Varna Sutra : Patra, Pushpam - Kanjivaram's Flora
Motifs offer a new dimension to the visual appeal of a traditional sari, upholding a unique form of creative expression within the craft. Plant an...
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Varna Sutra : Healing Foods (Part 2)
Within the kanjivaram drape, you can traverse a world of colour, and you might find yourself immersed in the hues of a South Indian kitchen. Conti...
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Varna Sutra : Healing Foods (Part 1)
Unfolding in a beautiful lexicon, the kanjivaram’s colours are rich in local flavour, indigenous and evocative. They are rooted in culture and the...
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Varna Sutra - Yalis: Divine Defenders
As most of the world is in lockdown, and we all navigate this uncertain and rapidly evolving climate, Kanakavalli turns to the ornamentation of ...
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Varna Sutra: Antar Anga - Checks & Stripes
Over the last few months, the Varna Sutra series has delved into one of the most important elements of a kanjivaram sari: the magical world of mot...
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Varna Sutra : Ratna Mudra - Kanjivaram's Motifs
Indian jewellery is as old as civilisation itself. Excavations of the ancient Indus Valley civilisation, in fact, yielded examples of beaded jewel...
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Varna Sutra : Mriga, Pakshi - Kanjivaram's Motifs
In the Varna Sutra series thus far, we have explored the colours of the kanjivaram: their special significance and meanings, and the way they have...
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Varna Sutra Redux : Of Colour And Light
Over the past few months, in Kanakavalli's Varna Sutra, Sreemathy Mohan has traveled a landscape of colour in the kanjivaram, tracing inspiration ...
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Varna Sutra: Shyama, Svetha - Ebony & Ivory
The history of the colours of the kanjivaram sari is carved out of a lifelong fascination with South India's traditions and social norms. Ritual, ...
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Varna Sutra: Haridhra - Kanjivaram's Colours Of The Sun
The kanjivaram is made only more beautiful by the rich symbolism woven into its drape, which is in itself aesthetically lovely. Just as every mudr...
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Varna Sutra: Nila - Infinity In Blues
In this edition of Varna Sutra, we turn to the colour of infinity, a symbol of vastness: the universally loved shades of blue or Nila. This is a c...
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Varna Sutra: Raktha - The Colour Of Passion
South India has one of the finest textile traditions, one that combines the skill of master craftsmen with elements of design, colour and weave th...
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