Sohum Sutras

When I was in Pune, I bought two sarees. One was cotton paithani that I wore previously  and the other is this digital printed saree. It has Tara Devi in its aanchal and the borders have some statue figures along with elephants and horses. The feel of the saree is like an old sculpture of the caves- totally like Ajanta and Ellora caves or Elephanta caves. It has that old, vintage look and feel but with a very modern twist. the fabric is soft tussar. The saree felt like wearing a piece of art. Wore it to a very dear friend's baby shower and farewell.  Such lovely food- all homemade- scones, Börek, corn bread. It was yum.

Remember I had a saree haul from Utkalika in Delhi . Check out my previous buys from there here. Utkalika is the Odisha state emporium in Delhi. This stunning saree is woven in Sambalpur. It has double ikat. It is evident from its Passapalli motifs. You can also see lotus and some birds in the aanchal. It has small checks which are very tedious to weave through tie and dye ikat technique. I matched it with a blouse that is a mix of ikat and ajrakh. This saree is a unique mix of traditional and smart/contemporary. The colour is gorgeous Cerulean blue.

Bhujodi, famous for its woven shawls has reimagined the patterns of the shawls in a saree. This happened a couple of years back.  With the passage of time, the beautiful extra wefts of the shawls have been tried on other products like sarees, stoles, bed covers, fabrics, etc. This saree is a testimony to the  hardwork  and innovation that artisans keep bringing to the market.  Today, the sarees are made using different materials like organic cotton, mercerised cotton, silk etc. The product here is made from organic cotton called Kala cotton. It is handwoven on a handloom. The dyes used are natural. The weavers here say, "Our purpose is to give exclusivity to your wardrobe with minimal environmental impact". Featuring a mishmash of colour block and stripes throughout the body, mini triangles and pom-poms at the pallu, this handloom woven Bhujodi Kutch saree in cotton is an amalgam of classic pattern and desi techniques. Bhujodi is a small village in Gujarat, occupied...

I have posted this saree earlier here . At that time I had not painted it. I had also paired it with a different blouse during winters. Today it is in a different avatar with a painted blouse and pallu. Also, read a lot of information about how khesh sarees are woven here . Khesh weaving is practised in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. Khesh Saree is an addition in the bucket of traditional saris of Bengal. It is a must during festivals. Khesh Cotton Sarees are the true gift from Bengal that comes in a pretty range of colours, patterns and designs to beautify your ethnic wardrobe. The khesh weaving process is simple. The warp is with new yarn and the weft is with strips of thin cloth obtained by tearing old sarees lengthwise. The Khesh sarees are handcrafted using fresh weaves as well as recycled old sarees. Khesh weaving is an ingenious recycling technique.

My paternal uncle used to stay in Namrup in Assam. Every time he would come, he would bring beautiful Assamese sarees for my grandmother and my mom. Some of them even in Muga silk. Sadly, we do not have a single piece left from that collection. In 2012, when I was actively dealing with weavers and selling sarees online, I remember selling Muga silk saree for only Rs. 10,000/- See the blog post here. Recently, I was on a lookout for Assamese sarees. I prefer searching in government emporiums where they cost less than half the price of what the online sellers sell it for. Also, I get more authentic sarees there. I was surprised to find that even in government emporium, good muga silk saree with a traditional gold colour and red motifs and palla or multicolor motifs and palla was no less than Rs.50,000/- My heart yearned for the sarees which my uncle used to bring at that time and no one took special care to preserve them. Sarees are a woman's longest companion. They need to b...

I went for a weekend trip to Jaipur. Below are the pictures of the hotel I stayed in- Le Meridian. You can see me also on Instagram . On our way back, we took a detour and visited the most haunted place in India. Read about it below and see the pictures. The place certainly had an eerie feel to it. I am wearing Arupukottai handloom cotton saree. I just cannot explain how soft and comfortable this saree is. In scorching heat, I should also call it an airconditioner saree.  These sarees are from Tamil Nadu. The uniqueness of aruppukottai mercerised cotton sarees are the heavy look and striking colour combination used to hand weave the stripes, checks and colour contrast with broad borders. The plain saree body is designed with a traditional border stripe.  Bhangarh  Fort ranks 1st in the list of  haunted   places  in India and is one of the main tour...