Date:09/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/09/stories/2009010958440400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

An expo that elegance is woven into

Special Correspondent

Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation’s exhibition begins

— PHOTO: S.S.KUMAR

GORGEOUS SILK: Dancer Padma Subrahmanyam launches a new collection of wedding saris at the exhibition of Mysore silk sarees organised by Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation in Chennai on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The three-day exhibition of Mysore silk saris inaugurated here on Thursday is for those who favour the elegance that this variety of silk offers.

Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation’s (KSIC) display of silk saris at Vijay Mahal in T. Nagar includes Kasuti embroidery silks favoured by the Mysore royalty besides georgettes, printed silk and crepe varieties. The Corporation has also introduced Kerala-style saris, and a wedding collection called ‘threads of gold’. Some of the new varieties introduced include reversible saris with the architectural motifs found in the temples of Belur and Halebid, the seat of the ancient Hoysala Empire.

A special discount of 35 per cent is being offered on all products.

Dancer Padma Subrahmanyam, president of Nrithyodaya, inaugurated the exhibition that will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

KSIC, a Karnataka government-run corporation, has proposed to set up a museum of its vintage collection for which it has been seeking old saris made by it. “Each of our saris has a number woven into it. By looking at it we will be able to identify the batch the sari belongs to and how many days the weaver took to make it,” said Marketing Manager S. Philomen Raj. It is not unusual for customers to hold on to their saris for over 60 years, he says. Recently at a function in Bangalore, three saris, made between 1947 and 1949, were given prizes and displayed.

KSIC has proposed to bring its ‘cocoon to fabric’ exhibition to Chennai but is waiting for a showroom big enough to house the exhibition. The Corporation makes around 7,000 saris every month and manages to sell 6,000 of them. Chennai is a discerning market for their products, Mr. Raj says. The Corporation has been trying to find a location in T. Nagar to set up a showroom. Currently it has only one showroom in the city.