Get set for the summer ride

On display will be a wide variety of regional handloom textiles from across the country. Visitors will also get an opportunity to get a first-hand view of traditional techniques and hand-skills passed down from generations. Bright and breezy fabrics innovatively styled into sarees, dupattas, suit sets, furnishings and yardages for the wardrobe at home.

'Summer is when we all shift from our heavy silks to light summer cottons. So the Dastkar Summer Weaves is the place to stock up on those delightful kotas, chanderis, and muslins for the coming season. It’s important too, to celebrate the handloom weaver and our wonderful  and varied traditions of handloom weaving. These are currently under severe threat from powerloom and the mill sector. If we don’t support our handloom weavers now, there may be none left in a decade,' says Laila Tyabji, Chairman Dastkar.

The ten day handloom textile extravaganza will offer crisp Kotas from Rajasthan, silken Chanderis and Maheshwaris from Madhya Pradesh, cool Khadis, intricate Ikats from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and elegant Banarasi weaves from Uttar Pradesh. Also exhibited will be embroideries like Ari, Sindhi, Kantha and Chikankari.

Organic cotton fabrics dyed using natural colours will also be showcased at the exhibition. 

You can also appreciate the tribal weavers of Kotpad who hold diligently to tradition. Woven from mill and spun yarn from Bastar, Chattisgarh, the tribals make towels, lunghees and sarees in their trademark off-white and maroon pallette with traditional motifs. Gobardhan Panika, a traditional kotpad weaver will be exhibiting his sarees at Summer Weaves this year.

The visitors can also set their eyes on hand-woven silk sarees from West Bengal, traditional Kotpad sarees from Orissa and fine hand-stitched applique from Gujarat. Sanjukta turns the humble gamchcha and lungi into free-size dresses and fabric jewellery whereas Samprada blends handloom and block-printed textiles with summery silhouettes. 

Visitors can also indulge in a wide range of Handloom textiles styled into kurtas, anarkalis, skirts, dresses, dupattas, sarees and furnishings like cushion covers, bed covers and curtains.

Special textile-technique demonstrations will be featured to showcase the processes that make handloom and hand-worked textiles. Weaving demonstrations on a handloom and an ancient tie-dye technique, Bandhani from Rajasthan will add to the audience interest. So, head on!