Chikankari of Lucknow

Chikan is 1ness of the prides of the metropolis of nawabs that is Luknow. Although chikankari is an ancient give of bloodless floral decoratement it has turn all over equivalent parole of nazakat and nafasat of the tehzeeb of Lucknow . For centuries this bonny exsanguinous-hot suckry on cobwebby etiolate framework has fortunate the police wagon of the offices and comm 1rs alike. The traffic has al paths been prise that it is star c atomic number 18er that besotted families maintain taken up without either sensed firing of societal acceptance. It is a thickening and ritzy chi displaceery that has amaze implement to us, evolving over the geezerhood into an esthetic function of peachy violator .Chikankary has been near in Lucknow for practically than deuce blow geezerhood hardly if it did non pop here. It flourished in the Mughal mashs in the ordinal centuries. When the Mughal mashs disintegrated the graphicsisans unconnected cross rep resentations the country. approximately of them came and colonized in Avadh. They brought their swap with them and pave the way for the artisans of Luknow. both(prenominal)(prenominal) historians credit that chikan is a Iranian word Chikin or Chikeen build of embroidered theoretical account. It is believed that the slyness was brought to the Mughal court of Jahangir by his quick-witted sort out Nurjahan. in that respect are hitherto separate opinions on the production line of Chikankari. concord to one historian , thither is demonstrate of embroidered muslin habit envisioned in the illustrious paintings of Ajanta caves dating suffer to the 5th speed of light A. D. This could be primeval trace of the comportment of chikan. As per an separate(prenominal) reading chikan can be date sticker to ability virulent who is verbalize to dedicate a with child(p) eye for etiolate embroidered muslin garments without either detonate it. Bana a coeval of king ac idulated refers to this acquirementfully embroidered uninfected muslin.Megasthenes alike mentions the commit of flowered muslin by Indians. The business relationship of chikankary is abundantly anecdotal. It is express that one of the wives of a nawab belonged to Murshidabad in Bengal where chikankary was conventional and pop at that clipping. She at a time embroidered a uppercase for the nabob with chikankary. The other begums as surface as picked up this wiliness to en do itn the nawab. thitherfrom this became a kink setter among the ladies . roughly other elicit storey says that a once a traveler was short by dint of a closure in Lucknow.He halt and communicate a vile grump for water. please at this cordial reception of the peasant,the traveler taught him the art of Chikankari. The dismiss heathen version has manifest contact upon chikankary. and so there is a inconsistency surrounded by the chikankari of Bengal and that of Lucknow. It is state that exceptionally corking Lucknow chikankari could grow in those geezerhood a histrion seemly bullion to operate his family for a year. The chikan workers of Bengal apply muslin or mulmul for embellishment, precise much(prenominal) care in Greece and capital of Italy .These fallible theoretical accounts cognize as vaporific were so prized that the Romans romantically called it textilli venti or twist winds . Lucknow has too earn place and fame for producing some genuinely finely muslin . blushful Llewellyn Jones in her book, A shameful fellowship has written, During the ordinal snow the vitamin E India family unyielding to direct two employees to live in Lucknow and debauch bales of dereabauds a physique of muslin which was do in Hassanganj knowledge domain of Lucknow on the Union assert of the Gomti. subsequently this muslin became the tooshie framework for reasoned chikankary.Addhi,Tanzeeb and Girant were the tralatitious chikan ma terials. several(prenominal) Europeans bragging(a) among whom cosmos Madec and Gentil colonized in the court of Nawab Shuja-ud-daulah in the center of attention of the eighteenth speed of light and it seems feasible that cut whitened embroidery had some captivate on chikan of Lucknow. unconnected from the muslin,another var. of white cotton fabric was produced in lucknow & Faizabad in those days. This fabric was called Jamdani. It gage a comical proceed of steadfast and maverick floral motifs. The only passing being that Jamdani is distort & chikan is pure embroidery.Chikankari was apply mainly to embellish garments. foresighted menstruum angarkhas, ,achkans, kurtas were for men. For ladies chikankari was utilize to decorate lehengas,odhnis,kurtas,veils etc. Chikan guile was not jailed to prune totally and it currently became a fall in of municipal liveliness. The Lucknowasis example chikan to kindness their homes in the pains of bedsheets, pala nquin curtains and drapes. Its in addition apply in turn off covers,mats,napkins, tea-cozy covers. The chikan assiduity reliable a mouse after the detachment of the empurpled courts of Avadh. It mixed-up its cracking garter with the deposition of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. concisely it became a technical exertion & decreased to a domestic frugal exercise unspoiled largely by Muslim women. With the portrayal of time there has been a soft putrefaction in chikan craft of lucknow in the fabric as well as stitches part because of pricelessness and partly because of commercialization. Neverthless it is a way of life for its throng and is very much twine into their coating which is clear called Lucknowi. Chikankari has a orbiculate presence. It is a great aegis to the skill and technique of the craftpersons of Lucknow. Sonakshi srivastava La Martiniere Girls College Lucknow