Ranki

* Does Dhaka muslin still exist?    Dhaka muslin on other hand had thread counts in the range of 800-1200 an order of  magnitude above any other cotton fabric that exists today. Though Dhaka muslin vanished more then a century ago,  there are still intact saris,  tunics, scarves and dresses in museums today.  *what is Dhaka muslin ?  Muslin is a brand name of pre-colonial Bengal textile especially of Dhaka origins. The word muslin is given by European to cotton cloth imported by them from Mosul. When they saw the fine cotton good of Dhaka, they gave same name to Dhaka fabric.  * what is Dhaka muslin famous for?  Once, delicacy and thinness of Dhaka muslin was world famous. The Dhaka muslin was so light and soft. Though Dhaka muslin is super transparent, it was a hit and most expensive fabric of era.  *what is the history of Dhaka muslin?  Hand woven from an uncommon and delicate yarn, which were f...

The  history of this fabric goes back to the 19th century in a place called Chirala, in coastal Andhra Pradesh. ‘Telia’ means oil, and 'Rumal' means handkerchief. Telia Rumal has been the mainstay of Ikat in Andhra. Having originated in Chirala, the skills later spread to Nalgonda district.  Chirala’s proximity to the sea enabled exports to Africa and Arabia, where it was used to make keffiyehs and turbans. The Telia Rumal, meant for the Middle-Eastern market, was worn primarily around the neck for its 'tel' (oil), to keep dryness at bay. Urbanisation and globalisation of consumer tastes have not robbed telia rumal of their place in India's cultural and social life. This fabric was a hot seller in Andhra Pradesh for about 20-25 years. At that time, the designs used to be simple stars and dots representations. But when this fabric came to the Telangana region, the design underwent dramatic changes. Such was their skill, the dyers/weavers could...

This intricate and exclusively handcrafted block-printing technique came to Kutch from Sindh some 400 years ago at the behest of the King of Kutch, who invited craftsmen from Khatri community to come and practice their art on the banks of Dhamadka river. A large part of the credit of this art's revival goes to Dr. Ismail Mohamed Khatri, who has been acclaimed internationally as a master craftsman of the traditional Ajrakh, a craft that can be traced back up to ten generations in his family. His son, 40-year old Sufiyan Khatri, continues the legacy and is known for crafting the amazing two-sided printed Ajrakh, using an ancient technique that has remained unchanged over the last millennium. The popular story among local practitioners is that Ajrakh means “keep it today.” The cloth is made in a sixteen step process of washing, dyeing, printing, and drying, with one step being performed in one day and the fabric being put to rest for the day. The ingredients for Ajrakh are...