are also well known for their distinctive saris. The Parsi gara is an embroidered sari where the work is normally done in off-white. Then there is the Parsi kor. This plain sari, in silk or chiffon, has an embroidered nine-yard border. Often, these have a Chinese-look about them, since many Parsis travelled to the Far East and were greatly influenced by them.

Benares:

The jamevar sari patterns are picked up from the shawls. Most of these saris have paisley designs, and are very rich looking. You can find a wide variety of jamevars: one is called the Navrangi. These saris have nine colours on them and are worn mainly for weddings.

Jamdani saris are known for their distinctive weave. The threads on the back are loose so it is advisable to put a net at the back. Then there is the tanchoi, meaning three Chinese brothers. The saris got their name from the work of these men. And it was the Parsis who first took a shine to their weaving and encouraged them.

East India:

Calcutta’s kantha work has become the rage in the last few years. This special embroidery is done in running stitch. In Bengal, women used to take their old saris which had become soft, and quilt them together. The running stitch helped hold the sari together. It is from here that the kantha work originated. The Daccai was the most famous sari at the time of the British Raj. "It now comes in garish colours, but it was not so earlier," says Saryu. Orissa sarees are resist-dyed and geometric in design. One of the most grand looking saris is the Baluchuri, which has figures in the pallav. Each figure looks like a miniature painting. "Some even have pictures from the days of the Raj," says Saryu. South India:p Kanjeevarams are among the most popular saris today. They are made in a village called Kanjeevaram, near Chennai. A fully worked Kanjeevaram is a temple sari, which carries a hefty price tag. You can spend up to Rs 2 lakh on this sari. South Indian saris are normally found in real zari and they are easy to wash. In Mumbai they are seen in elegant drapes on women like Anita Garware, who wear only Kanjeevarams. Maharashtra: The traditional sari of Maharashtra is the Paithani, which normally comes in a kum-kum colour in combination with another contrasting colour. And the common motif on it is a round gold dot called the paisa motif. These saris are made in Paithan, near Aurangabad.

The Chanderi sari is a half cotton and half silk sari, typically found in Maharashtra.

Andhra Pradesh:

Hyderabad has an ancient weaving tradition. The Venkatgiri is a fine cotton sari, perfect for the summer heat. It is typically made in off-white and has very dull gold motifs on it. The Taliarhumal pallav has both checks and flowers on it. Its designs are taken from the lungis worn by Andhra Pradesh’s fishermen.

Kalamkaris are printed saris, which were inspired by cotton wall hangings which were half drawn and half printed.

Kaysons’s Sangeeta Jashnani gives you tips on sari care:

* Keep saris folded in a white muslin cloth

* Never hang a sari

* Make sure no water or perfume touches them

* Keep refolding organza saris, or they will crack

* Dry clean printed crepes after the first wear

* Heavier saris should be dry cleaned as little as possible

*If need be, remove the fall separately and clean it

* Keep all saris away from moisture and sunlight

* Saris should be aired regularly, especially after wearing

* When the zari gets tarnished, have it polished by a professionals