Stitches of a bygone era

PHULKARI, ZARDOSI, chikankari, sujuni, kantha, kasuti, toda, mirror work and 'convent' ... all styles of Indian embriodery that have been handed down from generation to generation. Today, embroidery is a tool of woman's expression of self-worth in more ways than one...

Talking about embriodery, one person comes to mind. Mridula Nagarajan, whose repertoire includes the traditional Indian stitches as well as the Spanish Bargello, Lagartare, Bosnian and Gobelin stitches and Kalim and Morocco embroidery. Her passion for the craft has led her to experiment with the several styles, creating dazzling effects such as the 'stained glass' look, the long cross stitch, rice stitch textured panels and much else. She works on wall hangings, sarees, textiles and garments, incorporating unique motifs, including those from the 8,000-year old Andean textile, recently excavated in Peru.

A lovely floral symphony in green and brown brings out the majesty of Bargello embriodery, while the Lagartare is expressed in the gem-studded look. The African 'Kalim' work lends a woollen shawl look, while the Bosnian stitch has been used to create cross stitch-like motifs. Her skills at soof, kutchchi and kasuti work have been used with incredible effect on sarees, salwar kurta ensembles, yokes, dupattas and casuals.

Her constant innovation has led Mridula to fashion some unusual kasuti motifs.

The use of kantha embroidery transforms a saree pallu into a beautiful scene from the 'Ras Lila' done in the Madhubani style!

During her 30 years with Madura Coats, Mridula Nagarajan has been involved in numerous projects on embroidery, written articles for 'Needle and Thread' as well as conceptualised a correspondence course.

She has also compiled a three-term diploma course on embroidery with a syllabus which includes free style embroidery, crochet, counted thread embroidery, tatting and unusual stitches such as fillet, pineapple, brugelle and kalim.

Many of these stitches are unknown in India and unfortunately, are slowly disappearing from the scene worldwide, too.

Mridula wants to keep the tradition of Indian as well as the world embroidery alive by teaching it to the younger generation and older women, for whom it could prove to be an economic tool. She also plans to initate a movement in Tamil Nadu, on the lines of SEWA.

PUSHPA CHARI

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