Everyone seems to know and agree that Taant is precious art, craft and pride of Bengal, but a swelling demand has pitted man against machine. The drape of dreams - the forte of weavers of Nadia, Burdwan, Hooghly, 24-Parganas, Howrah and many other districts of the state - is shrinking, even as the reach of the powerloom is expanding. Tragedy struck these weavers with Demonetisation and then GST, followed by the invisible bug which remains an enigma after almost half a year, compounded by the powerful and deadly tropical super cyclone Amphan, that caused widespread damage in Eastern India, and devastated whatever remained of these poor artists.
In the annals of Indian handloom sari history, Shantipur and Fulia are a name to reckon with. Their fascinating story is also in a nutshell the story of Bengal handloom saris. The geographical twins could not be more different. The first, a handloom weaving centre over 500 years old. The second came to flourish only after Partition. Yet, their destinies are linked together – the Shantipur and Fulia sari swim or sink with the success or otherwise of Bengal handloom. There are records of handloom sari weaving activity in Shantipur, a centre of Vaishnavite culture and Bhakti movement, as early as the 15th century. Weaving flourished throughout the medieval era, and the famed indigo-dyed Neelambari made the Shantipur sari a household name.
There was a strong sense of identity among Shantipur weavers. They united to agitate against the stranglehold of the Dadni system of the British East India Company and even took their grievances to colonial courts during the19th century. In the decades leading up to independence, Shantipur saw gradual inflow of techniques like the Barrel Dobby facilitating the conversion from Throw Shuttle to Fly Shuttle (1920s), the Jacquard Machine (1930s), and sectional warping and sizing that allowed production of warp yarns 350 yards long (1930s).
The demographics of Shantipur region went through a sea-change after Partition. Hindu weavers fleeing the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) settled down in large numbers in a concentrated area on either side of the Ganga in Nadia and Burdwan districts of South Bengal. A considerable number among them settled in Fulia, neighbouring Shantipur.
Fulia is now uttered in the same breath as Shantipur. Weavers there trace their lineage to the great Bengal handloom sari weaving centre of Tangail near Dhaka (Bangladesh). They have evolved their own weaving style called Fulia Tangail.
The Shantipur saris in the past were very popular for their fine and uniform texture. The saris were termed as per the design used in the extra warp meant for side border. Registered as ‘Santipore Saree’ with the Geographical Indications (GI) registry. To weave the double-sided design, they use Do-Rookha technique, because of which the front and the reverse side of the sari looks extractly the same.
Fine cotton yarn ranging from 60s to 100s is used both in warp and weft. Shantipur has been famous for its elegant designs inspired from nature. The eye-catching variety includes Ganga-Jamuna, Benkipaar, Bhomra, Rajmahal, Anshpaar, Do-Rookha, Visva-Bharati, Brindamani Mour-Par, Neelambari. The pallu of the saris have buti. Sometimes, tie and dye designs are also used for the anchal/pallu. The ‘Neelambari’ sari (not to be confused with the Jamdanis of Bangladesh) meaning blue skywas the first product that made Shantipur famous. It had a special deep navy-blue colour like the sky on a new moon night. In some special neelambaris, the borders were fringed with silver zari stars like the night sky. The indigo dyed, midnight blue cotton handloom sari was so alluring that it was called “an enemy of modesty!” The USP of the Neelambari lay in the fineness of the yarn and dyeing quality. Very fine hand spun yarn of 250 – 300s was used for weaving, resulting in a powder fine texture. A heady mix of fine weaving and subtlety of design, the Neelambari was the last word in sophistication.
Traditional Shantipur sari borders, or paars as they are called, have picturesque names like bhomra (bumble bee); tabij (amulet); rajmahal (royal palace); ardha-chandra (half-moon); chandmala (garland of moons); aansh (fish scale); hathi (elephant); ratan chokh (gem eyed); benki(spiral); tara (star); phool (flower) etc. In traditional Saris, the pallus were decorated with stripes of different thicknesses, called sajanshoi, in colours complementary to those of the border.
Saris in the past used to be smoother and softer than those made today. The special technique used for sizing the yarn was the reason for this. Also, both warp and weft used to be sized, which is seldom done today. Another unique feature of Shantipur saris is the finishing. The weavers here apply size paste (made from sago or popped rice) once while sizing the warp yarn and again, either by hand when the sari is still being woven or by fixing the sari to a frame after weaving is complete.
