PM’s wife goes down memory lane at Phulkari show

It was trip down the memory lane for Gursharan Kaur, wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who inaugurated an exclusive exhibition of Phulkari, the embroidery art of Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday. ‘I remember being with my grandmother in the moonlight working for Phulkari during my childhood’, said Kaur while taking in the sights at the exhibition at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). Phulkari a refined work practised in Punjab and Haryana where embroidery is done using a silk thread on a cotton base. Literally meaning floral the art is also known as Bagh, which means a garden. This is more of emotional, social and of cultural value to a phulkari. Owning a phulkari duppata or shawl is one of the prized possessions of a bride handmade by the mother or the mother-in-law for her. Also, ceremonial pieces are used in marriages, during birth of a child and during festive occasions. Phulkaris are known for their vibrant colours, geometric pattern and gaiety. ‘We are organising this exhibition from 17 April to 3 May. There are going to be various lectures on this topic in coming days. We are trying to give importance to phulkari to be made it in a different genre as it is a unique work,’ said Dipali Khanna, member secretary of IGNCA. According to Krishna Lal, who has curated the show 55 collections are exhibited at the show. Of these, 51 are from the collections of IGNCA and four varieties have been sourced from a private individual’s collection.