08-02-2016, 03:20 PM
Synopsis
Phulkari, a rural tradition of handmade embroidery, literally meaning “flower work ", was perpetuated by the women of Punjab (North-west India & Pakistan) during the 19th century and till the beginning of the 20th century. Even though the textile industry today, is imitating this art with the help of machines, phulkari work has almost disappeared in its original form, due to the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, which had a dramatic impact on the divided Punjab, as well as the obvious socio-economical reasons (schooling, lack of interest for manual work, profitability, industrialization...).Probably brought to the Indian Subcontinent by the migrant Jat people of Central Asia in ancient times, phulkari was a part of every important moment of local life (weddings, birth, religious functions...). Generally fabricated by a family for its own use, the fact of having completed a phulkari signified an important step for a girl on her way to becoming a woman.
Techniques and patterns were not documented but transmitted by word of mouth. Hence, each regional group was identifiable by its unique embroidery work. The word phulkari usually indicates the shawl that was loomed and embroidered to cover women's heads or to be displayed in a gurudwara (Sikh temple). This tradition was often associated with the Sikh heritage but as it was also shared with Hindus and Muslims, it happens to be more geographically specific than religiously specific.
Threads
Embroidery work was invariably made on a plain cotton fabric (khaddar) whose thread was manually spinned, loomed and dyed with natural pigments. Its quality was evaluated according to the fineness and regularity of its surface. Khaddar could be of four colours, white being given to mature women or widows while red was associated with youth and was by far the most widespread tone. It is noteworthy that the most ancient fragments of red dyed (using madder) cotton fabric were found in Punjab and would date back to Harappa Civilization (Age of Bronze). Black and blue colours were kept for everyday worn shawls as they prevented from revealing stains and dirt. The complete khaddar was always made of two or three stripes which were approximately 50cm wide. Depending on the region, these stripes were sewed before or after the embroidery work. It seems that, in West Punjab (Pakistan), the joining was done afterwards. This explains the slightly distorted designs that can be found at times on some pieces of this origin. It is important to notice that Punjab, known for its cotton cultivations, was a very appropriate area for a local production of khaddar.
The embroidery was made on the wrong side of the khaddar with a thread of floss silk called pat. Most of the time brought from Afghanistan, Bengal or China by itinerant dealers who were selling it by weight, this silk was quite costly and, for this reason, it has pushed the Punjabi women to embellish the fabric on its visible side only in order to save as much silk as possible. Rural life was regulated by its agriculture and, periodically, men were going the markets of big cities to sell their crops. It is only when they had earned enough money to buy the essential products for their family that they were allowing themselves to get, for a high price, few skeins of pat that they would offer to their wives.Pat was red-coloured to symbolize passion, white for purity, golden or yellow for desire and abundance, green for nature and fertility, blue for serenity, purple for a symbiosis between red's energy and blue's calm, orange for a mix of desire and divine energy. However, even if symbolism was playing an important role, these colourful harmonies were also composed according to the embroiderer's taste.