Hyderabad Telangana, August 7, 2022: Award Winning Textile Designer Gaurang Shah presented ‘Amogham’ today, to highlight the breadth and diversity that Telangana has to offer to the world. Stunning textiles, crafts, food, music, dance, topography, and numerous dialects served as expressions of the Telangana’s rich history and culture.
The National Handloom Day of India was celebrated with a fashion show AMOGHAM by GAURANG, was organised by Department of Handlooms & Textiles, Govt of Telangana, and the Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (TSCO).
Handloom Industry in the Telangana State occupies unique place in the country for its exclusive art and artifacts of handloom weavers. Ethnic handloom designs of Telangana State promoting the cultural glory of Indian heritage and culture.The design patterns of Pochampally Ikat’s, Gadwala Cotton, Silk & Sico Sarees, Narayanpet Cotton, Silk Sarees, Warangal Durries, Karimnagar Bed sheets & Furnishings shows the outstanding skills of handloom weavers. The Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (TSCO), ardently promotes the Handloom Industry in the State, which now boasts of 63,303 Handloom weavers including ancillary workers. Handloom Industry in the State providing employment to the weavers who have depended on this profession for their survival and economic development.
The State under the Hon'ble guidance of the Chief Minister K. Chadrasekhar Rao and the department of Handlooms & Textiles under the energetic & determined leadership for K. Tarakarama Rao, Minister for I&C, IT & MAUD has successfully implemented several impactful schemes for the handloom weavers like; Chenetha Mithra, Cooperative Handloom Weavers Thrift Fund, Schemes for Training and Infrastructural support to Handloom sector, Loan Waiver Scheme to Handloom Weavers and Weavers Insurance Scheme (Nethanna Bheema).
The event was a blend of heritage handloom and art conversation at the majestic Chitramayee State Gallery of Art which hosted 400 people, was formally inaugurated by Shri. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce & IT, Govt of Telangana, in the presence of special invitee Shri. L. Ramana, Member of the Legislative Council and Dr Buddhaprakash Jyothi, IAS, Secretary to Government (Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts).
“Through this wide canvas of Telangana Textiles, Weaves and Art forms, we want to show the rich heritage of our state and inspire more designers, as well as artisans from India and worldwide to come to our state and work with weavers to create new forms of textiles and designs,” Mr. Jayesh Ranjan in his address said. Page | 2 The fashion show was an ensemble of 50+ sarees and garments made from the textiles that are woven in Telangana, showcasing to the world the rich and diverse art that the State takes great pride in. Besides mesmerising the audience with the gorgeous textiles, the show unveiled the rich and distinct handcrafts of Telangana.
Eloquent models walked wearing vibrant Ikkats from Pochampally and Puttapaka, elegant gadwals, and lustrous fabrics from Narayanpet among other local fabrics. The cheriyal paintings done on fabrics in the form of a lehenga were an absolute classic. The tassels using handcrafted etikoppaka toys, is a specialty of the State. The richness of handwoven chiffon, khadi, and Kota were also presented exquisitely. Every fabric was developed on the looms of Telangana, giving the weavers work for year-round production.
The showstopper was Ms. Tabu, who draped a traditional gharara with a short kurta and dupatta. 26 models comprising 21 female and 5 men walked the ramp. While the females were draped in sarees in the first round, in the second sequence they wore ghagras. Men walked alongside the women wearing kurtas in both rounds.
Talking about his collections Gaurang said “We recreated the clothing of the Nizam Era which was found in the Zenana styles of the Chowmahalla Palace.”
Gaurang Says “Every art we have curated and showcased is not only timeless body of work from Telangana but also timeless creatives. My endeavour through such events, and multiple projects in the State has enabled common people, with no relation to textiles, to learn to weave. Women, who are passionate about learning and working have been encouraged to sit on a loom and learn the Jamdani technique.” He added, I am pleased to mention, that Telugu women now can weave intricate designs using Jamdani, some of which we have featured in the show.
Another highlight of the show was the Special Banjara embroidery from Ibrahimpatnam which was specially developed for the presentation. The gallery featured the paintings of different artists of Telangana and served delicious local food for a heart-rendering experience.
The fashion show was choreographed beautifully, garnering admiration from a packed audience. It had two sequences, at first showcased the beautiful handwoven Sarees. The models walked gracefully, in the background of a poem recited by a well-known poet who specially wrote the words expressing the beauty and diversity of women in Telangana, in Urdu. The Violinist who accompanied the poet created an ambiance of cultural bliss. Saxophonist Anil Kumar entertained the guests by enchanting old Hindi songs, while Rajab Ali and Group energised the event with their soulful qawwali.
