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Songs of the Garden ⚘ Makdi { Q }

ABOUT
Probably one of the first forms of clothing, a piece of fabric draped around the neck to keep one clean and in the 1990s a fashion statement. A range of hand embroidered scarves made by the Meghwal women of Rajasthan. Kapde brings to you… Songs of the Needle... We aim at rekindling the joy of making, among these women. Each piece is designed to allow free creative expression and celebrate their individuality. Individually designed traditional & contemporary motifs and a signature of every women, who handcrafted it.

  • Rs.1,063

Availability: Sold Out

Product Code: 4088-SK-18

Made/ Mkt. By: Kapde

Box- L.W.H | Wgt:200 x 65 x 0cm | 150g


A mother, wife, daughter, sister, a farmer, a mason, a carpenter, a cattle rearer, a sweeper, a washer, a cook, an individual, a woman and at last an artisan trying to live with peace and pride. Such are the women of the Meghwal community from Rajasthan. 



Originally, migrants from Pakistan, these Hindustani folks settled in villages lining the Indian border. Cattle rearers and agriculturists by occupation, later, with the support of Indian government they were allocated agricultural land. Soon after which they migrated to the present day Rajasthan. Their language is a mix of Hindi, Sindhi and Urdu...
While men go to the field,  women are occupied in household activities, managing children and assisting in agriculture. They learnt it at an early age, since the average age of marriage is 18 years, sometimes even earlier…. They live in nuclear families as a part of their custom. An average house has 7-8 members including 3-4 children.
The months of March to April and October to November bring the harvest and their festivals like Deepwali, Navratri, Teej etc. During this time a woman or a girl’s day begins at 4am and ends at 10pm. Nonetheless, these women find time to embroider. 



Hand embroidering has ever since been a part of these dessert dwellers as an everyday wearable and the mark of one’s skills, for instance, during marriages, which still happen within the caste. Every gift to the groom is  hand embroidered, even the most unimaginable object like money, bidi, mouth freshener packets etc are put along to decorate the embroidered patch!!



They practice many types of embroideries, namely Soof, Kharek and Pakko. With modernization and government initiatives they have also learnt new contemporary stitches, although Pakko style continues to be their forte. Pakko embroidery is done by the Sodha, Rajput & Meghwal communities. Pakko literally means solid. The designs and motifs are very similar to Ahir, but slightly more geometric. The outline is done with chain stitch, but the filling is a dense variation of buttonhole stitch and open chain stitch, which gives an embossed look.



Mirrors are used frequently. Like Ahir, originally the designs were done directly on the fabric without any stencil, the wrap and weft are their guides and needle is their brush.

Local names of the stitches are:

Cross stitch - Kanadaa 

Mirror stitch - Kaanch (Pakka) 

Chain stitch - Lath 

Open chain stitch - Sankali/Pakki jaat 

Lazy daisy stitch - Chirki ki panadi

To them, embroidering has been an expression, a reason to sit together, memories handed over by a mother to her daughter and a matter of pride. The people are culturally rooted.  Age old practices are still being followed, except those that have lost relevance due to globalization.



Yes!! Globalization!!It is not a new term for them, as worldwide channels are available to these people through dish TV. With electricity reaching far off villages and television box getting affordable, a five year old wearing jeans, dancing to the tunes of Dabang with sunglasses dangling at the back of his collar might not be a rare sight but the parameters of true success for a country whose economy and essence is based on its legacy of skilled artists- artisans, a country where every person, cluster, village was not only self-sufficient and sustainable but opulent and openly sharing its knowledge and wealth with others... The parameters will truly be achieved when that five year old grows up to take pride in what he or she was born with and will know how to steer it to his and his people's good. 

Craftsmen
Made by Artisans With Studio Kapde
Material
Made of Cotton
Instruction
Note The products in this category is handmade. These might slightly differ from as seen on digital screen.

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I have always had profound love for Indian handicraft and I have decorated my house with such items which is when I first found Gaatha and have been coming back to them since. Very responsive and the quality is always amazing

Bhavik Mehta

Everytime I buy a saree from you guys, everyone keeps asking me where I get them from. It makes for a great gift as well... so creative and artistic, fabrics feel great

Archita Nair

I received my saree today. The folks at Gaatha were very responsive when I had some questions before placing the order. The saree is absolutely beautiful! In fact it is so much more pretty in person. The cotton is soft to touch and drapes likes a dream. Very pleased with my purchase!

Meenu Devrani

So delighted to find the Gaatha shop filled with a treasure trove of handcrafted products! The shopping experience was smooth and I received the Ajrakh saree that I had ordered in less than a week. Loved the saree and look forward to more shopping with you. God bless

Kalpana Padhi Das

I first ordered one brass kitchen set and other home decor products from Gaatha and the quality was extremely good. Thank you Gaatha

Aparichita Sen

I just received my two scarfs. I love them, so beautiful. Now I know where to order my Christmas gifts. Thank you very much.

J. Vogt

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