DoshoBhuja Vlog

Silk farming, or sericulture, is an important agro-based cottage industry in Bengal, which is among the top 5 silk-producing states in India (along with Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Jammu & Kashmir). Today, Bengal accounts for about 9% of the raw silk produced in the country. All the 4 commercially produced varieties of silk - mulberry, tussar, eri and muga, are cultivated here.   Silk Map of West Bengal Mulberry silk : Mulberry silk derives its name from the mulberry plant whose leaves are fed to the silkworm, Bombyx mori, which produce this silk. The mulberry trees are cultivated and these silkworms are reared specifically for silk production, making this the only variety of domesticated silk. This is also the most common variety of silk, and accounts for about 80% of the total raw silk produced in the state.  Malda ,  Murshidabad  and  Birbhum  districts have a historical legacy of silk production since colonial times, and the...

One of the rarest Silks in the world is the Muga silk from Assam. It is produced only in Assam and nowhere else. The fact that sets this Silk apart from all other versions is that it is totally golden yellow in color. The word `Muga’ means yellowish in Assamese. The source of it is the Muga Silkworm which goes back to the age of the dinosaurs and is so sensitive in nature that it cannot tolerate even the most minimum of pollution levels. It is made from the semi-cultivated silkworm named Antheraea assamensis. It is organic and natural and has the strongest natural fiber. It is the most expensive type of Silk and is used for making products only for the upper segments of the market. One of the major highlights of Muga Silk is its longevity. It is said that generally, a Muga Silk fabric outlives the wearer. It is known for its resilience. It can be given a fine texture by dry ironing it in a damp state or it can attain a crushed look by not getting ironed. This is one uni...

Type of silk  depends on 4 things: the species of silkworm, the tree whose leaves it eats, how its cocoon is processed into yarn and finally the technique by which the yarn is woven into a saree. India is the only country that commercially produces all four varieties of silk obtained from four types of moths. These are known as Mulberry, Tussar, Eri and Muga. Mulberry is also produced in other silk producing countries like China, Japan, Russia, Italy, South Korea etc., but Eri and Muga are produced only in India. The Tussar silk is often produced by the caterpillar of a wild silk moth that is found in rain forests of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Unlike mulberry silkworms, Tussar and  Kosa  silk (mainly produced in Chhattisgarh from a worm similar to silk worm) caterpillars are difficult to cultivate in captivity. Once woven, silk is known by different names depending on the weave, style, design and place where i...

Batik is both an art and a craft, which is becoming more popular and well known in the West as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has been practised for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there. The word batik originates from the Javanese  tik  and means to dot.  To make a batik, selected areas of the cloth are blocked out by brushing or drawing hot wax over them, and the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original colour. This process of waxing and dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate and colourful designs. After the final dyeing the wax is removed and the cloth is ready for wearing or showing.  Contemporary batik, while owing much to the past, is markedly different from the more traditional and formal styles. For example, the artist may use etching, discha...

If you are an art aficionado, then you must visit Bengal. And while in Bengal if you are a saree aficionado you must visit Shantipur. The tant sarees of Shantipur have made the place a prominent hotspot on the handloom map of India.  After the partition of India, many weavers came from Dhaka of Bangladesh and started to reside here in Phulia region, which is a Panchayat area of Santipur. Since ancient times, Shantipur and the surrounding region has been famous for handloom saris (saree). The handloom weaving style unique to this region are famously known as Santipuri Sari (tant). After the partition of India, Bengal was split into two major regions. West Bengal became a part of India and East Bengal became East Pakistan (Bangladesh). Many skilled weavers from Dhaka, in current day Bangladesh, migrated into West Bengal and settled around the cities of Shantipur and Kalna (Ambika Kalna) of Bardhaman district. Both are traditionally renowned centers for producing hand-woven fabri...

Here’s some of the different sarees from Odisha which can never go out of fashion!  1) Bomkai from Ganjam  These are also known as  Sonepuri Silk  and are one of the popular handloom sarees of Odisha. Intricately embroidered and threaded, they are a piece of art with  ikat , and comes in both silk and cotton. 2) Patta from Berhampur Another one that’s even more renowned is the Patta sarees. Their uniqueness comprises of the typical Odissi style of weaving, crafted in temple type of designs besides having borders of beautiful  zari  work! 3) Khandua from Cuttack and Nuapatna The glossy Khandua designed sarees stand out in itself for its elaborate patterns and colors that can attract at once. Overall it’s a pleasing piece of garment styled in both contemporary and traditional ways! 4) Sambalpuri from Sambalpur, Bargarh and others While it firstly became recognised when Lt. Indira Gandhi started wearing them, neverthele...

1. Sambalpuri Ikat Reflecting the  baandha  style of craft, Sambalpuri fabrics range from geometric patterns to landscape, potratits and other motifs such as s ankha  (shell), c hakra  (wheel) and a variety of  phula  (flower). Picture courtesy: www.shop.gaatha.com 2. Bomkai cotton  Woven by the adept artisans of Sonepur district,  Bomkai  is handloom fabric that has an attached GI tag and is also called the ‘Sonepuri’ fabric.  Bomkai  sarees are quite popular among fashion connoisseurs and are must-haves for an enviable saree collection. Picture courtesy: www.artison.in 3. Berhampuri Paata  Also called ‘Phoda Kumbha’,  Berhampuri Paata  too, boasts of a GI tag and is famous for its temple-shaped designs along the border and pallu portion. This  paata  has another distinction: it is draped around Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra in Puri Jagannath t...

West Bengal has a rich heritage of  handloom weaving , and sarees occupy an important place in this cultural legacy. From an economic standpoint, handlooms come second only to agriculture in providing livelihood to the rural population of the state. Every district has weaving ‘clusters’, which are home to artisan communities, each specializing in specific varieties of handloom weaving. The map illustrates the key regions of origin of the famous  cotton  and  silk sarees  from West Bengal. Here is an overview of the well-known handloom products of each district in the state: Darjeeling : Woollen shawls, coarse cotton sarees Jalpaiguri : Cotton towels (also called ‘gamchha’), coarse cotton sarees Koch Bihar :  Tant sarees , fine and coarse cotton sarees Uttar Dinajpur :  Tant sarees , fine cotton sarees Dakshin Dinajpur :  Tant sarees , fine cotton sarees Maldah : Cotton towels, lungi, coarse cotton sarees Murshidabad :  Pure s...