PROCESS OF MAKING A CHANDERI SAREE

RAW MATERIALS

The raw material for Chanderi handloom comes from different parts of the country. The main
raw materials are cotton, silk yarn and zari (golden thread).

 COTTON

The cotton yarn for the weft is mainly procured from Coimbatore. The specifications are:
100 Number for the normal weft and 120 Number for the border. The normal rates are Rs.
450-500 per kilogram.

 SILK

20/22 and 16/18 mulberry silk is used as the warp. These are purchased from dealers in
Bangalore. The rates of silk are very high. It was Rs. 1300 per kilogram. One kilogram
comprises approximately three bundles of silk.

 ZARI

Zari is used mainly in weaving the beautiful borders of the Chanderi saris. It is procured from
Surat (Gujarat) at a rate of Rs. 1000 per kilogram.

TOOLS USED

 TAANA OR WARP MECHANISM

Instead of using a taana machine like in most of the sari handloom industry, the Chanderi
artisans use the older technology of preparing a taana roll where they open the bundles,
stretch them and further roll them on to the taana roll which is held on two loop-like iron
hooks plugged in the ground. In order to keep the threads from getting entangled with each
other, they are made to pass through a frame of two bamboo sticks. These two sticks are
tied to each other with thread, leaving a slit in between and thus act as a frame with the help
of which the threads are spread across the width of the loom.

Thus, instead of using less space in the taana machine where the stretching and rolling of
taana is done simultaneously, in this system the threads are manually stretched first and are
rolled later. This process requires more time and manpower but it is prevalent here as a
tradition.
 HANDLOOM

The handlooms in Chanderi are predominantly pit looms, which are less bulky than those in
Maheshwar. These wooden looms have been used in this region traditionally. They are
installed inside a pit which is about three feet deep. The weaver sits on the wall of this pit with
his legs inside the pit. The looms are permanently installed in these pits and are hardly
moved from their place. As most of them are in the homes of the weavers themselves, they
enjoy better ventilation, lighting and space to move around. Since the artisans own the looms,
they bear the expenses of maintenance and repairs on the looms.
 RUCCH

The rucch is a part of the loom which has two wooden frames on which the nylon threads
are used to provide a mesh through which the threads of the warp pass. These two frames,
that fit parallel to each other in the loom, are connected to two foot pedals that provide them
with an up-down movement. With the threads moving up and down through these frames,
the threads of the warp are woven in an interlocked manner with the warp thread locked
between them. This provides extra strength to the fabric.

 DOBBY MECHANISM

A miniature Jacquard mechanism, normally referred to as the dobby, is installed on top of

the loom. It provides the design of the border of the sari.
DESIGNING

Two types of designing are done in the case of Chanderi weaving. One is the main design
for the sari itself that contains various aspects like the border, the kind of motifs to be used,
color combinations, etc. This is usually provided by the ordering party. This procedure is
informal in the case of the local dealer but in the case of the big trading houses, a laminated
paper with the design, the threads to be used and the location of motifs, etc., are provided to
the weaver as a sample. The other is the more exquisite motif or booty designing which is
done by the master weaver on a graph paper. This is provided to the weaver depending on
the terms of the order.

WEAVING

The process of weaving starts by placing the warp roll at the extreme end of the loom from
the position of the weaver. The threads are then attached to the threads coming out from the
rucch (left over from the previous weaving work). The length of the warp is 50 meters and
the width of the weft is 48 inches. After this, the weaver gets involved in three different
actions simultaneously. With her right hand she operates the string that provides motion to
the shuttle carrying the bobbin of the weft across the threads of the warp. [Photograph 12:
Showing right hand motion] With her left hand, she provides an up and down motion to the
heavy wooden frame of the loom that falls on the threads of the warp and weft to provide
them with their respective places in the cloth.

With both her legs she provides the motion to the rucch which helps the threads of the warp
to interlock, taking the weft threads with them. Thus, the process of weaving proceeds with
the threads of the warp being interlocked with the weft threads that are being carried across
the warp threads through a flying shuttle that is controlled with the movement of the strings
in the right hand. The process of weaving is difficult and time-consuming in the case of
heavily designed saris which, as a result, are expensive.

FINISHING

After the weaving is completed, the fabric is taken off the loom and sent for cutting. The
normal length of a sari is about 5-5.5 yards. It is then folded properly and packed and ready
to be marketed. At this stage no ironing or further printing is required.

CARE GUIDE

 Use a mild detergent for washing and wash it in cold water.

 Do not expose Chanderi fabric to sun. Dry in shade, always on the reverse side.
 Chanderi cotton suit with dupatta and sarees should never be ironed in folds. Make sure
that while you start ironing, the saree or the suit is ironed on the opposite side.
 For retaining the shine of zari, do not spray perfume or deodorant on the fabric directly.
 Make it a point to fold them properly and then use a hanger for storage.
MARKETING

Since Chanderi silk is in great demand across the country, both for the saris as well as suit
pieces, the problem of marketing does not arise. The finished product is either bought by the
local dealer (who provides the raw material to the weavers and ensures a buy back once the
product is ready) or the big trading houses of Delhi and Mumbai which provide the raw
materials along with the designs while placing the order. Recently United Nations Industrial
Development Organisation (UNIDO) opened its office in Chanderi for the development of
Chanderi silk production.

CHANGES IN RECENT YEARS

Chanderi silk has witnessed a lot of changes in the recent years. In terms of technology,
several changes have been induced by the Benares silk industry as the exchange of artisans
between the Benaras industry and that in Chanderi has taken place quite often in the past.
About 20 to 25 years ago, the Jacquard mechanism for the border of Chanderi saris was
introduced in Chanderi by the artisans from Benaras who also introduced the rolling log at
the same time. The Sling mechanism for carrying the shuttle across the warp was introduced
by artisans from Nagpur in the 1960s. Before that, an animal horn with a hole at its tip was
used for taking the weft threads across the warp threads.
Regarding the market scenario, the demand for Chanderi products had declined drastically
around seven years due to sluggish market conditions and increased competition. At that
time, only the sari was produced in Chanderi. The industry was bailed out when one of the
artisans from Chanderi, Mr Shamsuddin, was able to bag an order from Mumbai for
producing silk suit material. It was a great success, and from then on the artisans of
Chanderi received a lot of orders for suit pieces from all the big cities and today almost half
of the total order is for suit pieces.
CURRENT STATE OF THE ART

Chanderi sarees are protected under the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and
Protection) Act, 1999, and they cannot be copied because of their exclusive design and the
special silk yarn that goes into their making. There are over 3,500 looms working today and
thousands are dependent on this craft, directly or indirectly, for their living. The Government
of India has also petitioned to the World Trade Organization for the recognition of this textile
on an international level.

Today, because of the use of different cost effective raw materials, finding a genuine cotton
by cotton Chanderi has become difficult. Most retail establishments do not source these as
they are priced marginally higher than the mixed material variety. However, Chanderi is now
one of the most protected crafts in the country. Not only the government, but renowned
designers, fashion houses and Bollywood stars endorse this beautiful fabric on a regular
basis.

Aditi Rao Hydari walks the ramp for fashion designer Jayanti Reddy at the Lakme Fashion
Week Summer/Resort 2016.
When Kareena Kapoor was spotted in a black and gold traditional Chanderi, hearts fluttered
at the natural elegance and beauty of this fabric. Soham Dave, a leading fashion designer
works exclusively with Indian handlooms and Chanderi is one of his favourites. Some
fashion houses have reintroduced the value of this ancient fabric, and today we see
youngsters proudly wearing their heritage, not just in the form of Chanderi sarees, but also
scarves, tunics, kurtis and more. The versatility of this fabric and its easy adaptability to new
styles makes it an experimental favourite for fashion lovers all over the world.