Ancient thread
Traditional skills power the textile industry in the city of nawabs, finds Akanksha Maker
The freeway linking Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport to the centre of Lucknow provides a snapshot of Uttar Pradesh’s capital. The modern road quickly gives way to the more congested streets of the city, where locals enjoy hot street food against a backdrop of ancient monuments and modern construction sites, jostling side by side.
There’s little doubt that Lucknow is expanding. The city’s suburban areas have developed considerably in recent years and Lucknow now has a population of about 4.5 million. Infrastructure is rushing to catch up. The `7000 crore Lucknow Metro Rail, projected to launch by 2017, will help ease the traffic, while the 302km long Agra-Lucknow Expressway, estimated to cost `105 billion, is being built to connect the two cities, cutting the travel time in half.
The Lucknow Development Authority has a model for the city until 2031, which includes not only improving road and rail, but also housing and commercial development. The plan is for Lucknow to house an IT city spanning an area of 100 acres, on Sultanpur Road (the road connecting Lucknow to Sultanpur city in south of Uttar Pradesh), which will create 25,000 fresh jobs in allied sectors. The project will be a Special Economic Zone developed under a public-private partnership model by Vamasundari Investments, an arm of HCL Technologies.
State-of-the-art constructions have also been sanctioned in Gomti Nagar (in eastern Lucknow) a settlement handled by the authority. The area, deemed to be one of India’s largest townships is home to new-age Lucknow consisting of IT parks, corporate houses, malls, universities, banks and premium residences. The emergence of this area threatens to replace Hazratganj (central Lucknow) as Lucknow’s commercial hub. Being the city’s busiest crossing, Hazratganj still remains Lucknow’s prime bazaar, housing a number of shopping complexes, restaurants, hotels and movie theatres.
Shifting from contemporary to traditional comes easy to Lucknow. Hazratganj and Gomti Nagar embody its new face, areas such as Aminabad and Chowk in the Old City represent its rich antiquity. Fondly known as the City of Nawabs, Lucknow was the capital of the Avadh region during the 18th century, when Mughal emperors appointed governors or Nawabs to look after the administration of the province. It was during the reign of the Mughal dynasties that Lucknow flourished culturally, in aspects of literature, music, poetry and dance. Walking through the by-lanes near the Akbari Gate (located at Chowk, 20 minutes from Hazratganj), the bustle of bazaars can easily take you a few centuries back in time, while in every nook and cranny, stores wholesaling and retailing traditional Indian crafts can be found.
Uttar Pradesh has always been a significant manufacturer of handicrafts and Lucknow’s position as the capital champions this to sustain skills such as carpet weaving, kite-making, embroideries and earthen pottery that originated during its Mughal reign. It’s fascinating to see age-old art support an economy that helps foster growth across the entire state. While it generates sufficient employment for skilled artisans, it also provides a platform for women workers who are restricted from taking up corporate jobs. The crafts, especially embroidery, generate foreign exchange from exports and aids the city’s GDP through domestic trading.
India is renowned for its textile expertise, but Lucknow has its own specialisation. While stitch types such as Mukaish and Zardozi (in which thin strips of metallic wire are inserted into the fabric and twisted to create embroidery) are quite popular, it is the Chikan embroidery, that drives the city’s garment trade, generating `100 crore via direct exports and over `300 crore through indirect sales, solely in the Uttar Pradesh capital. Chikankari, the skill of this aesthetic thread-work, is believed has its roots in 17th century Lucknow, when Nur Jahan, wife of Mughal emperor Jehangir, encouraged this art-form across the Avadh empire. Its technique requires thread to be carefully hand-embroidered on various textiles such as cotton, muslin, chiffon and silk to follow patterns imprinted by blocks on the fabric.
Exporting these products is the challenge of companies such as MLK Exports (manufacturers and wholesalers) run by the Kapoor brothers, Shishir and Sharad. The firm exports dresses, tops, shirts, shorts, even pants wrought with Chikan embroidery
“We are known for the ‘Made in Lucknow’ stamp, not ‘Made in China’”
Above: Rumi Darwaza, Hand-woven zardozi embroidery, Bara Imambara Below: Judi Dench wears a chikan gown
to 26 countries and adapts its styles to suit those international markets.
“Our (international) clients love working with us not only because of the high quality of our garments, but also because we understand the preferences of western customers,” says Kapoor. His statement held true as I went through their collection — nothing like what MLK manufactured could be found on the streets of Lucknow, the only resemblance being their striking Chikankari embellishments. This understanding of the needs of international markets has led to their considerable success. “Having worked with noted clothing companies such as Net-a-porter (USA), La Cera (USA) and Vix (Brazil), we saw a substantial growth (25%) last year and our company holds a capacity block until July 2015.”
In addition, the company shares its success with its employees and the city. While most of the companies prefer to outsource the hand-work, MLK Exports opts for in-house production. “Around 200 women employees are hired on a full-time basis to work with us, resulting in quicker turnaround time and higher efficiency,” says Kapoor.
Khusboo Rastogi, daughter of Reena Rastogi, proprietor of Seva Chikan in Lucknow, another company that wholesales and retails Chikan garments says, “Not only is the cost of labour lower in villages than the city, but the process of handembroidering the cloth is tedious and our women employees prefer operating from the comforts of their home.” The company primarily works with women from nearby villages such as Kakori and Sitapur on a per-garment basis to suit the mind-set of traditional households that discourage women from working out of home. The designs of Seva are more mainstream and traditional as their clientele is based in India. However, Khusboo brings her experience from her attendance at a fashion school in Milan by delving into creative collections every once in a while.
While Lucknow’s chikan juggles between traditional and modern designs, eminent Indian fashion maestros too incorporate the stitch in many of their collections. Designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s Chikan gowns have been spotted on the likes of Judi Dench on various red-carpet occasions. Noted fashion-designer Ritu Kumar as well carries the embroidery in many of her collections. “Chikan embroidery has been replicated in almost every collection of ours. In the classical Ritu Kumar line, this white on white woven cutwork is a perennial and works well with Indian and Western clientele,” says Kumar.
As Lucknow’s Chikan gains credibility from around the world, the commerce within the city faces challenges by the advent of Chinese machinery that manufacture high-volumes with smoother finishes. Since the hand-work is evidently more intricate, Kapoor and Rastogi believe the comparison is unfair. The threat exists but the players are confident about their product and believe the market for Chinese manufactured Chikan is very different from the one they operate in. “We are known for the ‘Made in Lucknow’ stamp, not ‘Made in China’,” says Kapoor.
The city’s handicraft industry is harmonious with the government’s major new national programme called Make in India, a campaign that’s designed to foster innovation, drive investment and protect skill-sets of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for India is to realise self-sufficiency by increasing exports and reducing imports. To boost Make in Lucknow, Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav has announced the construction of Lucknow Haat, a 25 acre land at Avadh Vihar that will provide a platform to handicraft workers of Lucknow. In addition, a carpet bazaar estimated at `50 crore is also underway at the nearby Bhadohi district. By encouraging the growth of locally manufactured handicrafts, the Uttar Pradesh government is setting a fine example for the rest of the country.
Lucknow is gradually emerging as one of India’s finest cities; with the advent of new infrastructure, underway development and powerful culture that sustains its economy. It’s hard to ignore how Lucknow effortlessly strikes a balance between its tradition and modernity.