Weaving A Tale Beyond The Canvas

Khadi, A Canvas is a unique venture between The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, designer Gaurang Shah and the Abheraj Baldota Foundation to bring to life some of Ravi Varma's works in textile.

It was part of a larger exhibition called 'Santati, Mahatma Gandhi: Then, Now, Next', a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals whose relevance and influence continue to transcend time and space.

The jewellery, the head gear, the facial expressions have all been recaptured beautifully on the saree.

The detailing on the shawl on Lord Krishna's shoulder is exquisite as is the jewellery.

The architectural detail captured by the weavers while recreating the pillars and the ceiling design in the durbar hall, are expertly done.

The expressions on the face of Yashoda and her friend have been accurately captured owing to the high skill level of the weavers.

A lot of attention has been given to the shades and shadows of Yashoda's saree, as well as the background foliage.

The pillars are woven in a manner that creates a 3 dimensional illusion on a medium that is clearly 2 dimensional.

There are more than 30 shades of coloured yarn used to recreate this chromolithograph on the saree pallu.

Each character's expression, their gestures and movements have all been woven in detail.

This part of the hut, which is not fully seen in the original chromolithograph, has been completed on the fabric canvas by the weavers. This is because each pallu is 48 inches in width.

A few clever improvisations by the weavers have resulted in this fabulous capture of Lord Shiva, his consort Parvati and young son Lord Ganesha on the pallu of an ochre Khadi saree.

The weavers have attempted to replicate the regal expression on Lord Shiva's face. Also notice the cherubic innocence, skilfully woven, on the face of a young Lord Ganesha.

Nandi, the gate-guardian of Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva, has been captured beautifully through these intricate Jamdani weaves.

Everything from the background foliage to the spots on the leopard skin have been reproduced accurately through weaves.

The warp and the weft on a loom are square, hence only squares and rectangles can be woven clearly on a canvas. The skill to create a circular illusion lies only with the best of the artisans.

Notice the skill level with which these curves have been effortlessly recreated on this canvas of khadi. These expert weavers have been practicing the profession for more than 25 years now.

Take note of the similarity between the chromolithograph seen in the previous frame and this saree pallu woven in Jamdani.

From the characters' expression and actions to the styling of their garments and the flowing tresses of Madalasa, the weavers have tried their best to recreate the master artist's work.

Minute details like the bunch of flowers in Madalasa's hand, with a few of them scattered on the ground near her feet, have been captured by the weavers on this beautiful canvas of Khadi.

The woven reinterpretation of this popular painting, has the weavers trying to fill the 40 x 48 inch pallu with every possible detail from the chromolithograph.

The folds of Damayanti's saree and the pink lotus blossoms strewn at her feet have been cleverly captured by the weavers.

They have even managed to weave the banana plants seen in the background accurately, such that the plant is instantly recognisable on the saree pallu.

According to Gaurang Shah, his team of weavers took 4 months to create this masterpiece on canvas.

Notice how accurately they have captured Sita as a young girl, just as Ravi Varma has portrayed her as a 6-year-old on his canvas.

Half of Siva's bow that was decorated with strings of flowers (and broken by Rama), is seen on the ground, while the other half remains in his hand.

Rama's expression, after pulling off the incredible feat, has been clearly captured by the weavers.

The woven recreation of this incarnation of Lord Vishnu, has been brilliantly reproduced by Gaurang Shah's team of weavers.

Lord Vishnu's face is charming, and the shanka and chakra have been beautifully depicted.

Using different shades of grey, aqua, green and blue, the weavers have attempted to capture the transparency of the water from which Lord Vishnu, seen in this avatar, arises.