In the 15th century, phulkari embroidery was first begun by the women folk of Punjab. A tradition of Punjab with bright and vibrant colors the phulkari is consist of two words phul means Flowers and kari mean Work.
word phulkari means floral work but it is not only restricted to floral designs it also includes various motifs and geometrical patterns and shapes.
The embroidery has its charm and is popular not only in India but worldwide.
Origin
There are various theories about the origin of phulkari. One among them is embroidery was prevailed in most of India, But survived in Punjab.
You can see a glimpse of it in Kashida of Bihar, And some parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Another view is that the embroidery came from Iran, in there it is known as Gulkari. However, pal (1960) notes that both the style phulkari and Gulkari are distant.
Ancient texts, folk legends, and literature of Punjab have references of phulkari.
In Harshcharita( 590-647 CE) the biography of Emperor Harshavardhana you can find phulkari was noted. In the 18th century Waris Shah's version of Heer Ranja has the mention of phulkari work.
In its present form phulkari embroidery has been popular since the 15th century. Pal believes that no matter its origin phulkari work is distinctive and unique Punjabi.
Tradition
In a Punjab family girl’s birth is considered very auspicious the mother and the grandmother of the girl born started creating the phulkari. They believe that the girl child is the creator of next generation and the phulkari work was given at the time of her marriage and number of phulkari embroidery work piece given at the marriage is depend upon status like 11 to 101 phulkaris.
In ancient times Real flowers, silk, and mulmul fabrics were used to create phulkari. It was believed that depending on morality , qualities, righteousness, and character of woman phulkari is prepared.
They were not for sale and processed by Punjabi women to show and bring some life into their monotonous schedule. The woman herself or the family members create the work and in Punjab,
it can be seen in abundance in weddings, festivals, celebrations, and occasions.
This folk art is still undividable Punjabi art and even a folk song is sung on it.
Types
Pal describes local varieties of phulkari – Bagh, Chope, Subhar, Sainchi, Tilpatra, Neelal, Ghangat Bhagh, and Chammas.
Sometimes different styles can be seen on phulkari as every girl use her imagination, style and personality to create the phulkari work. It is as unique as her. There is also little mention of other varieties in pal like bawan Bagh and bagwan sahib Bagh.
Making process
In earlier times, dran stitch on the wrong side of cloth with vibrant silk color thread the phulkari embroidery is done. Basic design is a flower, but it also consists of a variety of motifs and geomagnetic designs, shapes, and patterns.
The other stitches like buttonhole stitch, herringbone, and running stitch are used to support the darn stitch as a border.
As the phulkari embroidery consists of symmetric designs the embroidery workers take the count of the number of stitches and then proceed with the design. Hence the making of phulkari requires a lot of patience, effort, and time.
With time passage different techniques and fabrics like chiffon, silk, Georgette, and cotton were used to make Phulkari. Giving a modern tinge to the embroidery.
Revival
Phulkari style has faced some very difficult times and also met with tragedy. At some point in time, about 52 types of phulkari exist, and the time came where this embroidery almost disappeared.
This is the period of partition of India and Pakistan. However, it soon launched back and after 70 years it is slowly living.
Though the woman now also cannot able to survive on phulkari as a livelihood because of machine-made phulkari, current techniques, low wages, and materials crisis make it difficult to survive.
After five years-long legal cases in 2011 geographical indication (GI) status was awarded to phulkari. By organizing special training programs, fares, and exhibitions the phulkari tried to comebacks with different organizations and governments.
Some fashion designers also included phulkari in their designer collations. These designers giving their efforts to enhance the use of phulkari.
It is crucial to keep traditional handicrafts alive, but it can be done only if the need for it arises. The solution is to customize the modern style while still maintaining the classic process.
Today, the embroidery can be seen on numerous items like sarees, jackets, curtain, lamps and much more from merely folk art the embroidery has gone far away and we can notice the brighter days of phulkari embroidery are on the way.
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