PARSI GARA EMBROIDERY

Hand Embroidery in India Gara embroidery made its journey from China to the shores of India hundreds of years ago.Due to the fusion of the two cultures, the Chinese embroidery was later adapted onto saris. The earliest garas were embroidered on all four borders, a custom which gradually gave way to two, given the draping of saris. The Persian influence made itself felt in the fruit, flower and bird motifs interspersed on a distinctly Chinese background. So intricate is the embroidery, in terms of aesthetics as well as symbolism, that legend has it that children in China would sit with their grandmothers and mothers, and listen to stories that unfolded on the gara. Tales of kings and fishermen, romance and riches, were all painstakingly rendered through the embroidery. Modern versions of the traditional gara incorporate traditional motifs with Swarovski crystal and touches of gold and silver interweaving. Traditionally, the gara was worn over the head, exposing only one ear. You can find bespokeshawls, lehengas ( long skirt), and dupattas (a matching piece of cloth worn with churidar) worn traditional gara embroidery. The newly hand embroidered saris have an advantage over the originals because 100 percent original, colour fast silk is used. Unlike the original garas, where cleaning would result in the fading of colour. Depending on the design and the intricacy of the work, new garas cost a minimum of Rs. 20,000 to a maximum of Rs 2,00,000.. Gara motifs were generally embroidered in satin stitch, long and short stitch, and the tiny kha-kha or seed-pearl stitch akin to a minute French knot. The kha-kha stitch forms a delicate textured area - as if the cloth is covered with beads, and was worked for complete motifs or the centres of flowers. Being a small stitch, the kha-kha proved to be a strain on the eyes, and satin stitch was more frequently worked. The slant of the stitch was consciously worked to infuse fluidity and movement in the motif from the feathers of a parakeet in flight, a butterfly hovering over a flower, or flowers bobbing in the breeze - thus giving the entire composition a lyrical beauty. Most saris were red, black or purple and the embroidery was generally done with white or light silk threads using coloured highlights with striking effect. The subtle shading and lustrous silk strand created a natural effect in the motifs, and the dark textile provided a spectacular background for even the smallest kha-kha stitch. Embroidering a gara takes several months, depending on the intricacy, fineness and elaborateness of the design. Though expensive, they are likened to buying a piece of jewellery, which can be handed down through the generations. Fortunately with the efforts of dedicated designers, the fine art of gara embroidery - that originated in China and was refined to artistic realms by skilled Chinese embroiderers - has now been revived in India.