REPLICATION :
I wanted to share my favorite piece of cloth : This is a tussar silk sari my mother brought for me from a village in south India. Tussar silk also known as kosa silk is produced using tussar silkworms ( these belong to thee moth category) . Tussar silk mainly comes from India and is produced in the states of madhya pradesh , west Bengal and chattisgarh . This is a tussar silk sari is dyed using the tie and dye technique. On observing the cloth you can see the tiny holes created by the needle work done to tie the cloth. 

 TIE AND DYE -As the name suggests the techniques of tie and dye involves two stages tying sections of a length of cloth and then dunking it into vats of color  Tie and dye is a resist method of  patterning fabric that is achieved by withholding dye from certain areas of the fabric, This leaves the original undyed area as the  background or vice versa. This method can be used to combine lots color by tying and covering certain areas according to the effect desired thereafter the fabric opens out into amazing designs: dots,circles, squares, waves and stripes.

     The reason why i chose this to be my favorite piece of cloth is because inspite of having a silk warp and a silk weft , the fabric still has an unfinished yet elegant feel to it. Unlike mulberry silk fabric it is much more lighter in weight and breathes well making it suitable for a warm summer day. Tussar silk gives a slight dull gold sheen to the fabric making it look richer. Tussar silk is also raw and unfinished compared to the mulberry silk. The tie and dye technique is used to make these kind of triangular patterns all over the sari. 

    I felt this piece of fabric has a sense of the Indian culture woven within it as it is a combination of two of the most famous Indian forms of crafts - tie and dye and weaving.

REPLICATION :

After today's lecture i had this one question flooding my mind. " Is it us defining our personality or is it what we wear?" We generally dont realize this but we are what we wear most of the times. There are certain forms of arts and crafts  that have been replicated over centuries now.These fabrics have now become a part of our cultures and traditions.I think mass producing such kind of fabrics would just make them loose their importance.They need to be preserved yet need timely rejuvenation.We must not leave them behind ,  but carry them forward in a justified way.

      The sari , is one piece of fabric that defines India. Within India itself there are so many ways of draping the traditional sari , yet it has its own significance and the power to speak for the whole country.Textiles speak for the society and describe its nature , status and  culture. Textiles are a very vital part of our culture.Sometimes they have ancient stories woven into their patterns , sometimes they incorporate rare natural fibers  and sometimes they are made using the age old techniques passed down from generations.There are enumerable fabrics produced all over the world having  different significance and stories behind them.

   Thus , the saying "we are what we wear" to an extent is justified.The world has reached a point where everyone is judged on the basis of what he or she is wearing.I believe instead of leaving what we already have behind , it would be smarter to carry it forward maybe by introducing new sparks into it.Our age old traditions need to be breathing forever.