ZARDOZI

Zari and Zardozi

-A Tale Pf Golden Craft-
Aayushi Nevatia
Anmol Yadav
Ayesha Kohli
Harshita Singh
Mehak Gupta
Prerna Chhetri
Published in year 2017
National Institute Of Fashion Technol-
ogy
Gandhinagar
(NIFT)
(Ministry of Textiles, Government of In-
dia)
GH-0 circle,
Gandhinagar-382007
Gujrat, India
Tel: 079-23240832,23240834,2326500
Fax: 079-23240779
Websote: www.nift.ac.in/gandhinagar
 The research is originally submitted as a part
of academic learning to National Institute Of
Fashion Technology (NIFT) Gandhinagar and
is for academics only. The opinions expressed
in this document are solely those of the authors
and NIFT does not bear any responsibility for
the nature of this content. Reproduction of any
part of this document must acknowledge the
authors and NIFT,Gandhingar.
Copyright @ NIFT
All rights reserved . No part of this book may
be reproduced , stored in retrieval system or
otherwise without prior permission from NIFT
, except by a reviewer/reader who wishes to
quote brief passage in connection with a paper
review/essay written for inclusion in periodical
,newspaper or broadcast.
Image source: SELF
 PREFACE
India, the land of various cultures, religions and festivals is
immensely rich in its heritage. Initially, majority of the
population practised their religious and regional crafts as
their hobby but now it has become their purpose of
learning.
Craft research and documentation is an intrinsic part of Fash-
ion Design curriculum at NIFT.
Craft documentation includes field study , researching the
craft , cultures and customs interlinked with it ,
ethnographic study through interviews, photographs and vid-
eos. It is a process of learning wherein one has to go through
various stages of field study, secondary research, primary re-
search, photography , market study and
documentation.
This document contains research on Zari making and
Zardozi craft of Ahmedabad.
It aims to record and understand the craft from its origin to
its last tracings and the present situation of the craft.
As a part of the Fifth Semester activity, the document has
been made over a period of one to two months. This
included one week of secondary research followed by one
week of extensive research about the craft , people involved.
Subsequently , to weeks were spent on compiling and
collecting the data in to a meaningful document.
Image source: SELF
 ACKNOWLEDMENT

We would like to express our gratitude and

indebtness to all whose assisted us in preparing
the book on “Zari and Zardozi”. Sincere thanks
to our mentor for this project Prof. Vandita Seth
for her invaluable help in compliling the work.
In addition, we extend our sincere
appreciation to the efforts of our friends, who
provided support,talked over the things,
content, also assisted us in editing,
photography and design.
• INTRODUCTION 10
• LOCALITY 12
• ANTIQUITY 18
• RESOURCES 26
• DESIGN & MOTIFS 38
• PROCEDURE 44
• PRODUCTION 52
• MODERN FORM 60
• CONCLUSION 74
• GLOSSARY 78

Image source: SELF

CONTENTS
10
 INTRODUCTION

Zari can be defined as the end of drawing of thick me-

tallic or plastic sheets into hair like wires, dyed in spe-
cific colours.
Some of these might be wound around an ore yarn or
might be simply coiled to make Salma and Nakshi used
in embroidery.
“ While Ahmedabad dominated the production of zari
in india, Zari and Zardozi embroideries are practiced in
Bombay, Surat, Banaras,Ahmedabad and Agra.

Image source: SELF

11
 Two craft clusters:
Vasna
Raikhad

Image source: SELF

12
locality

13
 Ahmedabad is the largest city in the state of Gujarat, In-
dia. It is located in western India on the banks of the River
Sabarmati. The city served as political as well as economi-
cal capital of the region since its establishment. The earliest
settlement can be recorded around the 12th century under
Chaulukya dynasty rule. The present city was founded on
26 February 1411 and announced as the capital on 4 March
1411 by Ahmed Shah I of Gujarat Sultanate as a new capi-
tal. Ahmedabad is listed as India’s first World Heritage City
by UNESCO in the year 2017.
• Year of Establishment: 1411 A.D.
• Area of the city: 464.16 sq. km.
• Latitude – 22º 58 N
• Longitude – 72º 35EN
• Altitude – 49 Mts. above MSL
• Average annual rainfall-750mm (July to September)
• Climate: Summer –24ºc- 39ºc (May exceed 42ºc or
above.)
• Winter – 10°c – 24°c (It may dip to 5ºc)
• Postal Pin code – 380 001 (last two digits indicate the
area)
• Official Language-Gujarati, Hindi.
• Well connected with Airport, Railway and Bus station,
State and National highway-No.8.

Image source: SELF

14
Image source: SELF Image source: SELF

CULTURE
• World's first Swaminarayan Temple was built in
Ahmedabad by the instructions of Swaminarayan.
• Ahmedabad is known for its diversified culture and
the celebration of various festivals with great zeal which
transcends demographic and religious lines.
• Uttarayan is celebrated as a kite flying day on January
14 every year. The nine nights of Navaratri are celebrated
in a traditional manner with people performing garba at
pre-arranged venues, which is the folk dance of Gujarat.
The festival of lights - Deepavali is celebrated with the
lighting of lamps in every house, decorating the floors
with the rangoli and bursting of fire-crackers. Other fes-
tivals like Holi, Raksha Bandhan, Eid ul-Fitr and Christ-
mas are also celebrated with enthusiasm. 15
 CRAFT CLUSTER
The two craft clusters that we chose for our research were
Vasna and Raikhad. Both the places are located in Old
Ahmedabad region.
Vasna
The address of the craft cluster in Vasna is Plot num-
ber 107, 132 ft Ring road, Sanklit nagar, Vasna,
Ahmedabad(380055). The building in which the master
artisan resided was an old building located amidst the
busy market. The bus stop was nearby and all kind of
public transport was available within 2 km of radius. The
area was much more developed as compared to the clus-
ter done in Raikhad. There were two government schools
and one public school near the cluster and the family of
the master artisan is well educated.
Raikhad
The address of the craft cluster in Raikhad is Gaekwad
Haveli, Raikhad, Ahmedabad. The cluster was located in
a small three-storied building. The area was small and
busy. The narrow roads were surrounded by houses and
small shops. The master artisan had rented a two room
apartment which could hardly contain more than 10 peo-
ple. Despite of spacious rooms and facilities, the master
artisan had hired 12 artisans and they work day and night
in the same room.

16
Image source: SELF

Image source: SELF

17
 Starting from the
Vedic ages,
journey of
zardozi through
the Epic period,
from the mughal
empire till the
colonial
Influence.

Image source: Self

18
ANTIQUITY

19
 INTRODUCTION
tHE VEDIC PERIOD
the epic period
post aryan
civilisation
middle ages
The sultanate of mughals
karkhanas

20

T
extiles embellished with gold and
silver have always been cherished and de-
sired by the globe since ages.In the Indian
subcontinent too, metal has been used in dif-
ferent ways to ass to the beauty of cloth and
has been a part of india’s ancient tradition.
Specially, gold and silver have contributed
to crafts of the rich culture of India of which
embroidery and weaving and many forms of
surface development techniques on textiles
are of great importance.
Related with wealth, beauty, supremacy and
divinity,jewelled textiles not only in india but
all over the world have their own significance
from the sociological,theological,cultural and
philosophical land of ancient civilisations.
In religious rituals, gold and silver represent
an intermingling of myth, magic, legend and
belief. Literary and historical evidences notify
that the use of gold and silver was not only
for the cosmic energy and divine identities but
also with the status,beauty and power.
The Vedic Period
The oldest documentation of embroidered
artefacts in precious metals is been recorded
from The Vedic Age. Intellectuals have re-
viewed the origin of use of gold and silver on
textiles in the ancient times.The art of Zardozi
has been gifted by the Persians and has been
enhanced by the Mughals, all these are first
mentioned in the Rig Veda.
The significance of gold in The Vedas are
described as mahas(greatness, importance and
superiority), yasas(respect, honor and prestige)
and ojas(authority and creative power of the
first born god). The ceremonies which were
performed by Priests are described as wearing
golden wreathes.
We also get to know about hiranyanatkan,
which emphasises the garments used in Ve-
dic Period were many times embroidered
with gold.Shining clothes worn by Usha is
described which were embellished with gold.
Sewn garments were also worn in the Vedic
period refering to some words; atka(garment
embroidered with gold thread), drap and pesas
.Dresses worked with gold - Iranyairvyutarn
(reflecting the sun), such garments were worn
by people of hig ranking of both genders.
The Epic Period
Dresses embroidered with gold continued
in the epic period, In Valmiki’s Ramayana,
Swarnatantunirmita meaning decorated with
gold wire and also Rama-Sita are described in
yellow clothes(ratnambar) embroidered with
gold threads and jewels.Even Ravana is said
to wear kingly costumes which were expen-
sive described as Maharhvastrasambaddh and
Maharajatvasas. Maharshaumsanvitia and21
many other references indicate the costumes
which were embroidered in gold, silver and
precious stones consid ered a part of their tra-
dition.
In the Mahabharata, Adiparva and Sab-
haparvaof tell us about the costly clothes
embroidered with gold.Yudhishtara was pre-
sented with severalkinds of animals skins and
woolen blankets decorated with gold by the
King of Kamboja, also kings of Chola and
Pandya gifted fine clothing inlaid with pre-
cious stones during a ceremony.
Post Aryan Civilisation
After the Vedic and Epic periods, as cities de-
veloped the use of gold and silver minimised,
more importance was given to skills which
were requires in urban settlements.
Slowly, history started to include more of
textual evidences,written and cultural sources
attest the presence of embroideries on borders,
Veils, Shalws and leather items as shoes and
belts from the time of Kushanas.The Goden
age of Guptas(4th-6th century), productive
activities in art and craftstook place.Women
of Iran,India are shown in gold embroidered
clothes in the paintings of Ajanta which are
depicted from gold paint.
In the west at the same time, when the roman
emperor instructed for conversion to Chris-
tianity in CE 312 gave a flip to use embroi-
dered and decorated textiles as churches and
other religious institutions required gold and
silver embellished textiles for churchly uses.
Wealthm in Altars increased the wealth of reli-
gious instituions.
22
Ram’s cout: court scene when Rama, Sita and Lakhmana
are going for vanvas in embroidred garments.
Middle Ages
After the dissolution of the Gupta Empire,
King Harshvardhana emerged unifying the
small principalities. Banabhatta( biographer
of Harshvardhana) has written in brief about
Harshcharitramanas and Kadambari about
many garments and footwear decorated with
gold and precious stones. ‘Kararange’ is the
word used for leather buckle with borders in
gold leaf work,indrayudhajala-varnamaasuka
meaning coloured silk clothes embroidered
with gold and jewels. Kuttanimatam by Da-
modar Gupta,( 8th century) the minister of
Jayapida Vinayadita, is mentioned wearing
shoes with gold thread embroidery. Kalhana
re-called the Queen of Mihirakula from 6th
century who has the ruler of Huna, wearing a
jacket printed with the gold footprints of Cey-
lonese King.
The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian mer-
chant ,tells us about the kingdom of Tamil
Pandyas which included cushions and mats in
red and blue leather skillfully embroidered
with gold and silver wire.The emergence of others describe the increasing use of silk and
trading networks in the middle ages gave a flipvelvet in purple, maroon and blue, associ-
to textiles from India. Material used on tex- ated with royalty.Items such as tents, cur-
tiles which were light reflecting had their owntains, hangings and umberellas,also seats and
trade desirability as trade items, they were saddals for elephants and Horses started to me
considered to be one of the most precious gold and silver embroidered.
items to travel through Silk Road(a network of embroidered Robes in gold and silver were
overland trading arteries connecting the Medi- given in honour to royal guests. the autobi-
terranean to China. ographt of Firoz Shah Tughlaq(1351-88) also
In the Arabic literature, accounts of gold Tex-is one source that describes in detail about
tiles are numerous and the sophisticated ma- the gold embroidered dresses of the sultans.
terials caught the imagination of Weavers and Here Feroz Shah identifies the different types
embroiderers in different territories that wereof garments used and also the word ‘zardozi’
influenced by Arab. was used for the first time. Those who did this
work were called zarkasis, (zarkas in Persian,
Mughals meaning zari embroiderers who used gold and
Gold embroidery in India got enhanced and silver threads to embroider).The muslim con-
also got perfected when Muslim rule began. tributon to zardozi was a whole new vast vo-
The Tartar robes were embroidered with cabulary of terminology, forms and styles.
gold(muzarkasa-bi-dhalab), also some gar- In the other parts India, this art was flourshing
ments with sleeves having tiraz vorder of gold in Gujarat, Bihar and Andhra pradesh.Even in
embroidery and also tiraz inscription was south of India, unaware of centres of muslim
placed between the shoulders. The India histo- rule, monarchies of the deccan and medieval
rian ZiyaUddin Barani, Ibn Battuta and many hindu used Persian terms for gold nd nature, 23
 gold and silver embroidered turbans, garments
and even footwear. The coverings for the el-
ephants and horses, umbrellas, curtains and
also bed sheets were decorated with gold and
silver wires.

Karkhanas
The finest decorative and luxury products
were produced in royal studios and work-
shops.Textiles were considered to be a very
important part of court life and got full en-
couragement from the rulers.Karkhanas were
organised to produce object of beauty and util-
ity, specially of gold and silver. Delhi, Agra,
Lucknow, Varanasi, Burhanpur,Hyderabad and
Aurangabad were some significant centres of
production for gold and silver textiles.The art
of zardozi kept on flourishing in the capital
cities of India and each state developed it’s
own style and designs of the craft.

The Falcon: Akbar wear gold embroided turban, embroidery

on his arms and neckline.
particularly flora and fauna, was now added to
the existing vocabulary of local legend, myth
embroidered clothes and footwear.Under the
rue of Akbar, Zardozi took new heights of in-
novation as Emperor Akbar was fond of art
and craft, he always encouraged innovation
in the field of art. He also got many artisans
from Afghanistan and gave a push to gold and
silver embroidery.Mostly motifs and designs
were taken from architecture a and religious
imagery.
The craftsmen during the reign of Aurangzeb
migrated to rajasthan ans extablished their
art in Rajput courts. Women from the royal
families wore heavily embroidered chaniya
cholis,the
24 rajas from the rajput kingdom wore Image source: SELF
25
 THe journey of malking of
zari, the golden thread
and converting the unpro-
cessed goods into crude
and processed material.

26 Image source: SELF

RESOURCES

27
 ABOUT

THE MAKING
OF ZARI

RAW MATERIAL

TOOLS

28 Image source: SELF

Z
ardozi coming from two
Persian names “zar” meaning gold
and “dozi” meaning embroidery is
a heavy and intricate style of design
in which metallic-bound thread is
used to sew embellishment on dif-
ferent types of materials and fabrics.
A wide variety of tools and ma-
terials are the main resourc-
es used in the embroidery.
The materials that one se-
lects for embroidery work
has to be choosen wisely as they
affect the quality of this em-
broidery to a great extent.
The basic tools used are: Em-
broidery threads, Cotton threads,
Silk threads, Fabric, Needles,
Scissors, Trimmer, Embroidery frames,
Threader, Thimble and Unpicker.
Zari is woven into fabrics, primarily
made of silk, felt or velvet to cre-
ate intricate patterns. The thread is
also used as a raw material for Zard-
ozi embroidery, which is one of the
oldest and most beautiful em-
broidery styles of India. It is
used extensively in clothing and
home decoration. Four types of
zari are produced in India, name-
ly, real zari, semi real zari,
imitation zari and plastic zari.
29
THE MAKING OF ZARI

Gold and silver has been used for

decorative work from early times.
Gold wire is called Zari derived
from a Persian word zar mean-
ing gold. The very first step in the
making of zari is to draw thinnest
of the wires. The manufacturing
of zari consists of various steps.
The first stage is potai or pavthan,
which involves bar making and
wire drawing. The bars are called
pasa. In the next stage, tarkashi or
Tania, the wire is drawn through
a series of plates. The ductility of
gold and silver allows the finest of
the wires to be drawn. First of all
metal ingots or pieces are melted its ends until it is slender enough
and pressed through perforated to pass through the largest of the
steel sheets called jantri. The holes holes. The strip is then seized by a
of these steel sheets are gradually pair of very sturdy pliers, this helps
decreasing in size, each hole taper- in acquiring the required shape and
ing slightly in its passage through length. This process is repeated and
the plate. This is done by cutting wire is drawn through the different
thin strips of gold and filing one of sized holes until it acquires the def
30
 Image source: SELF

inite thickness. The third and the made with badla are
final stage is the flattening process called mukaish. The
in which the wire is hammered till raised effect to the mo-
the required thinness is obtained. tifs is giving by pad-
Plain wire is now obtained is called ding in soft yet thick
badla. It is the main variety of the cotton thread and
drawn wire. Smaller adorns are. cardboard or bukram.
called sitara and tiny dots
31
Apart from these salma, kora,
dabka, chikna, gijai, zik, chalak,
tikora, chakri, champo, kinari,
khichcha, gota are some oth-
er varities of gold adorns used
along with zari for embellish-
ments. All these various types of
wire have different physical prop-
erties helping us to use them in
particular manner or sequence
to highlight a part of the design.
Salma is a colied wire in a zig-
zag manner. It can be used as
an applique or stitched on.
Kora and chikna are flexible
spring like wires out of which
kora is less lustrous than chikna
Dabka is very thin coiled wire
through which the thread-
ed needle is passed. It gives
shine and polish to the motif.
Chakri is a round zari
with holes in the centre.
Gijai is a circular thin stiff wire usu-
ally used for outlines. Since, it is a
coliedwire, it cannot be threaded
through a needle. Thus, the wire is
first stretched and then stitched on.
32
Khichcha is another coiled form
of wire but it is transparent, this
is why when coloured thread is
passed through it, the colours are
reflected giving it a polychromatic
lustre. Tilla is a flat wire which is
stitched directly on the material
and is not threaded first unlike the
other wires used. Zik, chalak, kan-
gri are decorative motifs used pre-
dominantly to enhance the design.
The various forms and shapes of
the material are available in a va-
riety of thickness. Traditionally,
thinner material was used which
now substituted by thicker ones.
These varieties of gold in the
form of wires are widely used
for embroidery. But, none of
the wires can be used directly
on to the loom other than bad-
la in their pure metallic state.
Thus, the fourth step of the
production of the zari is thw
winding of the thin zari wire
with silk or cotton thread.
The final outcome of the en-
tire process is a finely twisted
yarn called kasab or kalabattu.

To start with the embroidery the

materials other than the main zari
wire used are a tracing paper on
which the design or the motif is
made. Then the paper is pricked
to make holes using pin or nee-
dle. This is done for the purpose
of tracing. To further accomplish
the process a mixture of kerosene
oil and chalk powder is used that is
known as kadiya which is used to
transfer the design and motifs from
the tracing paper to the fabric on
which the embroidery is to be done.

Image source: SELF

33
Image source: SELF
34
 SOURCING
Obtaining metal alloys

←
CLEANING
Cleaning of raw material alloys (copper)

←
MELTING
Melting of silver/gold (copper) metals

←
DRAWING (1)
Drawing of silver (copper) wire which is flattened after
passing through rotating rollers

←
ELECTROPLATING
Silver (Copper) wire plated by gold (silver) electroplating
process
←
DRAWING (2)
Drawing of gold electroplated silver wire (silver electro-
plated copper wire) into finer stage
←

BADLA
Flattening of gold electroplated silver wire (silver electro-
plated copper wire) to form badla
←

WRAPPING
Wrapping of flat gold (silver) electroplated wire on base
yarn, like silk, to form real (imitation) zari
←

GILDING
Gilding on real (imitation) zari
←

BRIGHTENING
Increasing the lustre of gilded threads by passing them
through a brightener to improves aesthetics.
←

REELING
Wounding zari thread on reel

35
 APPARATUS . . . .

Image source: SELF Image source: SELF

Needle : The embroidery is done Zari Thread : Zari thread is the

with the help of a needle. It has a main tool used to accomplish
hook at the tip and wooden frame the zardozi embroidery. It os
at the end, needle is called ari . the unit of life for this embroi-
Even a simple stitch needle can dery and the main element .
be used. The size of the needle
depends on the cloth, design and
the thread being used. Gener-
ally, number nine needle is used.

36
Image source: SELF Image source: SELF

Frame or Adda : This is a wooden Scissors : A pair of scissors is used

or a metal adjustable frame consist- again and again for cutting the
ing of four bars used by the artisans
thread and the loose ends. Thus,
to hold the cloth tightly on which the
embroidery is to be done. The cloth it is an important equipment..
is stitched on the two horizontal bars
and stretched as much as possible.
It is then fixed tightly and locked on
the remaining two parallel bars. The
frame pulls the cloth so that it does
not move while the workers work on
it. It even provides them with clear vi-
sion and thus they are able to work fast.
A frame or adda allows about 3-4 peo-
ple to work together at the same time
and sometimes about 8 people de-
pending upon the size of the frame.

37
 WHILE THE PATTERNS FROM THE
MUGHAL PERIOD ALL
COMPRISED OF COMPLEX NATURE,
FLORAL AND LEAF MOTIFS, CON-
TEMPORARY PATTERNS ARE MORE
GEOMETRIC STYLIZATIONS OF SIMI-
LAR MOTIFS.

38 Image source: SELF

design and motif

39
Image source: SELF
Zardozi craftworks reflect
different cultural tastes, ma-
jorly Mughal influence .the
vision of modern day design-
ers and interest of the users
has contributed in the devel-
opment of the craft. One of
the labels that loves the use
of Zardozi is Abu Jani and
SandipKhosla. During the
late 80s their woolen shawls
embroidered with zardozi
were a great hit at Harrod’s.
Other Indian designers who
use zardozi work are Manish
Malhotra,
40 Sabyasachi, etc.
Image source: SELF
Design and motifs have been
influenced from time to time
by the main cultural beliefs
and have a variety of floral
motifs , geometric patterns ,
animal and bird motifs. The
designs are;borders, geomet-
ric designs(jali-numa) , cen-
tral designs(thali-numa),
filler designs(bharat), motifs
(buti,buta).
Image source: SELF
Zardozi is to be worked in
two distinct styles. The first,
karchobi, is distinguished
by the density of its stitches
on a heavy base material
such as velvet or satin. It is
usually seen on garments
like coats, tent coverings,
furnishing and canopies.
The second is kamdani, the
lighter, more delicate work,
which is well-known in Ra-
jasthan. Kamdani adorns
elegant fabrics like silk and
muslin.
Image source: SELF
In order to achieve such
variations and intricacy in
designs , metal wires may
be skilfully shaped by hand
or by machine,to be turned
in to embellishments that
enhance the embroidery,
each with a distinct identity
such as salma, kora, chikna,
dabka, katori, kinari, kang-
ni, chalak and sitara.
41
 42 source: SELF
Image

Image source: SELF
Zardozi embroidery patterns
include circles and triangles
into margins, creating a body
of flowers. Borders often fea-
ture triangular forms with
finely wrought floral scrolls.
The corners are adorned with
Hindu mantras, a floral spray
or peacocks. The field is filled
with sprays, flower buds and
animal figures, especially in
the karchobi style. Another
elegant feature is the delicate
jaali (net) on some parts of the
fabric.
Intricacy is the area of ex-
ploration; it has been done
according to the kind of
product or costume. In-
stead of basic solid color-
edbase , fabrics with neon
shaded threads are used so
that it expresses freshness
, energy and ytouthful-
ness in the process of con-
temporization. Motifs are
kept small and simple to
suit the new evolution of
younger generation.
Traditionally, the art
of Zardozi only used gold
and silver wire along with
precious gems and dia-
monds but with time silk
and other shining threads
like dabkaa (a combi-
nation of gold and silk
threads), kasab (silver or
gold-plated silver thread)
and bullien (copper and
brass coated threads) re-
placed them. Precious
gems have given way to
sitaaras or metal stars,
round sequins, glass and
plastic beads, even though
the process of embroidery
remains the same.
43
 going through a series
of actions to produce
the heritage legacy of
india

Image source: SELF

44
PROCedure

45
 INTRODUCTION

designing

tracing

setting of frame

embroidery

stitches

46
A
fter the end of the Mughal
empire many artisans gave up
the craft for other occupations
but at the same time many new
artisans started working on the
craft giving it new forms and
meanings and effort was made
to sustain themselves as well as
the age old craft of metal em-
broidery. With industrializa-
tion and the introduction of
modern machinery, the art of
Zardozisuffered another blow.
The British rulers of the coun-
try made India a supplier of
raw materials and an import-
er of the finished product. The
rich handloom industry of In-
dia had to pay a heavy price.
Image source: self
The material which has been
used through centuries for zari
work is Gold. Later, materials
such assilver, copper, and other
synthetic yarns were introduced
to the art. The ductility of gold
and silver allows the finest of the
wires to be drawn- done . Gold
wire is referred to as zari, de-
rived from the Persian word zar.
The process of zardozi involves
five steps.
1. Designing
2. Tracing
3. Setting the frame
4. Embroidery
5. Finishing
47
 1.Designing:This is the
initial stage of the process,
where the entire design is
drawn on to a tracing sheet
and holes are made along the
traced pattern using a needle.
While the patterns from the
Mughal period all comprised
of complex nature, floral and
leaf motifs, contemporary
patterns are more geometric
stylizations of similar mo-
tifs. At first a sample motif is
made and shown to the cus-
tomer. The customer then ei-
ther approves of the design
or gives the artisan their own
design. Artisans are usual-
ly open to making new de-
signs, it depends upon the
experience the artisan has.
2.Tracing:In order to trace
the design on to a fabric, the
paper with the patterns are
placed on a flat table with the
fabric underneath. A solution
of zinc oxide and robin blue
is made and a piece of cloth is
used to dip in it, which is then
wiped against the tracing sheet.
This enables the ink from the
sheet to seep in to the fabric.
Depending on the colour of
the fabric, the liquid is changed
Image source: self
48
from kerosene to robin blue.
3.Setting the frame or 3. E m b r o i d e r y
Adda:The fabric to be embroi- A simple needle or a crochet
dered is stretched over a frame
called the adda. The meaning
of adda is a place where peo-
ple gather for conversation.
The addafollows the tight-
ening principles of authen-
tic khatia, and gives the
cloth a uniform tension. It
consists of four wooden spars
(sometimes, bamboo is used
for the end members) resting
on wooden posts. The frame
can be made to fit any size
of fabric.
Laying out the wooden frame
is called addabichana. Four
wooden planks are held to-
gether with nuts and bolts.
Then the fabric is stretched and
wound up tightly with a strong
sutli (thread) along the width
of the frame. This process is
called taankna.The design im-
printed fabric is stretched over
a wooden frame. The size of the
frame can usually be adapted
to the size of the fabric. Us-
ing bamboo or wooden spars,
it is then stretched out and
tightly held to give the cloth a
uniform tension. The artisans
then sit around this frame to
begin the embroidery work.
like hook fixed to a wooden
stick called the aariis used for
the embroidery. The aarigreat-
ly enhances the speed of
the work, as it enables the
artisan to pass the threads
both above and below
the fabric. Thearihas its
disadvantages, though. One
tug at a loose thread can cause
disaster to the entire design
as it can unravel in min-
utes. The needle and
thread method is far more
dependable, but is very time
and labor consuming, and
hence far more expensive.
All kinds of combina-
tions are used to enhance
Zardozi. A little bit of
thread work here or a few se-
quins or semi precious stones
added there, can make the
fabric appealing while giv-
ing it a unique exclusivity.
If the design is smaller, then
a smaller metal frame can
also be used instead of the
wooden planks. This is much
more comfortable when the
embroidery is to be focused in
a particular area of the fabric.
49
 Image source: self
The smallest work takes a day
to be completed and the most
exclusive one can take up
to ten days. Each piece is
charged per design and mate-
rial used. For bridal wear, the
embroidery is usually very in-
tricate and neatly done with
the finest dabka, cowries and
stones.
Stitches that are used in
Zardoziare :
• Laid stitch -composite
stitches, consisting or more
than one stitch
• Backstitch -individual
stitches are made backward
to the general direction of
sewing.
• Running stitch - also
known as: straight stitch.
This stitch is done by run-
ning
50 the needle and thread
up and down the cloth at a
regular distance.
• Satin stitch -also known
as: damask stitch. a series of
flat stitches that are used to
completely cover a section
of the background fabric.
• Couching- yarnor other
materials are laid across the
surface of the ground fabric
and fastened in place with
small stitches of the same or
a different yarn.
4. Finishing:Once the
embroidery is done ex-
tra threads are cut and the
cloth is taken out from the
adda. It then goes for wash-
ing and finally gets ironed
and packed and then sold in
the market.
 Cloth is procured from the market

Designs are traced on the cloth with the help of tracing paper

A mixture of zinc oxide and robin blue is used for tracing

The area to be embroidered is fixed to an adda

Artisans sit on the ground to do embroidery

Artisans fix the cloth on the adda by stitching the border on

the patti

Embroidery is done with the help of aari and kasab

Finally the extra threads are cut, the cloth is taken out from
the adda and washed

51
 from the cost of zari
embroidery, till the
time taken to make it
and describing the
seasons when zardozi
is most done

52 Image source: SELF

production

53
 Zardozi as a craft is usually not practised individually
, as the skill of the craft requires people so they usually
work in groups on one piece or sample .
Economically Zardozi design is charged as per the de-
sign and the material used for handwork or embroidery.
The artisans who create zardozi patterns are known as
zardoze .Different zardoz or karigars as they are called
are paid differently according to how good and intricate
they are in their work. The inspiration for all motifs has
always been nature. From flowers, leaves and trees to
animals and birds, the national ecology of India seeps in
to all Zardozi embroider.

54 Image source: SELF

Image source: SELF Image source: SELF

The craft is not purely intended for the export market

as zardosi products also have a large demand in the do-
mestic market.The children are made to sit on the aa-
das from a very early age so that they know the craft ad
start getting the hang of it as they grow old. The pride
they feel in being associated with it is beyond com-
merce
55
The artisans come from vari-
ous areas to practice this craft
of zardoizi .There are meal
breaks in between and unlike
government offices which
close down by 5, the artisans
work hands-on, twelve hours
a day and sometimes even
more depending on how much
work they have on their hands
. The artisans sit for hours on
the floor which is reqiured to Image source: SELF
pratice this craft. The materials
used to do the Zardosi work
are bought from the main city
market at wholesale rates. The
material is also varies from
quality to quality. This craft
moves for genrations in the
family of the artisans and they
start to learn about the craft
from a very young age. Zardozi
is undoubtedly back-breaking
work and requires a lot of con-
centration, but nature of zard-
ozi is seasonal.

Image source: SELF

56
 There is an off season and
peak season. The wedding
season and Diwali season is
the peak time for the zardozi
artisans.
During the wedding season,
dresses are produced back to
back and the artisans have to
work over-time to meet the
demands of the market and
customers For bridal wear,
the budget costing from ten
thousand to twenty thou-
sand.The small work takes a
day to be completed, where
the exclusive work takes
take up to ten day. But when
there is the off-season there
is just about enough work
to keep them busy and oc-
cupied. They usally go back
home to their familes if they
have migrated from some
part of india for work pur-
pose.

57
 Image source: SELF

October –March is the peak time and orders are placed at a

fast pace. Most of the outfits are made to order which means
that they are made from the scratch or start .The design and the
quantity of work to be done on the garment or the fabric is se-
lected by the shopkeeper/ Designer or the customer himself .
First The artisans only do a sample swatch to get it approved for
colours and motifs , it is usally more than one smaple swatch
. it is done basically to get the idea about the look and the
desgin.Then after that the final order is placed.
58
 The artisans charge the buyer only after the outfit is finished
according to the kaam which means the extent of work done
on the fabric. Different amount and percentage of profits are
earned by people involved , maxim profits are earned by the
buyers (mostly the owners of the fashion store and desgin-
ers) placing the order ,then it’s the master artisans who man-
ages or owns the karkhana the artisans work under them,
then it’s the artisans who have the lowest margin , the artisans
are paid on hourly basis and varies depending upon the expe-
rience they have.

Image source: SELF 59

 Today zardozi has become an impor-
tant component of high end fashion
and has reached all across the world.
One can see the applications of zard-
ozi embroidery in European fashion
shows as well.

60 Photo Source: self

MODERN FORM

61
 ABOUT
PRODUCTS

INNOVATIONS

DESIGNERS

SHAHID ANSARI

62 Photo Source:self
63
 Z ardozi embroidery is used on sarees, suits, lehen-
gas, handbags, coats, purses, belts, stoles, shoes and
more. The range of products using Lucknow Zardozi
today are endless; dresses, coats, purses, belts, stoles,
shoes, etc. While there was a significant drop in the
popularity of this craft post-independence, in the last
50 odd years it has seen a steady come back with large
local fashion houses bringing it to the forefront at
Fashion Weeks.

64 Photo Source: voganow.com

Photo Source: D;source
While the original zardozi used to be made from gold and
silver wires, the cost constraints have brought in the use of
copper wires plated with gold and silver. The art has adapt-
ed, as it should, to the needs of the modern world. The
style is freer and the embroidery lighter. The cost is also
tried to minimize without compromising the essence or
aesthetic of this technique. Zardozi has not only survived.
It lives in splendour as do our grandmother’s ‘sarees’ with
those shining golden threads.

Photo Source: pernias.com 65

 Zardozi embroidery sarees are
extremely popular as bridal
wear and other attires like
lehenga choli and salwar ka-
meez which can be worn in
weddings and other ceremo-
nial and festive functions.
You can accessorize a dress Photo Source: pinterest

made of zardozi embroidery

with gold or diamond jewelry
like lavish Indian earrings
and neckpieces with beautiful
jootis. Glass colorful Bangles
also make a perfect accessory
for a zardozi saree.

66
Photo Source: pinterest
Zardozi has also found its way into
accessories like bangles, headpieces
and even in cushion covers and
draperies. The work which was ex-
clusive to the royal clientele has
evolved as a major item of trade.it
has reached the masses of irrespec-
tive of age, gender, and stratum.
The hand technologies have evolved
through the time. The availability of
raw material has played a key role
in producing exquisite work. Pro-
gressing technologies have contrib-
uted to the change in production
and marketing of zardozi.

67
 OTHER END PRODCUTS
AND USES OF ZARDOZI

68
• Zari is used in weaving fabric to give a shiny effect in the
fabric
• Used to make Badla-the zari is manually cut into many
small pieces and this is used by the jain people to worship
their god
• Zari is also used to make tikki- one circular part is cut
diagonally from the spiral zari and then it is flattened by a
hammer and tikki is made
• Zari is used in defence to misguide the Radar by war
plane. They throw the zari into the air and the radar starts
signally them , the zari is very light weight so it keeps floating
in the air and gradually comes down , misguiding the radar
while the fast moving war planes cross its zone easily .this is
due to the metal present in the zari threads which catch the
signal easily
• The plastic zari is also used in scrubbers
• Glitters are also made from the plastic Zari which is used
in makeup, decoration etc.

69
70
M ISAM HUSSAIN
The second cluster that we studied
was the warm and welcoming fam-
ily of Misam Hussain. He is a 35 year
old humble man who has hired 12
artisans under him. His family con-
sists of two brothers and a sister.
Misam Hussain not only does zard-
ozi but has years of experience in
Aari embroidery and Bandhani. He
was born and brought up in Luc-
know, Uttar Pradesh and there only
at the age of 8 he started learning the
golden embroidery from his ‘ustaad’.
He mastered this craft and worked
in Mumbai for a while in the year
1982. After working there for around
5-6 years, he permanently moved
to Ahmedabad with his family.
His home is located nearby the clus-
ter, where he lives with his parents,
wife and children. He has 12 artisans
working for him out of which six are
from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Each
and every artisan is paid according
to their work experience. An artisan
named Shabir had 35 years of work
experience in zardozi. Zardozi is a
seasonal craft which is most popular
in the wedding season that is October
to February which is the peak time for
Image source:self- clicked
earning for these artisans. The young-
est artisan working their was 18 years
old and had Zardozi is a seasonal craft
which is most popular in the wedding
season that is October to February
which is the peak time for earning
for these artisans. The youngest ar-
tisan working their was 18 years old
and had come all the way from Luc-
know to learn and practise this craft.
Two of the artisans working for Mis-
am Hussain were his own broth-
ers and one artisan was his brother
in law. The whole family practised
the craft and this was their only
source of income. On an average
every artisan earns 5000-10,000
INR depending upon the season.
71
 Image source: SELF

SHAHID HUSSAIN ANSARI

Life story:
Shahid Hussain Ansari started his journey in 19991. He
was born in Randhanpur patan zila . His father was a taxi
driver but had no connection with this craft He-started
learning the craft when he was 10 years old from his home
only seeing the ladies do the zari work. Shahid anansari is a
10th class drop out and has 5 brothers at home . He started
gaining interest in this craft as belonging to Radhanpur he
saw many people doing zardozi
He came to Ahmedabad in 1991. He started zardozi in
1998 before that he learnt this craft for 5 years (1991-1996)
He learned the work from his mentor Amum ustaad in
2002 , his work started to expand and hand orders flour-
ishing . After 2006 due to the machine embroidery and
computerized embroidery things started to take a downfall
with regard to his work . He became jobless for a period of
2 years as all his karigars also left. They went on to do dif-
ferent jobs like driving auto rickshaw, cabs etc.
72
Revival of his craft
After 2 years he started again from the scratch initially he
studied all the monuments and got inspired from them .
He wanted to include this with zari and created small sam-
ples with a different concept than the usual zardozi
He started to create monuments using zari , his first monu-
ment work was 24”x36”on Teen Darvaza.
Very recently the Heritage Department of Ahmedabad
University sponsored him a 7-day trip to Spain along with7
other people who were from different backgrounds.
Mr Pavan who is an avid costumer of Mr shahid Ansari
bought all his pieces on the monument that was displayed
in the exhibition
Mr Shahid Ansari works more on this monument concept
and does lot exhibitions throughout the year, he takes up
work on consignment basis from designers as well but that
has decreased over the course of the year.
He is more into creating an art form out the zardozi with
the monument concept and works with companies also he
creates logos for them using zaridozi
Currently he has his workshop or karkhana in Vasna no
107 132 ft ring road sanklit nagar -Vasna, Ahmedabad and
utilizes this unique idea to its fullest. He has a lot of media
coverage for this creative work done on the mouemnts us-
ing zardozi craft.

73
 CONCLUSION

74
The study of Zardozi as a craft cluster
was an enlightening experience for us.
It was indeed an eye opener to study
Zardozi as our craft so closely and
in depth. During our 10 day visit we
learned alot about the craft as well as
about the artisans , their lifestyle ,rou-
tine etc.

Zardozi is a backbreaking craft and is

very intricate in nature. The artisans
work very hard to make this work come
to life. They work in very minimal con-
ditions yet are seen making the most
use of their limited resources. They are
true artists in the true form.

75
Shahid Husen Iqbal Misam Hussain Sayed Adil Nawaz
Ansari

76
Hamid Hussain Haider Mirza Zamir Akhtar

77
 Glossary
Aari– chain stich
Adda- wooden frame
Badla-type of metal embroidery
Badla taar- flat metal wire
Bharat kaam-metal embroidery
Butalarge-floral motif
Butismall-floral motif
Cham-kishine
Chatai-zigzag pattern
chikna-type of metal embellishment
dozie-embroidery
dupattahead-drape of woman
dapka-thin colled wire
ghagragenric-term of skirt usally gathered or paneled
with a drawstring
jadau-technique used in jewelry making
Khichcha-transparent coiled wire
Sadi , dabka-coiled metal wire
Salama-coiled wire
Sitra-sequin
Taar-wire
Tikki-sequin
Zardozi-metal embordery done using gold -sliver
threads

78
79
 Craft cluster in Vasna

80
Craft cluster in Raikhad

81