Traditional art revived at ‘Karigiri’

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 23

A visit to grandmother’s home during vacations used to be a splendid experience for children with a revelation to old-fashioned yet enticing knick-knacks. One can remember the granny of the house knitting, stitching or crocheting for her extended family.

In an attempt to revive the traditional crochet art, Bela Bansal, faculty member of International Institute of Fashion Technology (IIFT), Ludhiana, displayed her crochet work during the two-day ‘Karigiri’ exhibition of IIFT, which concluded on Saturday.

Bela, while sharing the essence of crocheting, said: “Craft seems to have been a dying art in urban cities. Crocheting, knitting and tatting are the arts that have existed since generations and we can associate them with our grandmothers. It is sad to see children shunning conventional works. I took up the challenge of creating modern designs that will interest the youth. By experimenting with colours, I came up with peacock colours to catch hold of the eye. Besides, rugs and mats can also be made with the help of worn out t-shirts and clothes.”

Bela feels that the conventional arts can bring joy to one’s life and act as a stress buster as well. “All you need is a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread or strands. We will now teach our students this art form. We should all adopt environment-friendly clothes and promote the ‘Make in India’ campaign,” she adds.

Since it is a handy work, crochet work is also deemed as a symbol of love. Bela recalled the time when her late mother gave her a crocheted blanket in her marriage, which she still has preserved as her mother’s last memories.

Furthermore, students had designed interior decors made of waste material and abstract print garments at the exhibition. Gurjinder, who is pursuing a diploma in interior designing, said: “Conceptualisation and materialising the entire collection was a thrilling journey.”