BY SHONGLIN GAEKWAD
MADHUBANI
This is a sustainable collection created to preserve the traditional art form of Madhubani/Mithila painting in the modern society.
ABOUT THE ART
Madhubani painiting originates from the Maithili village in India. It was discovered in 1934 by the British ruling India when a massive earthquake hit the State of Bihar. These paintings are made from the paste of powdered rice. The artisans paint pictures and motifs of nature and mythology to depict different events like birth, marriage, and cycles of life. Madhubani paintings were categorized into five different styles, such as Tantrik, Kohbar, Bharni, Godna, Katchni. This painting is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, etc. using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching geometrical patterns. The main colors used in Madhubani paintings are the natural colors: yellow, orange, red, blue and green.
fabric
Along with reviving the art, my motive was also to make this collection sustainable. Therefore, I decided to use the fabric Khadi. It is a zero carbon-footprint fabric, needing no electricity or machines, or any kind of fuel for its manufacture. Even though it is cotton based, it takes only 3 litres of water to produce one metre of khadi versus 55 litres for one meter in a mill. Also, the consumer can wear this fabric throughout the year which optimizes the use of the garment. As a supporting fabric to highlight the work I have used Recycled Glass Nylon from my college in some silhouettes.
design process
The purpose of this collection was not only to promote the art of Madhubani but also to provide the artisan with an opportunity to work as they come from rural areas and this is their livelihood.
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The design process was quite intense as it is an intricate art form. I started by interacting with my master craftsman about his background and this art. I was highly impressed by his work as he is also a perfectionist. Then I learnt the basics of this painting from him and practiced it on pieces of paper using a regular gel pen for weeks, until I could start painting on fabrics using the traditional nib. I made samples on Khadi fabric under his guidance. Before painting on the final garment patterns, we sat and discussed the story each garment would portray.
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Each garment in this collection has been carefully painted upon with a traditional nib. The intricate motifs were painted directly without drawing any blueprints and markings, then each motif was filled with colored lines which is traditional to this art form. The painting on each garment tells a different story like the aquatic life, Lord Krishna and Radha, Peacocks in the forest, etc. Even though the silhouettes used are contemporary, I made sure to use the traditional motifs to keep the authenticity of the art alive.