K #Saris_A2Z

#Saris_A2Z brings you one more Sunday special, to make your Valentine's Day sizzling n scintillating. Before you read further grab your garam garam chai ki pyali☕️, curl your feet up on your favorite couch🛋

ab Dil thaam ke पढ़िएगा~

Maestro Amrita spins yet another web with her finesse and churns out 

Kantha's Katha...

"Munmun stared out of her spacious balcony on the thirtieth floor of her plush new apartment in New Alipore. It was a July morning. The monsoon clouds hung low. One moment, they held hands as if  to jump down below; next moment they parted,  letting the sun peep out . Munmun loved the hide and seek of monsoon clouds. It made her so joyful. Eighteen years ago, when she had told her mom, she wanted to take a break for an year  after graduating from M.I.T to follow her calling, it wasn't well appreciated. She was twenty two at that time and it was rational to think her degree should quickly begin  a great corporate career.  Her hardworking parents had arrived in USA, when she was just an year old. Her father, was a well admired professor in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He had spent his life working on theories and applications that pushed frontiers in science and technology. And her mom was diligent in keeping her family of four, healthy and happy. She was also fiercely house proud, with the ability to turn every mundane corner of their house into regalia. Munmun had left all that comfort of their suburban Boston home in Cambridgeport to find her calling in India.

Arriving at Kolkata, she expected  the welcome would be as warm as when she arrived every year during her summer break with her parents. Today her Nani, though undoubtedly happy to see her only granddaughter was somewhat guarded in expressing it. Munmun knew at once that her parents would have sounded nani out. Nani would have been given a mandate to convince to return. After all, no one else could 'nag with love' and convince. But Munmun was restless with unknown dreams . She wanted to hear her inner voice far away from her daily grind in Boston.Munmun crushed Nani in a tight bear hug even as Nani struggled to parrot her parents' terse lines . Soon, Nani being the simple soul that she was , was basking in Munmun's happiness. They babbled away merrily  in the car and before long had reached home. 

Nani's home was brimming over with aromas from the most delicious food that Munmun had ever tasted anywhere in the world. She ran to the kitchen, her favorite place at nani's.  Laxmi, the cook of several years, was diligently rustling up her magic. It was unheard of Laxmi ever offering a meal that wasn't at least five course. Intoxicated thus by the aromas, Mumun's eyes suddenly fell to the floor. There was a tiny infant , fast asleep, on a bright colored cloth. It Laxmi's newborn. " Aww, Laxmididi, you shouldn't have got your baby to the kitchen. And why on the floor? Won't she... "...

" Naa", said Laxmi without letting Munmun complete the sentence, " she is fine. "Sleeping peacefully on the kantha near me. " Munmun peered at the " kantha", the baby's hand stitched ' mattress' . It was several layers of cloth that Laxmi would have garnered over time, stitched together. It had been done with great  finesse anfpd looked very arty. She gazed at the kantha and the baby for a long time, till a loud ring on her phone broke her trance. It was her dad's guttural voice, ostensibly enquiring about her long flight from Boston. Soon she found him irked and she had feared that was coming.  "For years, you were sent to the best schools. Special attention was given to hone your maths and science skills. It culminated in your graduating in Electronics engineering from the hallowed MIT. Was all that a burlesque of our concerted efforts? A deafening pause..

" Do you have anything in your mind? Or is your long break only an escape from the challenges of a promising career"? The call ended as abruptly as it had arrived. Munmun knew it was impossible to convince her very rational dad with any of her rationale. But she found herself pondering on his words. Really! She didn't have a specific idea to spend her break year on. She was staring blankly when her gaze again fell on the baby and the kantha. Both looked so perfectly at peace. Where would she find hers?

Since that day, eighteen years ago, Munmun reminisced , as a refreshing  drizzle brought her back to the present,  her love affair with the kantha stitch had begun. She didn't know it was meant for a lifetime. She had nagged Laxmi to show all the kanthas of her baby. Each so simply done, yet each a piece of art. Next, she decided to go with Laxmi to her village and saw how widely kanthas were stitched for every day use. She was completely smitten by this simple art of the village folk to create pieces of sheer joy. She then, bought pieces of cloth herself, colorful ones, demure ones  and gave it to the women in Laxmi's village to stitch. Soon she found herself give them the new and bold designs too. And lo, how well they brought it out on cloth. She paid them well , ensuring her new found joy trickled down to all . When her mom came after 6 months to take her back, she was pleasantly surprised to see the kantha pieces Munmun had garnered painstakingly. She had not even known that her young daughter was so artistic, though she herself had sent Munmun for painting classes on the side and seen some inclination. But years of academic pressure had buried it all, so she thought. And now she was speechless at what lay before. There was never again a discussion of wrapping up her stay in Kolkata. All that they talked at home was how to showcase her kantha work. Infact, nani asked her if she could get this beautiful craft, powered by her imaginative designs and color combinations on saris. Stitch a new magic on saris. How would it be? Munmun leapt at the idea, overjoyed. And thus, Moon's Kantha Saris was born. The first exhibition was held in Boston. Then another in DC, followed by one in New Jersey. In a few years time, there was demand from San Francisco. And Munmun hadn't realized the passage of time. Her brand, Moon's Kantha's Saris  was now awaited by super markets as acclaimed by few eminent design houses in Italy, France and USA. She ensured, year after year that the quality of fabric and alluring designs went hand in hand in every piece. That was her mantra. She had a proud band of loyal customers. They were her evangelists spreading her art all over the globe. 

Someone, called her gently, " Ma'am, a call from Milan. They want our kantha saris for their spring fashion show, where they are showcasing Indian drapes this year. What do I say?" It was Laxmi's daughter, now an an aspiring fashion technologist and apprenticing with Moon's Saris............................Did she ever imagine her Kantha saris would go so far...........Somewhere, behind, a  FM radio was playing 'Ganga aye kahaan se, Ganga jaye kahaan re.......................

Laharaye pani mein jaise dhup chhaon re...................."..

Was it an ode to her Kantha drapes?"

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

#iluvsaris @demuredrapes