East India – Page 10 – My Grandma's Legacy

A foodie would hail rasagullas and mishti doi as Bengal’s most famous products. Ask the same question to a cotton saree lover, and she will undoubtedly recall the cotton sarees from Bengal region. Indeed, Bengal produces some of the best cotton sarees in the country and a large section of the rural population in the state is employed in the handloom weaving industry.

A red-white saree is the picture that first comes to our vision, whenever we say Bengal saree. It represents pureness, wisdom, and power to the spirit of the woman (or woman Shakti). That’s all I knew until last week. How little I knew about Bengal Handloom is clearly visible after reading the rest of this article.

Bengal Handloom: Silk farming, or sericulture, is an important agro-based cottage industry in Bengal, which is among the top 5 silk-producing states in India (along with Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Jammu & Kashmir). Today, Bengal accounts for about 9% of the raw silk produced in the country. All the 4 commercially produced varieties of silk – mulberry, Tussar, Eri and Muga, are cultivated here. I strongly believe when we were taught India’s geography, its rivers like Ganga, Bramhaputra, we should be taught about the cotton that is uniquely grown in this region and its direct correlation to sarees weaved in the region. As I was researching Bengal cotton sarees this week, I was pleasantly enlightened, and also for few days was confused/going in endless circles in understanding various sarees from Bengal. This week’s research reminds me of a famous quote, “Deep understanding is the foundation of deep love”.

After going through lot of links and re-reading, I decided to focus on just one category for this week. For knowledge purpose, here is the list of sarees that are usually hailed as Bengal sarees.

Bengal Cotton : Tant, Fulia, Shantipur, Garad , Tangail Tant, Dhanekhali , Mulmul & Muslin
Silk : Baluchari, Murshidabad Silk
Cotton-Silk : Jamdani ( Dhakai Jamdani ), Korial Silk
Kantha Embroidery or Kantha Silk
Batik

When it comes to Bengali saree, then Baluchari saree and Tant saris are the two most popular types that one will come across. Today I am going to focus on the Tant sarees only, only made in cotton and rest categories we will cover in separate weeks.

Bengal Cotton Sarees also goes by the popular name of Tangail (a place in Bangladesh). Tant Saree, Cotton Tangail Tant Saree, Bengali Tant Saree, Tant Saree and Bengal Tangail Saree are some other names.

Whenever we think of any Bengali saree, we visualize someone wearing crisp cotton border. Well, that traditional saree is none other than our good-old Tant sarees — palette doesn’t stick to the monotonous red and white combo.

“Contrary to the popular image of a Bengali lady in a white Tant sari with thick red border, these high-quality cotton saris come in a host of vibrant colors with gorgeous borders and a papery soft texture. The latest improvisation is the Tant Banarasi made out of cotton with rich motifs equally pretty as its original counterpart – the Banarasi silk sari,”

These are the most common form of Bengal cotton sarees where the designs are woven in the fabric. In fact, the term ‘tant’ refers to the handlooms that are used to weave these sarees. They are light and airy, making them suitable for regular wear during the warm and humid Bengal summers. A tant saree typically has broad, decorative borders and pallav, while the body of saree is plain or dotted with small motifs.

Origin/History: In most of the cases when belles just sit and talk, they mostly discuss the golden beauty of Kanjeevaram silks and Banarasi silks. But when we step forward a little more in the textile industry, we get to know that Bengal handloom is the most ancient one in our country, draped by the women who know fashion and have an aesthetic sense by heart. Yes, it is sad but a reality that these beauties are rarely spoken off. However, there are real gems in this corner of ‘Bengali couture’ where one can find different types of famous Bengali sarees.

The term “tant” refers to the handlooms in Bengal that are used to weave cotton sarees along with dhotis and other garments. The earliest record of handloom saree weaving in Bengal can be traced back to the 15th century in Shantipur (in the Nadia district of West Bengal). The art continued to flourish during the Mughal rule (16th – 18th centuries), when it received extensive royal patronage along with muslin and Jamdani weaving. The Tant saris became quite famous during the period when the Mughals used to reign in India. British government tried to destroy this art to protect the textile industry of Manchester. The British people tried hard to ruin the Tant sari business in India but history bears witness to the fact that they did not succeed in their endeavors.

While the fine muslins adorned the royal class, cotton sarees or Tant sarees were used for draping by the common folks. This weaving tradition continued during the British rule and the decades prior to independence witnessed an inflow of modern weaving techniques in Shantipur such as improvements in the handloom and introduction of the jacquard loom that is still used today. After the partition of Bengal in 1947, many Hindu weavers from Bangladesh migrated to India and were rehabilitated in West Bengal. Fulia (or Phulia), a town neighboring Shantipur, became a new home for these weavers from Tangail (of Bangladesh), who brought with them the weaving traditions of their ancestral land. Other migrating weavers were settled in the Hooghly and Burdwan districts of West Bengal. Over the years, each of these regions developed their own style of weaving and today, they are the homes of the most well-known varieties of Tant sarees.

A discussion on the handloom sari of Bengal cannot be complete without the mention of the geographic twins, Shantipur and Fulia, located in the Nadia District of West Bengal. There are records of handloom sari weaving activity in Shantipur as early as the 15th century. Weaving flourished throughout the medieval era and, during the early part of the 20th century, the famed indigo-dyed midnight-blue Neelambari sari made the Shantipur sari a household name for their fine texture and uniformity. In the decades leading up to independence, Shantipur saw a gradual inflow of modern techniques in terms of improvement in the handloom and the introduction of the Jacquard loom in the 1930s, which is still used by the weavers.

During the partition of India, the demographics of Shantipur region went through a sea change as Hindu weavers fleeting the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) settled down in large numbers in Fulia, neighboring Shantipur.

Today, the cotton saris from Shantipur and Fulia together are world-renowned as the famous Bengal Tant saris.

Region: Geographically, Bengal is known for producing best quality of cotton sarees due to its proximity to rivers and cotton grown in the region.  It is said that the cotton that grows in Bengal region has been tried to be harvested in other parts of India, with very little luck. Thanks to the abundant diverse minerals in the soil and rivers in this region.

Tant saris owe their popularity to the hot and humid weather of coastal Bengal where it they provide comfort to the wearer by virtue of its their lightweight nature, making it handy for every occasion.

Tant saree is a traditional Indian saree and usually used by Bengali women. It is traditionally made by the weavers from all over West Bengal and Bangladesh but typically few places like Murshidabad, Nadia, Hooghly of West Bengal are famous for Tant saree weaving. The weaving methods used for making these saris are traditional and the outcome is a light and colorful sari that is popular all over. Since the Tant saree are meant for daily use the lowest cost of this saree is INR350 (US$5.40). Tant saree are woven from cotton threads and distinguished by its lightness and transparency. It is considered to be the most comfortable saree for the Indian hot and humid climate. Weaving of Tant saree is famous and an age-old crafting of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The craftsmen deftly weave the cotton to thread which is woven to Tant saree. Two shuttles are used for this purpose. Different motifs including floral element, solar element and recently even modern art are depicted in this saree. Tant Saree comes with colorful design and borders are made thicker because it is subjected to tear easily.

Over the years, through cultural and artistic intercourse, the Fulia weavers integrated their craft with the Shantipur style and developed their own version of the original Dhakai Jamdani, called the ‘Fulia Tangail’. We will talk about Fulia Tangail, when we cover Dhakai Jamdani saree in future.

Murshidabad is additionally famous for weaving fine silk fabrics from the processed raw silk. Murshidabad silk and Baluchari silk sarees in yet another week.

Material and Variations: The Tant saris are made from cotton thread and have a distinguishing feature of being light and somewhat transparent. How to distinguish Tant sarees from other Bengal region sarees?

Sharing some comparison information as I was reading through and what I understood so far. If you have any additional information, will be happy to learn from you.

The Baluchari saris are either made from Baluchari silk or from silk-cotton. Both types are known for their vibrant colors and designs. The Baluchari saris from Bengal are five yards long and some forty-two inches in width.
The Tant sari is 6 meters long when compared to a normal sari which happens to be 5.5 meters in length.
While Tant sari is in cotton, a Jamdani saree is transparent and is woven with cotton and silk-threads.
Garad is a white saree with a red border that epitomizes traditional Bengali women. These sarees are traditionally woven in a strong silk fabric that is not dyed – so as to retain the purity of the fabric – with a bold, red border to off-set the white body. Garad sarees have a sacred importance in traditional rituals of the Bengali community. Worn extensively during festivals, ceremonies and special occasions, this drape is a must-have in all Bengali women’s wardrobe.
A more ornamental and richer version of the quintessential Bengali Garad silk saree is the Korial silk saree or also called Garad-Korial. While the Garad has, a vibrant red border flanking a pristine white or cream body, the Korial version has intricate motifs woven on the white base along with elaborate patterns adorning the border and pallu, mostly using zari.
Korial silks are rich and intricately woven, making them perfect for weddings and similar occasions. The main feature of Korial saree is its pure white border and broad red border (somewhat slimmer than in Tant sarees).
However, unlike the Korial, Garad saree has a lighter red border and is scattered with flower-shaped symbols and other motifs that give it an appealing and feminine look
Kantha is an embroidery technique, originally used to embellish or sew together old pieces of cloth into quilts. The technique went on to gain so much popularity over the years that it is now used to adorn sarees. Kantha sarees are now handmade by women vastly in and around the area of Bolpur in West Bengal, the skill of these artisans clearly visible in the beautifully embroidered drapes.

Every Tant saree is characterized by the design on its border, pallav and body. These designs are drawn by an artist and transcribed onto soft cardboards by perforating them which are then suspended from the loom. Now all is in place for the weaving to begin. The simplest of Tant sarees take about 10-12 hours to weave. More intricate designs could even take 5-6 days to complete a saree.

I am sharing a link to a very visual Tant saree making process. If you decide to skip next 3-4 paragraphs, this link will give you a very elaborate view of the details behind this process.

The raw material for the Tant saris, super fine 100X100 to 120X120 counts cotton. The bundles of cotton come in its raw kora (cream) color and the first step is to rigorously wash them by beating them with water to make it free of any factory chemicals.
Once washing is done, the bundles are dried in the sun and sent off to dye in the color specified.
“Dyeing” is a specialty job requiring about 10- 15 people to complete the entire process.”
The dried cotton bundles are first bleached to make it white, again dried throughout the day and then dipped in boiling hot water with specific color proportions as per the shade required. Both natural as well as artificial colors are used at the dyeing mills. Red and yellow being the most common combinations for Tant saris are cheaper as compared to the uncommon parrot green, indigo blue and bottle green colors that cost almost double. Generally, as the color becomes darker, the cost increases as it requires use of more color in proportion to the water. After the cotton is dyed, the laborers lay them on the bamboo poles in the middle of the open fields in order to sun-dry them.
Once the cotton is dyed, the bundles are sent to the weavers who start the first process of assembling the thread into bobbins. The assorted threads from the drum are then wrapped on a rounded wooden log, which in turn feed the loom to facilitate weaving of the Tant sari.
Weaving on a handloom is done by intersecting the longitudinal threads, the warp (that which is thrown across), with the transverse threads, the weft (that which is woven).
Another major task before weaving is mounting the designs on the loom to be made on the sari. Finally, the sari is ready to be weaved and on an average, it takes almost ten to twelve hours to weave a Tant sari with the simplest of designs. On an average, they work for almost 14-16 hours a day, sitting in the dimly-lit small tin shed workshop that houses 4-5 looms. Occasionally, the weaver polishes the loom with wax to facilitate smooth flow of the threads.
Another unique feature of Fulia-Shantipur saris is their finishing.
Once the sari is woven, before taking it off from the frame, the weaver for one last time has to apply size paste (made from sago or popped rice) meticulously with his hand to give additional luster and shine to the freshly woven Tant.”

Now I understand, why it is said that, before washing the Tant Saree for the first time, it should be soaked in warm water mixed with rock salt. This ensures less color bleeding in the subsequent washes.

Types: If you’re in Bengal to purchase Tant, ask for saris from Phulia, Shantipur, Tangail, these places make some exquisite Tant sarees.
Tant sarees can be classified based on the region where they are woven, or the motifs depicted on the sarees. The major regions of Tant production in West Bengal today are:

Fulia and Shantipur (in Nadia): Combining the weaving styles of the original Shantipur weavers and the migrant weavers from Tangail who settled in Fulia, this region has developed the “Fulia Tangail” style of weaving and produces among the best quality Tant sarees today. These Tant sarees are soft and fine in texture, come in vibrant colors and have large, intricately woven motifs.

How does one recognize a Fulia Tant saree? Based on what I read of these sarees by observation, I can say that these sarees do not carry Jamdani-like motifs. Their texture is coarse to look at but very fine, soft to touch because of the hand-woven characteristic. They are usually plain and available in earthy colors. They do however, look a lot like any other hand-woven cotton saree. A cotton Fulia may cost anything between rupees 1500 to 3000, whereas a silk saree may cost above rupees 6000. saree is hand-woven using cotton or silk yarn – simple and with little embellishment. The idea behind the Fulia is to let the fine fabric, the weave and the texture speak, hence the minimalistic style. A border, a few stripes or a smattering of a block print is all you get to see on a Fulia saree.

Dhaniakhali (or Dhonekhali in Hooghly): Tant sarees from this region are of good quality, mainly come in pastel shades and have striped patterns and fewer motifs.
Begampur (in Hooghly): Begampur specializes in loosely woven, light-weight and translucent sarees in deep, bright colors.
Kalna (in Burdwan): Tant from this region are based on the Tangail style of weaving.
Atpur (in Hooghly): This town was known for producing coarser sarees and dhotis for everyday wear. The term “Atpoure” which means “common wear” denotes the Bengali style of wearing sarees which used to be the traditional way of draping for women of this region.
Muslin cotton sarees: Muslins are the finest variety of Bengal cotton sarees. The fabric of the muslin sarees is so fine that it is almost transparent, ultra-light, exotic to behold, and is considered to be the ultimate in luxury. Delicate designs using the Jamdani weaving technique further add to the subtle splendor of these sarees. The price of muslin sarees depends on the fineness of the fabric and the intricacy of the woven designs. They range from several thousand to even upwards of 1 lakh rupees
Mulmul is one of the brightest and lightest pride of North East India. The fabric is extremely breathable and soft to touch and thus taken as one of the best fabrics in the market.

Common designs: A variety of traditional motifs are woven in the borders and pallav of the tant sarees. Some of the popular ones are: bhomra (bumble bee), tabij (amulet), rajmahal (royal palace), ardha-chandra (half moon), chandmala (garland of moons), ansh (fish scale), hathi (elephant), nilambari (blue sky), ratan chokh (gem- eyed), benki (spiral), tara (star), kalka (paisley) and phool (flower).

Modern Trends These saris bear different pattern and motifs with the floral, “buti” and “gamcha” designs. However, nowadays, due to the designers championing Tant, geometric an also become quite famous. Light, bright and transparent,
In keeping up with contemporary tastes, Tant sarees today also feature designs which are hand-painted, printed and embroidered on the fabric. A variation of the traditional Tant has zari work woven into the borders and pallav along the patterns of a Banarasi silk saree giving rise to the ‘Tant Banarasi’ saree.

With time, Tant saris have stopped being the everyday wear for women.

However, in recent years, famous designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has revived Bengal handloom woven dreams through Bollywood beauties. Someone who loves sarees once told me “Sarees have stayed in ‘fashion’ for 2000 years. They’re not going anywhere.”

Although I have seen the Bengal Tant saree many a times, I don’t own it, neither I have worn one. From what I have seen, I can say that my wardrobe could definitely make space for one Bengal silk/silk-cotton saree in future.

Which of these sarees do you have in your wardrobe?

Where to buy from:
Here are some places I found where you can buy Tant or for that matter any Bengali sarees.