The Tungabhadra river flows, not far from where we are standing. On its southern bank is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi, capital of the mighty Krishnadevaraya’s Vijayanagara Empire. But we are in Anegundi village on the northern bank, which is said to be older than Hampi. All around are hills with huge boulders perched precariously on top of each other, and there is a constant chirping of monkeys. Not surprising, as it is Kishkindha, the monkey kingdom, where Hanuman, Bali, Sugriva and their mighty armies are believed to have ruled. important episodes from Ramayana played here.
look | Red Lily, Water Bird: Sari – In Nine Stories
We wait outside the 14th-century Ranganathaswamy temple for author and independent curator of textiles Mayank Mansingh Kaul to take us on a curated walk through the evocatively named exhibition, Red Lilies, Water Birds: The Sari – is part of In Nine Stories. Admire as we set Rangoli Running the length of both sides of the streets, the fragrance of Sambrani And a drop of cow dung hangs in the air at the threshold of every house in the village. Only the occasional screeching of autorickshaws and mobile ringtones remind us that we are not Krishnadevaraya’s subjects, but people of the 21st century.
Exhibited by Registry of Sarees (TRS), a Bengaluru-based research and learning center that enables design, curatorial and publication projects in the field of hand-spun and hand-woven textiles. “It is a legend which is 150 years old. TRS founder Ahilya Mathan said, “Red lilies, water birds feed the curatorial path initiated by TRS.”
Why red lily, water bird?
“When I read the translated lines of the early medieval Tamil classic, muttolairam [a collection of poems in praise of the Chera, Chola and Pandya dynasties]The beautiful image he created has stayed with me,” says Kaul.
The land of Kothai, skilled in spear-wielding, poison-tipped, leaf-shaped head, knows no one except the turmoil caused by water birds. Because when red lilies bloom in waterlogged fields, the birds are frightened thinking that the water is on fire…
Taking handloom stories out of museums and into more interactive spaces. Photo credit: Pankaja Srinivasan
108 knitting headlines
Nine stories refer to the widely classified textiles on display – Cora or in undyed material, colored red, ikat Weaves, Stripes and Checks, Metal Brocades of Deccan and South India, Metal Brocades of Deccan and Gujarat, Traditions of Varanasi Handlooms (in two parts), and Global Influences. “It took the ally [Ahalya] And I traveled across the country for three years to get 500 sarees. We have brought 108 of them to Anegundi,” says Kaul.
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It was a conscious decision to take the story of handlooms out of museums and into more interactive spaces. Curator Mayank chose the age-old Anegundi, around 350 km from Bengaluru, to tell these stories.
Mayank Mansingh Kaul points out the distinctive structural elements of a saree: the border, the border stole, and ‘kshetra’ or body. Photo Credit: Registry of Sarees
Ahilya Mathan says, “The exhibition is a story that is 150 years old.” Photo Credit: Registry of Sarees
Sarees are displayed in four heritage houses with lime plaster walls that have been converted into galleries, and as we tour each one, drapes from the late 19th to early 20th centuries Stories come out about the clothes. We stand on the cool flagged floor and look at Venkatagiri, Paithani, Kanjeevaram, Banarasi, Jamdani, Kotpad, Panettar, Balucherry, Sambalpuris… Kaul points to the sari’s distinctive structural elements: the border, stole, and ‘kshetra’ or body. He explains the use of natural dyes obtained from madder, tea, lac and cochineal.
houses become museums
Heritage Homes has been renovated and maintained by the Kishkindha Trust (TKT). It works with the local communities of Anegundi at the grassroots level, engaging and empowering them to enhance their quality of life, and hosting multi-disciplinary projects of which Red Lilies, Water Birds is one. “Culture is a living thing and celebrating these old homes with textiles is an unifying approach. Conservation should be a part of daily life and not something that is static,” says Shama Pawar, founder of TKT. “For 25 years, the Trust has endeavored to make conservation inclusive. Our projects showcase the adaptive re-use of heritage sites that are brought to life with art and culture.
One of the four heritage houses converted into galleries in Anegundi | Photo Credit: Registry of Sarees
A story in red | Photo Credit: Registry of Sarees
Taking sarees out of geographical barriers
Red Lily, Water Birds also aims to create awareness among the new generation. When Kaul planned the project, he took care not to make it too didactic. “I had to break down the narrative in digestible morsels. And, in the five years it has taken us to reach this point, so many layers of meaning have been added to the collection. It is time to take the sarees out of that geographical area, he says. in which they are limited, and instead celebrates their shared narratives and core characteristics.
As we take a closer look at a stunning Kanjeevaram sari from the 1940s covered with tiny gold motifs, he says the motif is Mayil Kannu In Tamil Nadu or peacock’s eye. The same weave is used to make pashmina shawls in Kashmir; only called there spectacles Nightingale. It just goes to prove that weaving techniques, dyeing traditions, motifs are dynamic, and should be viewed as such.
Ikat Story | Photo Credit: Registry of Sarees
The experience at Anegundi brings to the fore the fact that these are living traditions, still alive, meaningful and contemporary. There are many sarees in the exhibition which I have at home. What curation is all about, says Kaul – it tells us that sarees, even the oldest Paithani ones that date back to the 19th century, are about the here and now, and not dead and forgotten .
Manish Saxena, a participant in the walk, has worked in the handloom sector for more than 20 years. He leads Aditya Birla’s CSR initiative called Adhyam Handwoven to create a self-sustaining ecosystem for artisans in the country. “The unique setting of Red Lily, Water Birds reminds us of our rich lineage of weavers. As soon as we place ‘heritage’ in a traditional museum, it becomes something that is kept firmly in the past. But I know from experience that even today our weaving community has the skill to recreate some of the sarees here, and we should not take that for granted.”
The Story of Metallic Brocades of the Deccan and South India | Photo Credit: Registry of Sarees
opportunity to learn and unlearn
Several rehearsals take place during the day, some in English and others in Kannada. Artists, musicians, designers and historians discussed events from the exhibition sites in the form of discussions, dissections and posts on their Instagram pages.
For Saurav Das, a 29-year-old textile revivalist and designer, the exhibition is an opportunity to watch, absorb, learn and unlearn. “It creates an impact and introduces the story of our textiles to the common man. What a difference it makes when artisans, weavers, dyers and people who share the same textile path can see these amazing creations up close and not in cabinets in traditional museums. It’s a way to further the mission of conservation, research and learning.”
spreading the word
In the coming days, Red Lily will host a creative cultural event organized by Water Birds Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, where a series of talks, workshops and mentorship modules will start relevant conversations around craft and entrepreneurship.
Red Lilies, Water Birds is on until 6 December. To register, visit theregistryofsarees.com.