Introduction

Design Resource

Aari Zardozi - Ahmedabad, Gujarat

The Art of Needle Stitching Work

Prof. Bibhudutta Baral and Ranjitha M. C.

Introduction

Ahmedabad is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River. It is the largest city in Gujarat and has witnessed the rule of many dynasties, right from the Sultanate and Mughal rule to Maratha and British rule. There is a remarkable tale associated with Ahmedabad city. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Muslim Muzaffarid dynasty was ruling the Gujarat state. Once king Sultan Ahmed Shah was standing and enjoying the beautiful sight of River Sabarmati and he observed a small hare chasing a big ferocious dog. He keeps on thinking about that incident and he approached a spiritual leader for an explanation. Then he explained that it is the individuality of this holy land, which develops such rare qualities in its people. The king Sultan got so impressed with the uniqueness of this land and set up the capital of Gujarat on 4th march 1411, hence the name Ahmedabad. Whereas in the 1960s, the capital changed to the well-planned city of Gandhinagar. River Sabarmati divided Ahmedabad into eastern and western regions. Ahmedabad has developed as one of the important centers of trade and textile manufacturing and it is the second-largest cotton producer in India.

Aari Zardozi is a form of embroidery, that originated in Persia whereas “zar” means gold and “dozi” means embroidery. Mughal conquerors introduced this heavy and unique style of hand embroidery to India. In the Mughal era, Aari Zardozi's works were used to decorate tent walls in the form of wall-hangings as well as an accessory for royal elephants and horses. Various styles of hand embroideries are handed down from generation to generation. Aari Zardozi's works differ from other traditional embroideries like Chikankari, Sujni, Kantha, Kasuti, Toda and Mirror embroidery etc. The Muslim communities residing in India initially executed Aari Zardozi's work. These Aari Zardozi designs vary from place to place.

Artisan Mr. Shahid Ansari from Ahmedabad, who got this unique skill from his forefathers, has practised for the past 22 years. Previously he was making zardozi designs for bridal collections and also for some showroom order works later on the invention of Computer designs and machine embroidery affected many of these craft people. Then he thought to give a new vision to Aari zardozi's artwork and he started to make embroider of famous monuments of India.

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Aari Zardozi - Ahmedabad, Gujarat