Bagh and Phulkari- Traditional Treasures

I went home to Patiala last week and this time I was on a mission. I wanted to re-discover the traditional stuff of Patiala- Phulkari, Salwar, Jutti, Parandiyan. Though I have been using all of these in my day to day life, but the beauty of these never fails to enthral me. So, off I went to the local market, tagging along Bhuaji. And, there was beautiful antique stuff to chose from.

When I reached back home and showed my new acquisitions to Beeji, she said, "Aide layee bazaar jaan di ki lorh si. Eh sabh ta ghar hi bathera peya hai." (Why did you have to go to market for such stuff. All this is lying at home in abundance). And was I surprised!!

I went into the attic and started exploring th

e old stuff that had come from village when they shifted to the city. What came out was absolute treasure, wrapped in everlasting memories...

Among other things, I came across my favourite, 7-8 Baghs. Beeji saw me draping around myself and got nostalgic.

Traditionally, Baghs were woven and embroidered for the trousseau of the bride. During Beeji's childhood and times before that, young girls were taught the intricate Phulkari so that they could decorate the furnishings and apparel. The patterns could be floral (phul) or geometric or animals. Actually, the name Phulkari comes from Phul, which means flower. Young girls would first weave the cloth- red, orange, brown- and then start the embroidery. One Bagh would take at least a month for the entire start to end process. Baghs are full length dupattas covered entirely with phulkari.

I brought a couple of them with me. These one's are really special as they are not just family heirlooms, but a labour of love and gifted with love.

Shop till you drop

Its festive season. And its wedding season. And above all its my wedding!!! All the reasons to Shop till I Drop. For the last few weeks I have been busy shopping, shopping and shopping. I have shopped in Punjab, I have shopped in Delhi and I have shopped in Gurgaon Malls. And most of the times, by the end of the day, all the fun goes out of it.

But I have learnt quite a few things. I can now distinguish between different types of crepes and silks... Jamawar, Brocade, Tusser, Tanchoi, Tissue, et al. But, so much colour and vibrance makes me colour blind at times. I am just not able to distinguish between different shades of pink or green or blue! Aha, and the jewellery!!! For myself, Ma, Grandma, In laws... Whosoever said 'Diamonds are a girl's best friends' was so true.

For me, it has been an excuse to indulge myself in the luxury of picking up things on impulse. Wow! And for once, Ma has not been after my life for the number of clothes and shoes and bags that I have.

As the weekend approaches, I am all geared up to go on a shopping spree. Yes, yet again!