Gyaser from Ladakh weaves its way to Chennai through the 'Óther Silk Route'

CHENNAI: What is the ‘other Silk Route’? According to Kolkata-based designers Swati Agarwal and Sunaina Jalan, it traces its origins to early 19th-century China and the Buddhist Himalayas of Tibet and Ladakh, coming through to the commercial hub of Kalimpong and finally ancient Banaras.
The route brought with it samples of Gyasar, a Tibetan brocade for use in Tibetan ritualistic hangings and garments, which Swati and Sunaina have used to create textiles for saris.
Casting the Gyaser fabric into textiles for saris has apparently never been attempted before, say the designer duo. Given its inherent thickness, traditionally, the Gyaser can only be woven in narrow width and short length -- width not exceeding 60 to 70 cm.
“It was a daunting and delicate task to reduce the weight, increase the width and modify the construction of the Gyaser to make it light and supple; while retaining its characteristic boldness and intricacy,” say the designers, who add that they worked with the weavers of Banaras to overcome the challenges and to make this a reality.
The special zari, created in 98.5% pure silver, is electroplated with 24 karat gold to achieve the bright tone required for a Gyaser textile.
Swati and Sunaina will present their exhibition Between Land & Sky: Woven Gold from the Gyaser Tradition in Chennai next week. The exhibition recreates the journey of Gyaser, an unrivalled, almost divine manifestation of beauty and historical intrigue in metallic brocaded silk; richly patterned with Chinese and Buddhist symbols for long life, protection and prosperity.
“Swati and Sunaina are doing an absolutely wonderful job of the revival of various difficult, fading and languishing weaving processes to the benefit of all textile lovers, who can now see contemporary examples of these products,” says Sharan Apparao who will be presenting the work in Chennai.
Fashion designer and writer Mayank Mansingh Kaul says, “The Gyaser is a very specialised and rare tradition of the Banaras handloom industry. So far used as a ritual fabric and for furnishings, its transformation into a saree is fascinating.”
Between Land & Sky: Woven Gold from the Gyaser Tradition will be held from December 17 to 21 at Appaswamy Clover by the River, River View Road, Kottur Puram (Opp. Kottur Puram Tree Park along the River) Chennai from 11 am - 6 pm.