JOIN USIn a first, several textiles by Jasleen Dhamija’s collection were recently part of Saffronart’s online and offline auction titled, ‘Woven Treasures: Textiles from the Jasleen Dhamija Collection’.
“An auction of textiles taking place is indicative of people accepting it as a part of cultural tradition. It is an attempt to spread awareness and consciousness about textiles,” Dhamija, a textile historian, tells Metrolife.
Each piece in her collection, which was a part of the auction, was carefully selected for their technique, design, colours and meaning. Some have been purchased in bazaars, others directly off a weaver’s loom and some of them are the first pieces from independent India’s revival efforts. Many are no longer made and are barely used in the cultures they come from.
She mentions that her research over the years has been on the links between textiles from north India, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran among others.
“The coat worn by Turkomans (Turkic people located primarily in Central Asia) is made in silk and is embroidered on the sides and folded over. The tradition of this coat comes from ancient Central Asian times,” she explains giving example of the links.
“The statue of Emperor Kanishka I— (emperor of the Kushan dynasty in the second century) who came from Central Asia — at Mathura Museum has the same coat as the Turkomans wear today,” she adds.
Dhamija started her career in textiles in 1954 with the idea of reviving possibilities for craftsmen and craftswomen of India. Working along with late Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay — who is remembered for her contribution to the renaissance of Indian handicrafts and handlooms —Dhamija focused on exploring the richness of textiles by working on the possibilities developed by Chattopadhyay.
According to her, “textiles are one of the earliest creative expressions of human kind.”
“When human beings moved from hunting to food gathering, they first learnt to stitch containers and weave it together. Weaving has been one of the earliest objects of utility and creativity.”
But she says that her role of reviving textiles is now “practically over”.
“I am an old warrior now. Beginners in the industry ask me about textiles and I am glad that textiles are now a big part of mainstream fashion.
Designers like Ritu Kumar use traditional fabrics and textiles through which our cultural heritage is reflected,” she says.