Literature

review

HISTORY
Its history and origin varies from person to person due to lack of
evidences and documentation. The origin of this beautiful art can be
traced back to the 15th century AD. The earliest mention of the ancient
word phulkari appears in the famous love story Heer Ranjha written by
Waris Shah (1725-1790). The Phulkari was the costume of Heer .
Some have opinion that this craft migrated from Persian art, where an
embroidery from Gulkari having similar literal meaning, gul meaning
flower and Kari meaning work. This is the same etymology for the word
Phulkari.

In Harishcharitra the author, Bana Bhatt in the 7 th century A.D.,

mentioned, some people were embroidering flowers and leaves on the
cloth from the reverse side. This description is similar to the technique of
Phulkari and Bagh because they are also done on the backside of the cloth.
Based on this reference, Jasleen Dhamija has put forward the theory that
such embroidery was probably prevalent in various parts of the country
during the 7th century. According to her, the technique of embroidery
survived only in Punjab, while similar motifs are sometimes used in Bihar
and Rajasthan.

Some researchers and historians think the art of Phulkari came from
central Asia along with the Jat tribes who migrated to India and lived in
Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat. Both these theories are incorrect.
References to the art of Phulkari are found in the Vedas, the Mahabharata
and Guru Granth Sahib. The origin of the art of phulkari can be traced
back to the 15th century AD. The earliest available articles are Phulkari
shawls & hankies embroidered in the Chamba style during the 15 th century
by Bebe Nanaki, the sister of Guru Nanak Dev ji (1469-1539), the first
guru of the Sikh religion. These articles have been preserved in Sikh holy
places in Punjab, at the Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak in the district of
Gurdaspur. Another shawl has been preserved in the Gurudwara Mao
Sahib in the district of Jalandhar. It was used by the 5 th Sikh Guru, Arjun
Dev ji (1563-1606), when he married Mai Ganga. According to these
theories and existing articles, it is difficult to trace the exact origin of
traditional Punjabi Phulkari embroidery.

RAW MATERIALS USED

Properties of raw materials and technique

Punjabi women made the traditional Phulkari of Punjab after completing

their household work. They sat together in a group called Trinjan where
all women engaged in embroidery, as well as in dancing, laughing,
gossiping and weaving. Traditional Phulkari was made of hand-dyed and
hand-woven spun cloth called khaddar using high quality untwisted silk
thread called pat with bright colors like red, green, golden, yellow, pink
and blue. It was done with an ordinary needle in the darn stitch, without
the help of any tracing, drawing, pattern or design. For embroidering a
single Phulkari, an average of 50 to 100 gram of Pat is needed and for
Bagh 100 grams, to 150 grams are required. The silk thread came from
Kashmir, Afghanistan and Bengal and was dyed in Amritsar and Jammu.
The best quality of silk thread came from China. Handling this kind of
thread needed more expertise and experience .The cloth Khaddar could
be of four colors white, red, black and blue. White was used by the mature
women and widows, while red was for young married women. Black and
blue colors were for daily use by women.
The main characteristic of Phulkari is the embroidery is on the wrong side
of the cloth so the design is automatically embroidered on the right side of
the cloth.
A Phulkari takes anywhere from a month to a year to complete, and the
special types of Vari Da Bagh took a year. The time it takes to make a
Phulkari also depends upon the design, pattern, and the expertise of the
embroiderer. For example, a vari da bagh, where the embroidery covers
the entire surface of the cloth and the base is not visible, takes ten years to
complete. It has a complicated design of golden colored silk thread. The
Bagh and Phulkari are embroidered on an undyed fabric called a
Thirma. The women of the eastern Punjab embroidered Phulkaris with
patterns of human, animal, and plant forms, as well as other jewellery
patterns. With this type of Phulkari, women trace the outline of the design

with black ink, and then fill them with the darning stitch. The satin
stitches, herringbone stitch, cross stitch, chain stitch, blanket stitch,
backstitch, stem stitch, and running stitch were also used in phulkari
embroidery.
FabricsHistorically the fabric used for the phulkari work is a thick and is evenly
woven which was mainly khaddar whose thread was manually spinned,
loomed and dyed with natural pigments.
Khadi/khaddar-

Nowadays, phulkari is done on all kinds of fabric like chiffon and light
weight cotton.
Graph paper and Butter paper -

Graph paper or butter paper is used for geometrically drawing out the motifs
or the final design to be embroidered on the cloth.
Pat / Untwisted Yarn -

Historically cotton yarns were used but with the passage of time,
untwisted floss silk came into use because of its grace. And nowadays, silk
floss is used for the phulkari work which is known as pat dhagha. Tracing
chemicals:1. Zinc oxide for white
2. Ink for black and blue
NeedleNormal needle is used for the work.

Embroidery Frame-

Frame is used to handle the fabric while embroidering.

SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE OF
COLORS AND MOTIFS
In the past, the women of Punjab made a Phulkari and Bagh for their
suhag (marital bliss) and prosperity. They used colors and motifs that
they liked the best. All the colors and motifs used by the women for
embroidering had a symbolic significance.
I. Colors
Red: The color red was mostly used the base fabric. Red symbolizes
happiness, prosperity, love, passion desire, and excitement. Red also
signifies blooming flowers and sunlight that gives us life. It also stands for
power and energy.
Yellow: Yellow and shades of yellow are used in great quantities for the
Phulkari and Bagh. It is a symbol of happiness, liveliness and success and
fertility. It has a special significance in Punjab since it is the color of
wheat and the mustard flower. It is also a symbol of power, enlightenment
and supernatural feelings.
Orange: Orange color is a symbol of cheerfulness, creativity, produces a
mystical effect on the mind and suggests wonder. It is also a symbol of
affordability and low cost.
Green: Green color is a symbol of freshness, nature, a clean environment,
holiness, harmony, and honesty. The green color has a calming and restful
effect.
Blue: Blue color is a symbol of nature and truth. It is also a symbol of
water and sky however, it was not often used.
White: White is a symbol of peace, purity, honesty and simplicity. It was
used for a special kind of Bagh base cloth called Thirma.

It can be concluded that the embroidered Phulkari and Bagh symbols of

happiness, prosperity, energy, fertility, peace of mind, harmony in
creativity, purity and sincerity of a womans mind, freshness of mind,
pleasure of life, simplicity of women, a reflection of rural Punjab,
liveliness and devotion. Some women have embroidered the same motifs
using different colors, which show their creativity. Some women have
embroidered a motif with colors that were different all other embroidered
motifs. It looked very odd but it was meant to keep the evil eye away.
II. Motifs
Nature has given us many motifs. The women of Punjab used forms of
nature to embroider their Phulkari and Bagh. This enabled them to
express their emotions in a visual form. The wonderful forms and shapes
created by the simple lines and circles carry a meaning that lies deep in
the embroiderers heart.
Geometrical figures: The triangle symbolizes the holy trinity. The triangle
represents the number three, which is a symbol of the past, present, and
future, and the nature of universe in terms of spirit, mind and body. The
circle represents the sun, moon and the earth because a circle has no
beginning and end. It also represents the divine character. The
multicolored abstract square of harmonious growth symbolizes the simple
figures of peasants and has many variations. A square superimposed on a
circle symbolizes reproduction, growth and fertility. The square and the
rectangle represent equality, conformity and peacefulness. Several
squares together look uneven but it is a very significant design that is
considered auspicious. Parallel lines create an effect of repetition and
create an illusion. A curved line symbolizes water. A zigzag line
symbolizes excitement and lightning.
Flowers and Fruits: Flowers symbolize the beauty of nature and the
fragrance of youth. Flowers filled with different colors show the creativity
of the Punjabi women. These motifs were very meaningful. The
pomegranate symbolizes good luck, wealth, prosperity and fertility.
Orange and mango reflect freshness and prosperity.

Animals and Birds: Animals and birds embroidered on the Phulkari and
Bagh also have a symbolic meaning. The sparrow is a symbol of creativity
and fertility. The peacock is a symbol beauty, pride and success, goodwill
and immortality. The cow is a symbol of maternal nurturing powers of the
earth, fertility and abundance. The elephant is a symbol of strength and
victory. Multicolored fish are a symbol of peace and joy. Thus the
traditional phulkari is very symbolic through its motifs and colors. It
depicts the rural culture and heritage of Punjab.

METHODOLOGY

PEOPLE AND PLACE

As the women gets done with the household work, they get together for
their daily chit chat be it on terraces, verandas, outside their houses with
some on folding beds, some on stair, others on peedhe or charpoy
(small jute chairs) the women of Patiala (Tripuri), Rajpura enjoy the sun
dhoop sakna, along with their Phulkari. While elderly women are busy
cutting vegetables, playing with grandchildren, the young group enjoys
embroidering Phulkari. It has become a part of their daily chores.
Sitting in groups, the women help each other with their Phulkaris. Even if
a woman is not able do the embroidery (age factor, loss of eyesight, bad
health) still she is constantly helping the young generation, telling them
stories of her Phulkari to keep the art alive.

Shammi Bais picture embroidering a phulkari.

Shammi Bai, is one of the finest Phulkari embroiders in Rajpura, Patiala.
She is 90 years old but still manages to embroider 2-3 Phulkari a year.
She is helped by her grand-daughter who helps her in putting thread in a
needle; and loves to learn and hear stories about Phulkari from her
grandmother.

Women embroidering a phulkari without any block printing.

Parwinder Kaur, a Phulkari appreciate, who taught herself the Phulkari,

always wanted to do something for this art. So at the age of 29 with the
help of Nabard Bank she started a Gurbachan welfare society .Here she
teaches and brings out awareness about this art. So far she has visited,
conducted workshops, started a self help group in almost 25 villages and
has helped around 1500 women with this art. Her dream is to keep this
art alive, teach as many women about this rich art and take it to an
international level.

A woman in a village embroidering a phulkari.

TYPE AND AREA OF STUDY

The type of this research project can be classified as that of an interactive
one. The study includes interaction with the local people of a village in
Punjab, namely Fatehpur which lies in the Mansa district and the Malwa
region.
The interaction was done with mainly the women asking them about their
knowledge about the history of the Phulkari work and the importance of
this art form in their lives. The answers were very similar because the use
and significance of the Phulkari in their everyday lives is the same which
includes the cultural importance of phulkari as it is given to the girls in
Punjab when they are getting married. The mothers or the girls
themselves embroider the phulkari for their marriage. The men were also
asked similar questions but they did not have enough knowledge about
the history of this embroidery but knew about its cultural significance.
Conversations with Phulkari related shop owners and workers revealed
that the demand for such textiles is increasing with the increasing income
and aspirations of communities in Punjab and beyond.

A woman embroidering a Phulkari in a village household.

The sample was selected based on mapping done with local partners on
the work and nature of its geography. The sample includes 10 Phulkari

workers who are female and home based.100% of the sample is rural and
consists only of female embroiders, as mentioned earlier.
Interviews with a few workers highlight the importance of training period
and women are often engaged to assist known members of their locality or
family in this work for no pay.
The data collection included questionnaires testing the knowledge of
people about the traditional art form of Phulkari. In case of uneducated
Phulkari embroiders, the questionnaire were filled by me by asking them
questions orally.

FINDINGS

TYPES OF PHULKARI
Thirma

This phulkari from the north of Punjab, shared by Hindu and Sikh
traditions and very appreciated by collectors is identified by its white
khaddar called thirma, symbol of purity.
As a symbol of purity, thirma was often worn by elder women and widows
but, at times, this choice of white coloured khaddar was also made for
esthetical reasons.
The pat was generally chosen in a range of bright pink to deep red tones.
Cluster stitched flowers, wide triangles covering the forehead as well as
chevron darning stitch surfaces were very common thirma patterns.

Thirma Phulkaris from west Punjab

Darshan Dwar
Darshan Dwar, that can be translated as "the gate through which God can
be seen", unlike other phulkari was not made for a person but for a temple
as an offering to thank the gods after a wish had been fulfilled.

For this reason, while a dowry could contain dozens of phulkari, darshan
dwar has never been made in big quantities.
Like other figurative pieces (e.g. Sainchi phulkari, see the next paragraph)
this particular kind of phulkari was made in east Punjab, a mostly nonIslamic area which allowed the development of a broad variety of human
and animal representations.

Darshan Dwars

Vari-da-bagh
("Vari": gift offered to the bride by her in-laws)
This bagh was gifted to the bride by her in-laws when she was entering
their house, her new home, on the wedding day. It is an exceptional fact
as all the other phulkari were part of her dowry and, thus, were provided
by her own family.
Vari-da-bagh is always made on an orange-reddish khaddar and, except
for its border and sometimes a small decoration, it is always embroidered
on its whole surface with a single golden or orange coloured pat.
This bagh's main pattern is a group of three or four small concentric
lozenges of growing size included in each other. Despite the fact that only
one colour of pat is used, these lozenges are easily revealed by the
reflections of light. The outer one symbolizes the Earth, the next one the
city and the third one the familial house. It happens that this last lozenge
is split into four smaller ones probably symbolizing the parents of the
groom and the newly married couple.
The bride was wrapped in this bagh by her mother in law when she was
receiving the keys of her new house, thereby meaning that the bride was
becoming responsible for the maintenance of the house.

A wari da bagh from west Punjab.

Bawan Bagh (or Bawan Phulkari)

"Bawan" means fifty-two in Punjabi and refers to the mosaic of fifty-two
different patterns which decorate this piece (the number of patterns can
be at times more or less than 52).
Bawan bagh (or phulkari) was in fact a display of samples used by
professional embroiderers to show their skills and the patterns they could
provide to their clients.
This explains why bawan bagh (or phulkari) is the rarest of all the bagh
and phulkari.

A bawan phulkari from east Punjab.

Chope
The bride's maternal grandmother (Nani) was starting chope's
embroidery as soon as her granddaughter was born. Instead of the
common darning stitch, she was using the Holbein stitch which has the
specificity of creating the same design on both the sides of the khaddar.
This can be interpreted as the grandmother's wish to make her
granddaughter equally happy in her life and after her death, on the two
sides of her existence.
Chope was made to wrap and dry the bride after the ritual bath she was
having before her wedding, for this practical reason chope is bigger than
other phulkari.
Its khaddar was invariably dyed in red or orange colour, symbol of
passion and happiness. It is worth noticing that chope was never bordered
so that this happiness could be unlimited.
Pat was always chosen in golden tones to express desire and wealth.
The Patterns were big triangles symmetrically distributed on the two sides
of the chope's longitudinal axis. They were maybe symbolizing male and
female principles separated by a distance expressing the fact that the
wedding's night had not taken place yet and, thus, that the bride and
groom had not had physical intimacy. On another hand these triangles
could also represent stylized peacocks.
As well as in other phulkari, some mistakes were voluntarily introduced
into the embroidery work in order to protect the bride from the evil eye
("nazar"). Indeed a perfect piece could have attracted others' jealousy.
This principle of keeping others' envy away showing imperfections is
found in many oriental traditions. In India, for instance, some black
round spots are often drawn on babies faces for this purpose.
Sometimes, chope was also used to cover and hide the bride's dowry,
making it invisible to jealous minds and thus keeping the nazar away.

A chope phulkari.

Sainchi Phulkari
Sainchi phulkari are figurative pieces narrating the life in the villages of
south east Punjab.
Local animals (goats, cows, elephants, big cats, scorpions, peacocks...) are
represented moving among wrestlers, farmers, weavers, etc.
Train is also often displayed on sainchi phulkari, this means of
transportation, brought by the British in the second half of the 19th
century, having had a big impact on local populations' life.
Beyond their aesthetic value, sainchi phulkari can be compared to our
nowadays media as they depict the ways of life, interests and environment
of the old time rural people of Punjab.
In addition, they were produced in a relatively small area (Firozpur and
Bhatinda districts) and required high embroidery skills. These are all the
reasons why they became so appreciated by collectors and occupy a very
unique position among the different varieties of phulkari.

Two 19th century Sainchi phulkari.

Kaudi Bagh
Among their patterns, these bagh include chains of small white squares
representing stylized cowries. Used as currency in the old times these
shells have now lost all of their value and using them as ornaments has
thus become a sign of humility.
From another point of view, the shape of these shells can remind of
female genitals and make them become symbols of fertility. Kaudi
phulkari were often worn by women wanting to increase their chance to
become pregnant.

Details of a Kaudi phulkari from east Punjab.

Panchranga Bagh
Meaning "Five colours", this bagh is decorated with chevrons of five
different colours. In The same way, similar pieces like satranga ("Seven
colours") bagh are also available.

A panchranga bagh.

Meenakari Bagh (or "Ikka Bagh")

This bagh, often made of gold and white coloured pat, is decorated with
small multicoloured lozenges referring to enamel work (meenakari) or to
"diamond" playing cards' suit.

A meenakari or ikka bagh.

Surajmukhi
Surajmukhi, the sunflower, refers to the main pattern of this phulkari.
From a technical point of view this type of phulkari is unique as it is the
only one that mixes in comparable proportions Holbein stitch (used to
make chope phulkari) and the regular darning stitch.

Detail of a surajmukhi phulkari from west Punjab.

Nazar Battu Or Nazar Buti

Its main purpose is to drag off the evil eye. In order to achieve this, a
small corner or portion of the design is retained unembroidered,
indicating that the work is yet to be complete. Similarly, few motifs of the
main design or a small buti in a corner worked a distinct shade of blue,
black or purple, which as such is not been used except to denote Nazar
Buti.

MECHANISM
The embroidery is done for the most part upon coarse cotton cloth
(khaddar) locally woven from loosely homespun yarns of irregular
thickness, generally with between 10-12 warp threads/cm. Neelam Grewal
expresses the relationship between women and embroidery rather
poetically, explaining that the coarse ground material represents the
demanding life of the Punjabi woman and the rich embroidery of fine
coloured silk her hopes and dreams.
For baghs, ground fabrics of better quality are woven, called chaunsa
khaddar (ca.15-18 threads/cm); here warp and weft have the same
thickness and the material is more supple than standard khaddar. A still
finer texture was also used halwan (ca. 22-25 threads/cm) produced
only in Amritsar and Lahore. Weaving these cloths was much more time
consuming, so women used it only for more costly pieces. Halwan is
found more often in pieces from west Punjab, mainly Hazara and
Rawalpindi.
Khaddar was woven in narrow strips some 45-6ocm wide; thus two to
three and a half strips were sewn together for the required width. The
ground was often red, considered lucky by Hindus and Sikhs alike. One
also finds brown, various blue tones, black and white. Green is very rare.
Hindu women from northern Pakistan mostly used a white ground with
dark red silk for the embroidery.
Untwisted coarse silk yarn, produced from the outer threads of the silk
cocoon, was used for the embroidery. Known as pat, the supple white yarn
required careful handling. When a section of embroidery was completed,
the fabric was rolled in a clean white cloth to keep it from soiling while
work continued on an unembroidered part. The silk came in skeins from
Kashmir, Afghanistan, Bengal and the best quality from China. It was
dyed mainly in Amritsar, Jammu or Dera Ghazi Khan. The village women
then bought the skeins from itinerant merchants. They also used cotton
yarns (bandi) for white, black and yellow in certain pieces. Wool yarns
were very rarely used, except in certain specific types.

The principal stitch used for this work was the darning stitch. Indeed, the
almost exclusive use of the long and short darning stitch over counted
threads distinguishes phulkari and bagh from all other known Indian
textiles with embroidered decoration. Normally the darning stitch moves
in straight lines; in a skilled example, however, the stitch work can be
more dynamic. The pattern is controlled mainly by counting threads; in
west Punjab the pattern on the cloth is planned out with green yarn in
parallel lines or squares worked in double running stitch. A womans
ability was measured by the number of patterns she could master. Since
the material was, during the work, only visible from behind, a single
numerical error was enough to destroy the entire symmetry. Other
stitches used include chain stitch, which was used to outline figures. To
fill in the motif either satin stitch or a variation known as stop stitch was
preferred. Stem stitch was also used at times, as were herringbone stitch,
running stitch and, for borders, buttonhole stitch.
There were no pattern books or catalogues from which designs could be
copied. Rather, these were passed from generation to generation by word
of mouth and example. Thus each family had its own characteristic style
and, with practice and experience, each woman was able to develop her
own repertoire. At this point, the textile ceased to be a mere piece of
handiwork and became instead, through the stitches, colours and motifs,
an expression of the embroiderers feelings, hopes and dreams.
The limitations of stop stitch. which allows only straight lines, meant that
motifs had to be very stylised.

Applications
Some very special types of phulkaris and baghs were made for more
formal occasions. In west Punjab, following the birth of a boy, it was
customary, on a day chosen by the local astrologer, to begin a vari da
bagh. In an atmosphere of singing, dancing and gambling, sweetmeats
and red yarn would be distributed and the newborns grandmother would
place the first stitch on the embroidery. This bagh would later be handed
to the boys bride on their wedding day. Worked in yellow/gold yarn on a
red ground, the colours symbolise luck and fertility. The whole surface is
covered with diamonds, each enclosing a smaller diamond. In especially
good pieces three sizes of concentric diamond are found, the smallest
again divided into quarters. The sides and ends usually show various
patterns worked in several colours. To produce such a bagh could take
over a year. These pieces are today regarded as family heirlooms and
worn for a short time as an act of remembrance.
The original purpose of embroidery was to adorn the rough simple surface
of odhinis. Gradually people began to connect some of the motifs and
patterns with certain events and ceremonies, and so the textiles acquired
a religious and magical significance. In a tradition minded Punjabi family,
for instance, no important ceremony was held without the offering of a
specific type of phulkari by the senior woman of the family.
Many, if not most, pieces have a particular relation to parts of the
marriage ceremony and married life. This fact, coupled with the rich,
mainly floral motifs of the phulkari, points to an associative connection
with the familys fecundity and well-being. For example, yet another
phulkari type was used for the ceremonial bath before the wedding (nahai
dhoi), the filling of the clay pots (gharoli bhorna) and the mounting of the
horse by the groom (ghoricharana).
The brides family presented the grooms relations with baghs and
phulkaris, which formed a part of the dowry. When a new mother left her
room for the first time on the eleventh day after the birth of a child, she
wore a phulkari. At the same time, a very large embroidered cloth the

less richly worked til patra (scattered sesame) would be distributed to

the men and women servants of the house.
The year of an Indian family is rich in festive days, for which sometimes
Punjabi women wore phulkaris. Honoured guests of a house found a
phulkari laid out specially as bedding, or a tablecloth. In temples and
gurudwaras, walls, figures or holy writings were decorated with phulkaris
or baghs. In colonial times, sometimes a bagh was presented to a British
official at Christmas, together with fruit and sweetmeats. And if a woman
died before her husband, a phulkari sash would be used to wrap her body.

A girl wearing a phulkari at her wedding.

GI status for phulkari

The patent information centre (PIC) of Punjab State Council for Science
and Technology had filed for GI status for Phulkari in March 2005. A
Mumbai-resident had filed an opposition claiming that it would affect
those earning a living through this work outside Punjab. After five years
of legal battle, Punjab won the case and claimed its first GI status in 2011.
The GI, first for Punjab, is relevant for Phulkari work being done in
Haryana and Rajasthan. For traders and manufacturers, it means that
they will have to get themselves registered to be able to deal in the
traditional art work. The patent information centre (PIC) of Punjab State
Council for Science and Technology would issue a logo or hologram to
distinguish the product.

Phulkari in commercial zone

The first commercial use of the Phulkari, it is believed, happened in 1882
when Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed the export contract of Phulkaris. The
garment was now no longer meant for personal adoration alone.
According to the president of IGNCA, Chinmaya Gharekhan, presently
there are nearly 3, 00,000 women employed in making Phulkaris in
Punjab and Haryana. In modern day Punjab, there remain only a handful
of pockets where embroiders, mostly women, continue to make Phulkaris.
These are mostly in and around Patiala, where families from Bahawalpur
near Multan (in Pakistan) settled after the Partition. The Tripuri market
in Patiala is the main hub to source raw materials for the Phulkaris, a
place frequented by designers, wholesale dealers and boutique owners.
Though the Phulkaris commercialisation has meant employment for
thousands of women and a revival of the art, it has also led to a
degradation of its quality. It is tragic that the traditional artisans now earn
a pittance for their expertise.

In the old times, it used to be one woman working on a piece. So fine used
to be the work, that not a stitch was out of place. A bagh (a shawl
covered completely by design) could take up to a year to make and a
dupatta could take as many as three months. But, with industrialisation
looming over them, there are now as many as four women working on a

piece. They say it affects the quality of the work, but how else does one
compete with machines.
The key needs stress in enterprise and income related priorities. Workers
mention the need for more work and this emerges as the top most priority
for the section of Phulkari workers investigated. Assistance in marketing
through more information about the Phulkari trade and potentials is
another need.

Phulkari today

The designs have moved from the geometrical to stylized animals and
birds. The creative artists have adapted scenes from village life and
domestic objects such as belan and pots apart from nature- flowing rivers,
sun, moon, lotus flowers, sunflower and the rainbow. The parrot and
peacocks have inspired motifs.
Over the years, the pure cotton base cloth has made way for mixed
polyester, silk threads for synthetic floss and machines have taken over
the labour-intensive craft. Yet, the Phulkari has regained its popularity,
most recently in fashion designer Manish Malhotra collection. All it needs
now is a supportive government and loyal patrons.

Jacqueline Fernandes in a Manish Malhotra outfit

Communities of women still sit together and produce their flowery
dupattas , though the number of young girls trained in the craft has
dwindled. Commercialization, however, has touched the rural women and
their craft brings in some remuneration. Now, it is not only dupattas and
shawls that they embroider, but bed spreads, table linen and even
umbrellas. The purely domestic art is now available to connoisseurs who
prize it.
The Punjab government has named its state emporium after the craft and
stocks excellent samples sourced from villages. It even has training and
production centers in Patiala and Amritsar. The Punjab Small Industries

and Export Corporation gives support to the creative and skillful village
artists and is trying to keep alive the tradition and the vibrant art.
To obtain faster and cheaper production a coarser and looser style of
embroidery is being employed. With fast growing industries, schooling,
lack of interest for manual work, profitability, etc. the textile industry
today, is imitating this art with the help of machines.
Phulkari today is not as detailed or time consuming. Today the woman
does the embroidery from the top of the cloth rather from the wrong side
of the khaddar. Khaddar is being replaced by cotton, chiffon, georgette,
crepe and synthetic. Pat threads (self hand spun) by different range of fast
coloured synthetic threads and slowly people are being replaced by
machines.
Today the Phulkari has reached a new level; it now serves the purpose of
employment for a lot of women in Punjab. But unlike early Phulkari,
today making a single Phulkari is a collaborative work between lots of
people, from dealers to printers, to embroider.
Phulkari is getting a label of contemporary context. Making a Phulkari is
not a single woman work anymore. Embroidering a single Phulkari
involves various stages from buying the desired cloth, block print,
selection of colour and then sending them to different villages to different
women for embroidery.

Some other products made with Phulkari embroidery on them:

Conclusion

In conclusion, although traditional Phulkari is losing its original form;

many NGOs are working on to revival it. Traditional Phulkari pieces have
almost completely moved away from villages to collectors and museums.
Phulkari is now made for profit as a commodity. It is being sold in both
local and foreign markets. Today, the commercialization of the
contemporary Phulkari has compromised its quality and durability as a
traditional Phulkari of Punjab. It is now not done for personal use or as a
gift. It is now done for profit that benefits the women of Punjab. The
richness of this rural art was happiness which was transferred on to the
cloth by the technique of embroidery with sang folk songs. A single
phulkari is not made by one person; it is a collaboration of more than one
person.
Today, making Phulkari is not as time consuming and detailed as the
traditional, rural Phulkari. However, the traditional Phulkari looks more
attractive than the contemporary Phulkari. By organizing special training
programs, fairs, exhibitions and competitions, the government has been
working towards the promotion of the Punjabi Phulkari. The plus side of
this revival is providing work to many poor people, especially women.
Now Phulkari is not only known in Punjab, it is also famous in foreign
countries.
S.S. Hitkari, author of Phulkari Folk Art of Punjab (Delhi 1980) closes
his book with an optimistic look into the future:
All that has been born must pass; it is not worth shedding tears over it.
The sensitivity and creativity inbred in the Punjab women will certainly
find new forms of expression. Folk art never stagnates, but always finds
itself developing. So let us hope that in the course of time something as
unique and as fascinating as the Phulkari will exist. Until then it remains
for us to save what is left over from destruction and keep it for the new
world.

Bibliography

http://www.indianheritage.biz/Phulkari.html
books.google.co.in
http://www.dsource.in/resource/phulkari/credits.html
http://blog.mapsofindia.com/punjab/a-garden-of-flowers-phulkariof-punjab/
http://www.artwis.com/articles/phulkari-and-bagh-embroideriesof-the-punjab/4/
www.wikipedia.co.in
http://www.craftrevival.com/
Naik, Shailaja D.: Traditional Embroideries of India, A.P.H.
Publishing Corporation
Hitkari,S.S.: Designs and Patterns in Phulkaris, Phulkari
Publications
Multiple authors: Asian Embroidery, Jasleen Dhamija
Daljeet, Dr : The Sikh Heritage, Prakash Books

Questionnaires