Time’s warp and weft

To wear a kandanghi sari is to wrap yourself up in history. The vibrant colours, thick weave, bold checks and contrasting hues are a perfect reflection of the Nattukottai Chettiar community.

“The Chettinad region, a cluster of 75 villages in the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, is home to this prosperous trading community. It is an arid area with sparse vegetation but the people of the region are immensely hardy and managed to thrive here,” says Visalakshi Ramaswamy, at a talk titled ‘Bold Beautiful — The Chettinad Kandanghi Textiles’, at the Apparao Galleries,where she explores the evolution of the kandanghi.

Tenacity is certainly a vital characteristic of this community whose members travelled to Ceylon, Burma, Sumatra.

“In fact, the Chettinad style of architecture is a hodge-podge of myriad influences, gleaned from these travels. The men would bring back teak from Burma, marble from Italy, crockery from Indonesia, art from all over the world.”

In their absence, the women would look after their homes and fields, “The women were organised, strong and beautiful — just like the kandanghi saris they wore,” says Visalakshi.

The sari is traditionally worn without a blouse or petticoat, draped in such a way that the pleats sit at the back. The thickness of the fabric ensures modesty but it is also very breathable, perfectly suited to the climate of the region and the lifestyle of the women who wore it.

“They were thrifty women who never threw anything away. The saris were meant to last for a long time and even when they wore out they were converted into dust sheets and cradles for babies,” she says.

The colours of the saris are distinct — shades such as ochre, black, red and yellow dominate with a rare blue, green or pink. Even the colours have a story to them, says Visalakshi.

“When the region is dry and arid, people dress brightly — like Rajasthan. Whereas a lush landscape like Kerala, sees most people wearing white clothes,” she says.

The hand-woven fabric almost always has checks and stripes on it and the borders are usually thick and contrasting. “The looms allowed only that pattern,” says Visalakshi.

And though she is inclined to believe that the early saris must have used vegetable dyes, most of the ones she owns are chemically dyed.

Where are these saris today? “No one makes these anymore. They are mostly found in antique stores, museums and in the homes of collectors,” she says.

“The power loom has taken over — it is more economical for the weavers to use it and unless you are an informed buyer, you won’t know the difference. I really wish I had bought some more, when I was younger.”