Anybody with an octogenarian grandmother must have heard this anecdote a countless times that how the ‘zari’ and ‘brocade’ sarees were made of so pure and original silver/gold during their time. I was no exception! I remember rummaging through my Nani’s (maternal grandmother’s) closet when I was a teenager in order to find some nice antique zardozi work laces or garment and when I found one I couldn’t help noticing the shine and simmer it had – it obviously had to as the name itself suggests. Zardozi, which is a Persian word, means ‘sewing with gold string’ with Zar meaning gold and Dozi meaning embroidery. It is an elaborate style of hand embroidery very popular in India and its nearby countries like Pakistan and Iran.
Today in ‘Zardozi (pedia)’ we bring you a short history of this age-old embroidery.
It is said that zardozi was at its peak, in demand and popularity, during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and that under the rule of Aurangzeb its popularity started to decline due to its high making cost and raw materials that were rare to procure. Thus the craftsmen were unable to carry on with the embroidery work on their own. But if scriptures are to be believed, zardozi embroidery has been in existence in India from the time of Rig Veda (1500–1200 BCE), when the attire of Gods were beautifully adorned with the pure silver wired and real gold leaved zardozi embroidery. Later on the kings and the royalty in India added to the magnificence of this intricate beautiful embroidery by including studded diamonds, pearls and precious stones to the creations which were not just limited to clothing. Zardozi embroidery was in huge demand with the royalty and the privileged sect of the society who not only got the embroidery done on their clothing but also adorned their walls, wall-hangings, and the paraphernalia of regal elephants and horses with it.
But this was then. Today, with the shortage of the skilled craftsmen and the embroidery itself being a time consuming process not to mention the ‘real’ gold-silver taar being a rarity, many use a combination of copper wire with a gold or silver polish and a silk thread. Unscrupulous people also try to pass off machine done embroidery as handmade zardozi.
The hubs in India for original handmade zardozi work are Lucknow, Agra, Jaipur, Delhi and Benares. Each city has its unique style and originality with their use of techniques like, for example, a zardozi work embroidery done in Lucknow, Delhi or Jaipur would be extravagant, grand and heavy with a 3D quality to their motifs while Agra and Benares tend to keep their patterns minimalist with the focus being on simple but large motifs. The inspirations for all motifs are usually nature based from flowers to leaves, trees, animals and birds.
The making of zardozi embroidery is a long process with the original and ancient technique varied slightly all across India. The basic technique is 4 fold which are
Designing: This is the initial stage of the process, where the entire design is drawn on to a tracing sheet and holes are made along the traced pattern using a needle. While the patterns from the Mughal period all comprised of complex nature, floral and leaf motifs, contemporary patterns are more geometric stylizations of similar motifs.
- Tracing: In order to trace the design on to a fabric, the papers with the patterns are placed on a flat table with the fabric underneath. A kerosene and Robin Blue solution is made and wads of cloth are used to dip in it, which are then wiped against the tracing sheet. This enables the ink from the sheet to seep in to the fabric.
- Setting the frame or “Adda”: The design imprinted fabric is stretched over a wooden frame. The size of the frame can usually be adapted to the size of the fabric. Using bamboo or wooden spars, it is then stretched out and tightly held to give the cloth a uniform tension. The artisans then sit around this frame to begin the embroidery work.
- Embroidery: A crochet-like needle that is fixed to a wooden stick called “Ari” is used to carry out the embroidery. As opposed to a regular needle and thread, the Ari greatly speeds up the work as the artisans can pass the threads both above and below the fabric. Depending on the intricacy of design and number of artisans working on a piece, this phase can take anywhere from a day to 10 days. So the ultimate tool is a steady hand and nimble fingers.
The range of zardozi products today in the markets are innumerable ranging from clothes to accessories like purses, belts, shoes, hairbands and decorative home furnishings. Despite the shortage of skilled craftsman, there has been a steady comeback of this craft in the last few years thanks to the opulent Indian weddings, grand Bollywood fare and its revival by the Fashion Houses of India. Designers like Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, Manish Malhotra etc. are known for their amalgamation of the contemporary with the age-old Indian craftsmanship thus keeping our ancient artistries in vogue. Many Fashion Weeks have thus been dedicated to the showcasing of this beautiful craft of our country.
And before we finish off our article on this incredible artistic Indian handicraft let’s take a look at some interesting fun facts about zardozi.
– Due to the intricate embroidery that sometimes sticks over the garment, it is advisable to maintain the sheen of the work by keeping it in a cotton or silk bag and always get the garment dry cleaned.
-Traditionally only men did Zardozi work, mainly in Lucknow and Kolkata. Nowadays in cities like Hyderabad, there are thousands of artisans, out of which about 10-15% are women.
– Smaller villages around Lucknow keep the tradition of this craft within their family and community. Children start learning these techniques as early as 6 years old.
– With our Indian celebrities choosing to wears dresses and sarees of zardozi work to their overseas movie premieres, promotions, zardozi has become a rage with the international media and people.
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