The book’s strength lies in connecting aesthetic detail with working lives: patterns, yarns and borders emerge from particular communities, skills and economic circumstances
Srimoyee Bagchi Published 16.10.26, 07:56 AM
Sourced by the Telegraph
Book name- SARIS: TRADITION AND BEYOND
By- Rta Kapur Chishti
Publisher- Roli, Price- Rs 5,999
A sari acquires meaning through the hands that weave it and the body that wears it. Rta Kapur Chishti’s SARIS: TRADITION AND BEYOND (Roli, Rs 5,999), edited by Martand Singh, explores that relationship through regional textile traditions, production techniques and changing drapes. Renuka Kelkar’s photographs, alongside drawings illustrating wearing styles, give the documentation visual clarity and practical value. The attention to 108 draping variations challenges the assumption that the familiar urban silhouette defines the garment.
The book’s strength lies in connecting aesthetic detail with working lives: patterns, yarns and borders emerge from particular communities, skills and economic circumstances. Its account of threatened livelihoods lends urgency to the preservation project. Yet the introduction’s identification of Indian womanhood with the sari invites scrutiny, given the diverse clothing choices of women. This work is a valuable reference for readers interested in textiles, design and material culture, showing how tradition survives through adaptation and the employment of those sustaining it.
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