22 December,2009 07:20 AM IST | | Ishita Sharma
The ongoing Handloom Clusters Expo showcases two pure silk variants that don't involve killing worm larvae
Silk is celebration. And its elegance amplifies when it wears the finesse of handloom. The Handloom Clusters Expo 2009, where handloom workers of 20u00a0 districts pan-India have come together to stock up your winter wardrobe, has some eco-friendly options ready.
Wrap it up
The weeklong event is primarily displaying stoles and sarees in silk, Tangail, Bomkai, Jamdani, Shantipuri silk and cotton variants. This apart, there will be shirtings, bed sheets, cushion covers, bed sheets, dress materials, sofa set covers, shawls, jackets and stoles. There will also be traditional dhotis and lungis and unusual products like Turkish towels, dusters and wall hangings. "Apart from focusing on the sale part, we're promoting the 'non-violent silk' formsu00a0Muga and Eri. Here, the larvae are not killed to extract the silk," informs Manish Verma, marketing consultant, Handloom Expo. The silk is extracted only once the larva shed its cocoon to turn into a caterpillar. All the products, sourced from different parts of the country, are works of young designers especially chosen for the expo.
Apart from the main event, you can look forward to fashion shows, dyeing-cum-design workshops, buyer-seller meets and health camps not only to create awareness, but also to promote handlooms in the interest of handloom weavers.
| How typical 'violent' silk is made The silkworm deposits upwards of 4,000 yards of the tiny fiber in making its cocoon. But when the moth leaves the cocoon by breaking its way out, it cuts this fiber off in many places, thus largely decreasing its value; hence silk producers kill the chrysalis in the cocoon to prevent its coming through. The usual method is that of immersing the cocoons in steam for a few minutes. Sometimes the chrysalides are killed by baking the cocoons in a hot oven. Another method, that of placing the cocoons in boiling water, serves a double purpose. Not only does it kill the chrysalides, but it also softens the "gum". |
Handloom Clusters expo 2009
On till: December 28
Where: Pragati Maidan, Gate number 2
Timings: 10.30 am to
8.3o pmu00a0u00a0u00a0
Prices start from: Rs 20
entry: Rs 10
