Trendy sarees and garments from gumccha and lungi on display at Dastkar Fest

Handwoven Khadi, tribal weaves, versatile Ikats and vibrant Kantha embroidery, luminescent Eri and Muga Silks besides handwoven apparel by Bodo tribe of Assam are on offer at the ongoing Dastjar Purabi Festival. The event is being held in association with Delhi Tourism at Nature Bazzar till March 23.

Trendy sarees and garments from humble gumccha and lungi besides a range of chunky accessories produced from waste products are put for display at the event.

Laila Tyabji, founder and chairperson of Dastkar said that they are bringing a teaser of the crafts and craftspeople of the North East and Eastern India. Craftsmen, producers and designers from Odisha, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Assam are set to showcase handcrafted textiles, home furnishings, jewellery and much more at the festival.

The North East and Eastern India hold many cultural riches, including their unique craft traditions, but are comparatively little known compared to states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, said Tyabji

From the drama of the bold red, black and white textile motifs of the North East to the delicate woven mastery of the bamboo basketry and mats of West Bengal, the crafts of Eastern India have a subtlety, skill and cultural resonance worth exploring.

Designer brands like Sanjukta will showcase how the humble “gumccha” and “lungi” metamorphose into trendy garments and sarees and the waste products from these apparels have been used to make chunky accessories.

With sarees priced at Rs, 4,800 and a pair of earnings for Rs 150, the designer has attempted to bring these two fabrics back into the public imagination.

Hand-woven, cotton and tropic-friendly, these fabrics have suffered undeserved neglect, losing out to artificial blends and mill-processed weaves. So to bring back the fabric they have designed sarees stoles and other apparels, said Sanjukta Roy of Sanjukta.

Cane and bamboo handcrafted products, black pottery, Dhokra metal craft, leather toys, apparels and jewellery made out of gumccha and lungi are some of the highlights.