Date: 13 July
Venue: Bikaner House

Designer Prasad Bidapa is well known for his work with Indian textiles and fashion. He recently held an exhibition at Bikaner House. The show, Saris of Memory, was about revival of specially selected saris from the personal collection of women.

This evening was about sari styles of Prem Berry. A host of sepia photographs were hung from the walls. The exhibition depicted the glorious process of evolution of saris. A host of women donning some of the most exquisite samples of Indian handloom were in attendance.  Bidapa attended to the guests and explained the show. We loved the cool canapé that was served along with wine during the event.

Some of Bidapa’s saris were on sale that evening. We saw what seemed like crepes, with Indian block and silk screen prints on them. The light saris looked elegant and seemed extremely comfortable in this sultry weather.

While we are all for globalization, we are extremely proud of the rich crafts and weaving legacies we have inherited. Organisations like Khadi, Dastkari Haat Samity and others are trying to create business for the handloom sector. Among individual designers, we have been very impressed by Ritu Kumar’s fabulous work in this field. Bidapa’s efforts are another reminder as to so much that we have, lost and can still revive.

To that end, Saris of Memory was an engaging experience for us well and we are happy to have been invited for this event.