Palam Silks and Indian music share an invisible bond. In their Concert Collection, Carnatic musical notes of five Ragas — Kalyani, Shankarabaranam, Thodi, Bhairavi and Kamboji — were woven as borders in handloom Kancheevarams. For Diwali 2023, they are back with yet another fashion affair where Indian music and Kancheevarams come together.
The latest collection titled Resonance symbolises harmony, or connection between music and fashion, where the motifs and patterns are inspired by musical instruments creating a visual echo or vibration in the design of the saris. Every thread is a note, every colour a chord, creating a tapestry that sings a song of culture, craftsmanship, and creativity.
“I have seen ardent music lovers resolve into a state of trance, almost to a meditative zone. They can tune into a frequency that is beyond human comprehension and simply become one with the music and flow with it. This is the emotion we wanted to capture and weave it in silk and zari,” says Jeyasree Ravi, founder of Palam Silks.
Jeyasree chose a few aspects of sound waves and different parts of musical instruments to capture this essence. Maraca, thavil, trumpet, and sound waves produced by the mridangam and auditory representation of native Indian drums have all been adapted as designs. The maraca, having originated in South America, was widely used by indigenous tribes during religious ceremonies. Sounds produced by a maraca are believed to have healing properties that can drive a listener into a transcendental state of mind. You will find this musical instrument as zari bhuttas in the latest collection, and so does the thavil, that dominates all festivals and religious occasions in South India. While the unusual top angle view of a thavil takes the form of zari bhuttas, Trumpet valves transform into long zari borders. And the sound waves produced by mridangam are presented as contrast zari borders.
Jayasree tells us that native Indian tribal groups in Peru believed that the beats emanating from their drums and Mother Earth’s heartbeats are one and the same. “This ideology is represented by a motif that is as mystical as the story behind it. Music can stir a soul, capture a heartbeat, make us lose ourselves in its ebb and flow — almost like a dynamic living organism that can touch, heal and grow. We decided to express this emotion in the most contemporary way possible with Resonance. After an in-depth study, it almost feels like every musical instrument has a consciousness of its own. It simply comes alive with the help of a vidwaan, who breathes life into it with his fingers and breath,” adds Jeyasree.
Price starts at Rs 23,000.
Available at Palam Silks, T Nagar, Mylapore and Anna Nagar.
— manuvipin@newindianexpress.com