DoshoBhuja Vlog

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...

Bengal has always been famous for its fine muslins and silks. Some of the lost weaves are now being revived, thanks to the efforts of designers and local craftsmen who are blending the traditional with the modern to create innovative fabrics, saris and stoles to cater to modern taste.  C olonial wars have been waged over silks and chintz in addition to spices and gems from India, and undivided Bengal was known particularly for its textiles.  Records prove that the fine muslin and silks of the region were so famed that these were big items of trade among foreign merchants. From William Dalrymple’s latest book ‘The Anarchy’, we learn that “with its myriad weavers – 25, 000 in Dhaka alone – and unrivalled luxury textile production of silks and woven muslins of fabulous delicacy, it was by the end of the seventeenth century Europe’s single most important supplier of goods in Asia and much the wealthiest region of the Mughal Empire.”  Bengal was particularly known for...

Inspired by Hindu mythology and exhibit enchanting designs of ancient caves and sculptures, Being highly attractive and exhibiting exceptional ethnic appeal, these saree are hugely loved by young girls and women. The whole story was sequentially drawn on canvas by pen using natural colours. While Pedana and Machilipatnam are the hub for hand block-printed Kalamkari, Srikalahasti in Chittoor district of  Andhra Pradesh  is known for the pen-drawn format. Kalamkari has been around for nearly 2000 years in India. The word Kalamkari is a combination of Kalam, which means pen, and kari, which means work. Storytelling styles in actual weaving evolved in following two  Srikalahasti style Machilipatnam style Srikalahasti style Srikalahasti is a holy town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh state and southeastern coast of the country, India. The temple town is a combination of traditions, customs, myths and folklore, which is famous in Srikalahasti shrine, Sr...

Humidity and temperature affect textiles the most. A high relative humidity leads to the fibers absorbing water and become swollen and low relative humidity causes the fibers to give off the moisture. This leads to abrasion and in presence of dust particles it becomes even more detrimental. It can also initiate dye yellowing, bleeding and natural browning of the fiber. High humidity will lead to moth and mild dew activity.  Silica gel placed inside the cupboard can normalize the relative humidity. Quick lime lumps can also be used for dehumidification. One can also use sufficient quantity of cotton hidden inside concealed cases; cotton being hydroscopic, will absorb the moisture. All the measures as given above can reduce humidity.  Light affects both dyes and fibers. It fades the dyes and degrades the fibers. Prevent the textiles from getting exposed to light until absolutely needed.  Silver fish, cloth moth, cockroaches, termites are some of the insects tha...

Organza Silk Organza  is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from  silk . Many modern organzas are woven with synthetic filament fibers such as polyester or nylon. ... Deluxe  silk  organzas are woven in France and Italy.  Organza  is used for bridalwear and eveningwear. Silk organza  is woven by a number of mills. It is the most  expensive organza  and the most prized. This type of  Organza  must be dry cleaned.  Organza  is now being made from polyester and nylon to help ease cost. Organza Silk Chiffon Silk Chiffon literally means “rag” in French. This elegant, sheer fabric is quite limp, with a beautiful drape. It has a soft, supple, thin hand and a flat, crepe-like texture.It made from silk, cotton, nylon, polyester, or rayon.It is basically refers to a light plain woven sheer fabric. It is delicate in appearance, it is a relatively strong, balanced fabric and can be dyed or ...

Quite often while doing online shopping for sarees we see two categories among others which might confuse the newbies. They are cotton and linen. While many of us mistakenly think that both might be some form of cotton or other, it is not and there is a huge difference. Let me list them here: 1. Origin COTTON: Cotton fabric is originated from cotton plant fabric, it handspun and handwoven fabric or are woven on machines. LINEN: Whereas Linen is flax-based fabric its fibers are collected from a stem of the flax plant and it originally originated in the Egyptian period. 2. Process COTTON: It handspun and handwoven fabric or are woven on machines. LINEN: linen is either made in machinery or completely handwoven. Like Munio home India brand has completely handmade products. 3. Fiber COTTON: Cotton Fabric is made from cotton LINEN: Linen is made from the Flax plant. 4. Cost COTTON: It is cheaper compared to linen LINEN: Linen is expensive as very fewer people pr...

The saree that I swear by is Dhakai Jamdani. The first one that I ever owned was gifted to me by my mother-in-law. Since then I have been a fan of this particular weave and today I proudly own atleast 12 of them.  The word ‘jamdani’ is believed to be of  Persian  origin, derived from 'Jam' (meaning flower) and 'Dani' (meaning vase). While there is some mention of this term in the literature from the 3 rd  century BC (in Kautilya’s ‘Arthasharshtra’) and during the Gupta period (4 th  – 6 th  century AD), it is during the  Mughal rule  (16 th  - 18 th  centuries) that the weavers of  Dhaka  (in present day  Bangladesh ) who had been weaving this fabric for centuries, received extensive royal patronage. The finest varieties of  muslin  fabric were produced during this period with fabulous floral and figured motifs. This was the golden age of dhakai muslin when the skill of weaving rose to an art par excellence....