Sujani: Stitch art of Bihar

Contemporary sujani motif on a chanderi stole 

These are exciting times for sujani, the stitch-art from Bihar.  Having sat modestly in hamlets across the state for several decades, it’s seeing its revival.

Initially created for use as household linen, in its current avatar sujani is increasingly embellishing apparel. It’s wooing not merely the ethnic market by making an appearance on dupattas, sarees and kurtas but has found favour among those with more contemporary tastes and accordingly kimono jackets, stoles, skirts, tees etc are being adorned with these threads.

While different forms of hand-embroidery across the country made rapid strides, sujani got overshadowed by the social  environment prevalent in the state and also by the immense popularity of other folk arts of Bihar: madhubani and papier-mache. It’s been the effort of NGOs, especially in the state’s Muzaffarpur district, that’s seen it emergence. The barometer of popularity of a folk-form these days can be gauged when it makes its presence felt at premium handicraft fairs. Sujani, unknown till a few years to the layperson, is now a permanent feature attracting a cross-section of buyers.     

Colour and form

Quite fundamentally, sujani is a form of quilting. Traditionally its canvas was old sarees and dhotis that were layered together. These were embellished with simple line or motifs in running stitch to give the recycled structure a new look. The layers of decorated muslin cloth were transformed into a quilt or mat for home use.

Sujani often gets mistaken with the kantha of Bengal as it is seemingly similar in appearance. The subtle difference lies in the colour scheme and theme. By tradition, the embroidery is always on a cream-base fabric and the pattern usually portrays village life. Also, in sujani the motifs are almost-always outlined in black chain-stitch with the inner detailing being in colour. The other distinction between the two is that unlike kantha where the stitch can be done in any direction, in sujani these are always in straight lines.  

Traditional motifs 

Current winds have ensured while the basic art remains the same, a slight variation has given it a new idiom that’s enthusing fashionistas and folk-craft aficionados alike and is definitely more appealing for today’s buyer who has plethora of apparel choices. The most prominent shift has been in the theme of embroidery and the outlining that’s now done in various colours brightening a pattern. 

“The customer these days is always looking for novel ideas. Till a few years back we were embroidering only those motifs that we had learnt from the elders. What I’m doing now is the same form of embroidery but on a different material, with different motifs, for a different clientele,” says Archana Kumari, a young girl from Ramnagar village, Bihar, who made the effort to study the nuances of textile designing which has helped her in giving the sujani patterns she embroiders a refreshingly-fresh edge. She has combined tradition and modern with utmost grace and her patterned silk stoles are a hot seller. “The shift to apparel from the conventional linen has made a big difference as far as sales are concerned,” she says, adding, “Sujani is being regarded as the next big thing in the fashion world. We need to explore a few more avenues before it goes truly international and is reognised more widely in the country just as kantha or kutchi embroidery is.” 

Revival and uplift

Sujani was a recreational task for the village woman, who tried to beautify her home with the meager resources available. She embroidered what she knew best: traditional motifs thus were a display of village life and folklore. Interestingly, beside it being employed as linen, the first known use of sujani-embellished cloth as a piece of clothing is a shawl to wrap the new born. The concept behind using worn-out clothes for a baby — a tradition followed till date across the country despite the offerings of multi-brands — was the reasoning that used fabric would be soft on tender skin. 

What could have developed as a popular stitch-art form, dwindled because of poverty and unstable social conditions. Consequentially sujani did not receive patronage that other forms of embroidery got, chiefly via government policies of independent India that encouraged cottage industry.  

It’s since the past three-plus years that NGOs active in Sarfuddinpur and Bhusra villages of Muzzafarpur district,      Bihar, have inspired confidence and got village women to re-look at their craft. The explicitly-visible makeover in style via a change in motif and fabric has shown desired result. The increased sales and exciting opportunities is a shot in the arm not just for sujani but it’s also been instrumental in empowering women artisans.  

These experiences are reflected in their work. “Via our motifs we express the new understandings we have acquired. It’s through this embroidery-skill that we have crossed frontiers. Our women had not stepped out of their home surroundings. Some of them now travel confidently and deal with customers themselves,” says Sanju of Sujani Mahila Jeevan, Bhusara.   

New and old

The new motifs Sanju speaks off includes presenting city-life, gadgets (yes, the cell phone has become a prominent part of sujani pattern), social themes and also their experiences of visiting new lands. “The pattern I’ve made of New York on a sujani shawl I’ve designed always draws curious glances and appreciation,” beams Archana Kumari. Her figurines of women on the fashion ramp also demand attention.

Interestingly, the new-age buyer does find traditional pattern on garments quite funky. So apparel, especially skirts and tees, with conventional sujani motifs of village scene or a pond with turtles and fishes is as much a rage as the newly-experimented-with geometrical and floral patterns. These trends certainly bode well for a stitch-art that’s now begun getting long-overdue recognition.

Published in Apparel, December 2012 

Craft from Bihar

One of the oldest seats of learning in the world is here. So is the place where Buddha gained enlightenment. It is the cradle of two of India’s powerful dynasties, the Mauryan and the Gupta, as well as the birthplace of the king among kings, Ashoka the Great—whose ideals dating back to the BC epoch reverberate in the Indian Constitution. This is the region where Mahatma Gandhi began his non-violent struggle against the British regime by staging the first satyagraha in support of the indigo farmers of Champaran. It’s a land rich in minerals and natural resources. A province with vibrant folk art and culture… If that’s arresting enough be prepared to be intrigued further, as the spotlight is on the state of Bihar.

Every state in India has an exceptionally rich handicraft and handloom tradition and Bihar is no different. For so long has it been plagued by a trail of troubles that its artistic attributes have been pushed into the background. As the dust is wiped away what emerges is a treasure trove of inheritance pursued by creative hands and minds.

Sikki

Sikki is a common riverside reed found in abundance across the northern Gangetic plains. A plant of high tensile strength, people down the ages have creatively used it to mould items of daily use. The coarse reed is dried in the sun till it turns supple and glossy golden. Its strands are then secured into a rope which is coiled into various shapes, ranging from boxes, animals, pencil holders, planters, serving-bowl casings etc. The natural-hued products are further bedecked with colourful dyed strands that are woven into arresting geometrical patterns, converting ordinary grass into a piece of art.

Sujuni (or soojini)

This form of embroidery, which is simple running stitch, is currently making waves globally enthusing fashionistas and folk art collectors alike. Nowadays done on a single fabric and found on bedspreads, wall hangings cushion/bolster covers and also on apparel like saris, dupattas, stoles, jackets and skirts, traditionally women stitched together layers of muslin cloth and decorated it with motifs transforming it into a quilt or mat for home use. Similar in appearance to the kantha of Bengal the subtle difference lies in the colour scheme and motifs. Sujuni is always on a cream base fabric and it’s only village life that’s portrayed through embroidered motifs, which are outlined in black chain-stitch with the inner detailing being in colour.

Madhubani paintings

The Madhubani style of art is Bihar’s most famous export. Its origins lies in vibrant wall paintings, by women of Madhuban village in Mithila region, depicting gods-goddesses, usually Shiva-Parvati, rural sequences and social celebrations. The paintings were always bordered by floral patterns. Demands of modern times have replaced the canvas of mud-plastered wall with handmade paper, tussar silk and cotton fabric. Madhubani motifs are available as wall frames for as little as Rs 100 or can be flaunted on sarees, bags, office folders etc.

Lacquerware

If you are attending a Bihari marriage, notice the hands of the bride; they would be adorned with red or turmeric-coloured bangles that have been embellished with sequins and mirrors. Ritualistically worn for a year or forty days, these are made with lac, a resin found in the forests of the region. Lac bangle-making is a cottage industry that churns out conventional and myriad contemporary designs in a collection of colours. A pair can begin at Rs 20 and go up to Rs 1,000 for a set of 12. Another attractive range of items are painted woodenware varnished with lacquer and this includes toys, beds, stools, keychains, bowls etc besides a traditional wedding item called the kiya or sindoora, which is a lacquer-finished red wooden vermillion box shaped like a temple spire.

Papier Maiche

According to legend, the art of papier machie took root in Bihar for the purpose of crafting mukhota or masks used in the popular Chhau folkdance. The masks have given way to a surfeit of brightly-painted products with folkish designs tailored for modern day including a choice of toys and games. These are hot sellers at handicraft fairs and light up whichever corner they are placed in.

Tussar silk

At handloom fairs the ‘Bhagalpur silk’ stall is ubiquitous. The district is amongst the largest producers of tussar silk in the country and is known for the fine quality of its handspun fabric. Fast movers like silk stoles, sarees, dupattas in addition to yardage can be found in quite a few natural shades of cream, beige and brown as well as in dyed colours.

Nalanda weaves

Originating in looms of Nalanda, the typical weave of an elephant or duck motif panel on red or lilac handspun cotton fabric, caught the fancy of people a few decades back and continues to reign. Also called BCI or Bihar Cottage Industry pattern it’s immensely popular as a chaadar or bedcover, curtain and tablecloth.

Stoneware

The blackish-green stone found in abundance around Bodh Gaya has lead to a stone carving industry. Figures of Lord Buddha and Ganesha have the highest demand among tourists besides which a host of tableware items like coasters, stem glasses, platters and decorative bric-a-brac in glossy finish grab eyeballs.

Terracotta

Every region has a terracotta tradition. In Bihar it dates back to the Mauryan period when potters shaped utility items for personal use and as barter currency. Over centuries the designs have altered to suit décor needs with pots, pans and toys sharing space with assorted bric-a-brac. A distinctive product is terracotta jewellery that’s been a rage since a few years.

Published in Jetwings, December 2008