Remember the time you used to sit with that bottle of oil and comb and your mother would do your hair? She would massage the scalp, detangle and make a neat and clean braid. That style was yours, it defined you as a child, how you looked, how carefree you felt and how your hair were so well taken care of. We believe that braid was special, and will always remain to be special, as a symbol of your childhood connection with your mother, a representative of how she would detangle all the problems from our life to help us live in a carefree, joyous manner.
This Mother’s Day, we recall this beautiful element of childhood and motherhood as it finds a unique expression in Indian Handloom. One of the most beloved traditional handloom sarees of West Bengal is Dhaniakhali(Dhonekhali) saree deriving its name from a small town named Dhaniakhali in Hooghly district of West Bengal. These sarees can easily be distinguished by the presence of ‘khejuri chori’ design thread, an arrangement of special weft threads of twisted cotton yarns in two colours woven in palloo portion. It appears like a braid in the fabric that marks the authenticity of the handloom work.
Dhaniakhali saree is often called the ‘golden crop’ of handloom sarees. It is extremely popular for its rich, colourful combination and compact design. But the presence of the Khejuri Chori is what acts as a souvenir of the past, a symbol of pure love and time of innocent joy.
