KANAKAVALLI JOURNAL

Dr. Shanthi Sanjay, Kanakavalli’s May Vignette, is a gynaecologist who is passionate about guiding mothers through the journey of pregnancy and taking care of two lives. In conversation with the Kanakavalli Journal, she opens up about her firm belief in living a life of balance.

This month we look at the various patterns that make up the body of the sari, focusing on the Kattam and Vari (checks and stripes). The weavers of Tamil Nadu possess a skillful mastery over the weaving of checks and stripes. The end result is a powerful visual and emotive force of expression.

At the heart of everything that Mira T. Sundara Rajan does is a deep love for the arts. As the great- granddaughter of the legendary poet and Indian nationalist Subramania Bharati, Mira grew up surrounded by music, poetry and literature, in a family for whom education was central.

The jewellery motifs used in a kanjivaram sari pay homage to the art of jewellery in South India, to our ancestors who conceived these jewels, and to the skilled artisans who handcrafted them. A South Indian bride’s trousseau may traditionally includes these rich motifs as ornamentation on the kanjivaram drape.

In the March edition of Vignettes, Priya talks to Aneesha Bangera of the Kanakavalli Journal, taking us back to where it all began. She reminisces about growing up in a home where everything revolved around music and dance, and remembers the excitement of wearing her very first sari.

After exploring the role of birds and animals in the sari in the last edition of Varna Sutra, we now turn to the intricacy and rich legacy of plant and flower motifs on the kanjivaram. Weavers have derived these symbolic patterns into meaningful motifs suiting the nature of their traditional weaving methods.