Pra-Kashi: A layered term meaning light or from Kashi, Benaras, the holiest of holy cities where Hindus find salvation on the banks of the Ganga. A place where Tulsi and Kabir Das wrote their dohas and Buddhism was preached some distance away. Unity of religions, a place where Muslim weavers with their consummate skill weave extraordinary shimmering silks, brocades, jamdanis for Hindu brides. Be it birth, death, marriage, a celebration this place is a pilgrimage and must visit for every Indian.

Nirvana for sure when you witness the eponymous exhibition displaying intricately crafted, dazzling textiles, a display presented by the National Museum in collaboration with the Devi Art Foundation, curated by Pramod Kumar KG and supported by Eka Archiving Services, the exhibition that displays textiles from the Asha Workshop of Varanasi. Rahul Jain a visionary who gave up a World Bank job seduced by the transcendental beauty of our Indian textiles. His labour of love for 25 years was a “sensory” “sensual” experience, an idea, an emotion, a walk down history, connecting  allied traditions of the past, across multiple formats, material, crafts.  A testament to the exceptional skill of the weavers, who are no less than artists.  For him it is a way to discover a new way of looking at historic techniques, designs and patterns. He stayed on to reinvent, “not revive” textiles that had been crafted to the point of “extinction”.

Miniature paintings, jewellery, a Kalamkari rumal, the Iranian panel, patkas are all displayed alongside to draw parallels and see the original inspirations for this exquisite art, almost realistic in execution like an artists canvas, poetry from the loom. These masterpieces were woven on a drawloom recreated for this project.

Silk, silver and gold are highly reflective. They are basically a metaphor for light. In fact, I think these precious materials have been valued for these reasons not just as stores of wealth. They have occult power, sacred connotations. Light being embedded or reflected gives it some kind of sanctity and this has been true throughout human civilisation. If one were to say that these textiles are valuable because of gold and silver, it would be belittling them. 

“The display represents the full range of luxury silks that were manufactured historically from the beginning of the first millennium using the Taquete-Samite, Lampas, Extended Samite, Brocaded Double Weave, Damask, Velvet and Voided Velvet weaving techniques. The revived techniques together represent the majority of luxury silks woven for 2000 years at the classical silk-weaving centres of the old Silk Road.”

Textiles inspired by the “cloths of gold” woven in Mughal India and Safavid Iran in the 17th and 18th centuries, conjure up on cloth the appearance of enamelled gold. Minakari, jewel like against metallic backgrounds bringing alive the grandeur of the historic milieu. The jewels on show almost paled in the reflected grandiloquence of the array of jewel tones, textures, motifs of theses textiles. One can perhaps understand the allure of our land for all the conquerors, marauders and pillagers, the glimmer from afar, not a star.

Textured brocades in geometric patterns, twill weaving, the perfect symmetry  shows the dexterity of the artisan. The simplicity, the eloquence, burnished metal. Is it cloth or gold?

Flowers have been lasting inspirations for all arts the world over, the myriad forms under the rubric of buti, buta and jaal allowed for endless possibilities of design. The lampas technique enabled the weaver to create huge patterns,  for uses as diverse as qanat or tent panel, which is the only exact copy at the exhibition, a historic example from the Calico Museum in Ahmedabad.

The  design vocabulary  moves from stunning floral and geometric patterns, to the weaving of animal and even human figures. Animal figures in the Indian textile tradition became most popular in the Shikargah patterns, which was as the name suggests, a representation of a hunting scene, where essentially smaller animals get attacked by bigger animals, and the circle continues. Like the circle of life.  Rahul Jain for the first time presents human figure in weaving inspired by the the panels of Michelangelo, “The Last Judgement”, it shows souls rising towards heaven. Moksha in Kashi, the eternal light!

At the end there is a panel of lotuses, symbolic of purity like this weaving tradition and Rahul also pays a tribute to his mentors, Suresh Neotia and Martand Singh, both Padma Bhushan awardees. This magnificent exhibition ends with a tribute to all the contributors individually especially the weavers of Benaras who are the stars, champions of this artform.

Pra-Kashi: a display presented by the National Museum in collaboration with the Devi Art Foundation, curated by Pramod Kumar KG and supported by Eka Archiving Services, the exhibition that displays textiles from the Asha Workshop of Varanasi. Rahul Jain a visionary who gave up a World Bank job seduced by the transcendental beauty of our Indian textiles. His labour of love for 25 years was a “sensory” “sensual” experience, an idea, an emotion, a walk down history, connecting  allied traditions of the past, across multiple formats, material, crafts. 

An invitation by the Devi Art Foundation and Ms Lekha Poddar finalized my journey to Delhi for ten days. Not only to view this fabulous show but to explore Delhi, after having reread the City of Djinns.

The show on for almost a month, with its curated walks was a temptation which I had deferred till the last two days. I sent Lekhaji a message asking if I could meet her and she sent her regrets as she was travelling. I informed her of my dates, which were on hindsight planned with recklessness. Monday is a Museum holiday and Tuesday was unfortunately Dusshera, the exhibition was ending a day earlier. I expressed my acute disappointment.

Style and old word hospitality  is what this Foundation is about. Lekhaji arranged for not only a special viewing but lso ensured that I was escorted to the venue. And then the magnificent exhibition. All I can say that I am overwhelmed with this trip. Kudos to  the Devi Art Foundation who have mounted and supported this fabulous venture. Moksha Nirvana, we talk of Karma, God surely has a good place reserved for this extraordinary person and initiative. Thank You! All in all my privilege to have known you.

A special special shout out for Sandhita who kept me in the loop and showed me around. The care and attention will be always remembered.

The absolute whammy of this outing was meeting the Maestro himself. A fan girl moment truly. Thank you, thank you. I iterate in awe!