(Art & Culture) Special Chanderi Stoles: Steal The Show - Commonwealth Games, New Delhi, 2010

Special Chanderi Stoles STEAL THE SHOW

Awarded to winners, 1,375 angavastrams — complete with Games colours and Shera —have been ordered from two villages in MP

In a statement that gives a truly Indian touch to every Commonwealth win, Games medal winners are being gifted with an ‘angavastram’ instead of the traditional bouquet of flowers. The angavastram — complete with the CWG colours, woven logo and a miniature ‘Shera’ — has been crafted from the Chanderi fabric.

The famous gossamer material has come a long way — from its place of origin in the heat and dust of a Madhya Pradesh village — to adorn the necks of CWG medal winners as they stand on the victory podium. The Organising Committee has ordered 1,375 stoles for athletes and another 10,000 as merchandise on the initiative of the textile ministry. In all, the project order is worth about Rs 50 lakh. In fact, about 100 weavers from the villages of Pranpur and Chanderi in MP were put to the task for six months. ‘‘This design was chosen by the OC from 100 prototypes. We felt that gifting an angavastram instead of flowers would be a thoroughly Indian statement and a keepsake for the athletes,’’ Rita Menon, textile secretary, said.

The stoles — resplendent in red, blue, green and purple with a golden kinari — are also available at merchandise shops at Games venues.

Hoping to promote traditional Indian handlooms and handicrafts, the Central Cottage Corporation of India and Handicraft and Handlooms Export Corporation of India (HHEC) have set up a shop for traditional handlooms and handicrafts in the Games Village. To engage the interest of athletes and delegates in traditional crafts and weaves of India, live demonstrations are being held by artisans and weavers in the Village.

In fact, among other initiatives, the textile ministry recently inaugurated Hast Kriti — an exhibition of exclusive products of handlooms and handicrafts by national awardees, shilp gurus and Sant Kabir awardees — at Dilli Haat.

HHEC had also supplied scarves and ties for the Queen’s Baton Relay and gifts for the delegates of Commonwealth Games Conference held last year.

The ministry, while providing an exposure to the works of master artisans, weavers and artists, has also brought their work into the public domain by exhibiting these in the ‘crafts of India gallery’ at the INA Metro station.

Several other efforts like launching new products at the refurbished museum shop of HHEC at National Museum have been timed such that visitors and athletes to the Games can be exposed to different facets of Indian crafts and weaves.

By: Himanshi Dhawan