Paola Manfredi’s recently-launched book Chikankari – A Lucknawi Tradition is a rare document on the history, growth and beauty of the craft

It is a labour of love and the result of painstaking research. Chikankari – A Lucknawi Tradition by Paola Manfredi, an Italian, is a book that shows her close and long association with the craft.

Lucknow’s chikankari is known across the world yet very little research or documentation has been done. Articles or features have appeared off and on but this book is amongst the first of its kind, which aims to document the vast treasure called Chikan.

What makes the book extremely interesting is that unlike other books that tend to rely on second hand material, with exhaustive references and quotes, Paola Manfredi has filled her tome with passionate grass-roots level research. The narrative more in the nature of a personal journey, with all the quirks and street-smart practicality, makes the book refreshing. As Paola says in the book, it is not a scholarly or academic research but more of a documentation of the world of chikankari.

Paola questions the use of chikan as a word for embroidery, highlighting that it has a broader connotation encompassing haute couture, the fine art of making a garment, embroidering it and finishing it with finesse. She is no stranger to chikankari having worked with SEWA and several craftsmen. Her love for white on white embroidery also found a calling in chikan.

Paola came to India to work in textile exports and as she says, “If you like textiles … India is a heaven, an inexhaustible treasure trove.”

Travelling through Lucknow

Fascinated, she stayed on, researching, adapting and understanding. She has walked the bylanes of Lucknow, spending hours meeting nearly all the families of master craftspersons and talking to block makers, exporters and commercial businessmen dealing with chikan, Government agencies, NGOs. These interactions come through in her writing. Nowhere has the process of printing the design for embroidery been dealt with in so much detail. “I have barely scratched the surface,” she says. One perceives such humbleness throughout the book. The tone is that of a seeker — a person trying to find the nuances of the embroidery, the origin, the history and the answers to whys, hows and wheres. It comes to light in the documentation of the stitches as she wonders about the number of stitches that make up each piece of chikan work?

Each master craftsperson has his or her repertoire. After a lot of field work, she questions herself in trying to define the boundaries of the craft with its number of stitches and whether she is actually right in trying to pin it down? She has listed the various stitches with their common names in Hindi. The book also features jalas — the technique of creating lattice-like work on fabric.

She has dealt in detail the finishing techniques of daraz and turpai. Quilted chikan, rarely seen, has been illustrated with some beautiful pieces. She says, “I have seen a white coat made in this fashion, which has not been included in the book.” This work was popular in Bhopal.

She has also painstakingly sourced images. There is a beautiful painting from V&A of a woman embroidering what looks like chikankari. Also the superb work done on fine muslin is a sight to behold. The creation is so fine that capturing it on camera is difficult. But to her credit, it has been shot meticulously. The women who were the unsung part of this tradition and now make up a large majority have been given their due in the book.

Paola has touched upon every aspect related to the craft, even the dhobis, who wash the finished garments. The book is worth its weight in gold for the exceptional research.

How did your tryst with India begin?

I first visited India in 1978, and came to work in textiles export at the end of 1981. Indian textiles have such a long history. They reached far and wide in the world and are expressions of most amazing aesthetics and techniques. I have met many artisans, men and women, incredibly skilled in different needlecraft and soon realised that they could interpret and execute my concepts and designs.

Why did you choose to focus on chikan?

Since its inception, SEWA-Lucknow produced very fine needlework with a rather unique repertoire of motifs and stitches. I was particularly intrigued by chikankari that reflected the Lucknawi ethos. The mystery of its origin made it more interesting for me.

Searching for references on it, I was surprised to find almost none. This led me to look for old pieces in museums in India and abroad, in private collections and with antique textile dealers. The search led me to unexpected and exhilarating findings that strengthened my resolve to go deeper and deeper.

Are the traditional craftpersons still committed to pursuing this art that requires immense patience ?

Most of those doing chikankari are women living in rural areas, for them this is a good source of income, however meagre. To prevent them from giving up the craft, we need to support them. It is important to make them aware of their exceptional skill and be proud of their tradition. We also should equip them with modern knowhow to understand the demands of changing times.

How easy was it to work with the craftspersons?

It was a fulfilling experience. They not only gives a peek into the aesthetic process but also the challenges. Working with them was a constant learning experience. It was a journey of discovery of the many possibilities that one can’t even imagine.

Is there a regular team of craftspersons you coordinate with?

I closed my ari workshop in 2008, when I shifted too far to follow it up. When I began working on the book in 2012, I felt that I had not involved myself in any design and production activity to avoid misinterpretation and facilitate the research and access to the documentation I was looking for.

Your favourite chikankari stitch?

Difficult to say, as the textural complexity, typical of chikan, stems from the combination and permutation of different stitches.The craft’s vocabulary is amazing and each stitch has a part to play in different compositions.

Is the book a culmination of all your efforts or a beginning to do more on it?

I would say both. The book was important as it was like marking my first step. However researching on it brought up different questions and issues, not all of which could be addressed in this book. Not sure if there will be another book, but certainly I would like to answer some of those questions.

Anything particular about the book that is special to you?

There have been many special moments and I met some exceptional people while working on the book. I experienced an emotional undercurrent in their narratives. An incident that I will cherish is when I was presented a few old children chikankari kurtas, damaged, but precious craft pieces. I would like to emphasise the need to document craft traditions.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Chitra Balasubramaniam / October 26th, 2017