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REVIVING A TREASURED PAST
From enchanting crafts to ageold fragrant delicacies, here’s a peek into the royal zenana of Awadh
On a mellow winter afternoon, we walked into Alka Rani Singh’s palatial house tucked away in the lush green lanes of Pandara Road. The richly furnished drawing room with sepia portraits on the wall, gigantic antique mirrors, and blue pottery plates instantly transported us to a different era, a different place. Singh, who has taken up the mission of bringing back all things Awadh, settled on the sofa to tell us her revival story.
The Rajkumari of Pratapgarh, Awadh, along with her eldest daughter, Yashodhra Singh Rana, has been working relentlessly to revive the crafts, beauty, and culinary traditions of the Awadh royalty.
“We are trying to revive the lifestyle of yesteryears. Revival in its purest form is not commercially viable. So, we are throwing in a little design edge and a contemporary touch to make it more viable for the younger generation,” she said.
THE CRAFTS
Ten years ago, when Singh attempted reviving Awadhi crafts, it wasn’t easy. It was a task to find artisans to represent kamdani, coloured mukaish, and tukdi work; however, she persisted. Singh is hand painting textiles with French paints, which include saris, scarves, and table cloths over georgettes and satin.
VINTAGE BEAUTY SECRETS
Home-made beauty products were a part of traditions of the princely families. “What they ate was what they applied on their face. The products were healthy, chemicalfree, and had no preservatives,” says Singh. For instance, the shahi uptan, a natural scrub, has 32 ingredients in it, and its recipe is a family secret, along with other products like rose water and lead-free kajal.
FOOD
Food livened up with fragrant spices and beautiful presentation was an integral part of the Awadhi culinary culture. Apart from kebabs, kormas, and biryanis, there is a huge wide variety of vegetarian recipes too, such as channe ki daal ki puri, dupki ke aloo, kachumber salad, amle ki chutney, and halwas of sooji and besan.
We are trying to revive the lifestyle of yesteryear. Revival in its purest form is not commercially viable. So we are adding a contemporary touch ALKA RANI SINGH, REVIVALIST