ZARDOZI 

‘A Glorious Dichotomy’

Zardozi, over a period of time, has become a strong & peculiar ingredient of Lakme Fashion Week with its origin still in the narrow streets & dungeon ‘karkhanas’ with people giving their whole life working for it.

One side of the coin is bright & glorious with dollars & pounds getting invested in it, inflated prices with different experimental art forms. But on the unturned flip side of the coin is still the same as it was there as its inception in the 17thcentury.

With gold (‘Zar’) in its name and craft, the people in the background should be equally acknowledged and heard. Indian fashion designers are concentrating more on westernization of Indian artwork by using machine embroideries on the name of ‘zardozi’ which dilutes the hard work and craftsmanship of the real handicraft artists.

For a long-term persistence of any legendary art forms, it’s very important to sustain the originality and individuality. Amalgamation doesn’t create a problem unless the dominant art form doesn’t losses its indigenous features & characteristics. ‘Zardozi’ being handcrafted art form it always has a personalized touch and an individual’s hours & hours of hard work & dedication. Westernization of Indian original crafts has somewhere diminished the long driven ancestral influences.

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