A carefully curated event that celebrates the history of sarees

Almost always, only people living in cities get to witness art in all its glory. To change that narrative, curator Mayank Mansingh Kaul, and exhibition designer Reha Sodhi came up with Red Lilies, Water Birds: The Saree in Nine Stories, an event that took the art to the ones who created it.
This is why, he is currently displaying 108 pieces of drape wear that have always been a part of Indian culture, through an exhibition in Anegundi, in Hampi, Karnataka.

"For the last 7 or 8 years, the focus has only been on larger cities like Delhi or Bombay. Even though the audience for these events was large, my soul was restless," says Mayank.
"The artisans behind the whole art were never able to witness their skills on display," he shares, adding that this is why he wanted to take it to smaller cities and villages.
Speaking about the event, he said that there are several sarees on display, but it is not just a comprehensive overview of just sarees, but of drape wear in general, and it includes dupattas, dhotis for men, and even their headgear.

Also, this event has been curated in such a way that there is no text in front of the pieces on display; rather, there is someone to take you through the whole experience, which has been divided into nine segments. "Sarees are frequently regarded as crafts, but they are much more than that. More than 125 years ago, Dubraj Das, a weaver, signed his name on a Baluchari saree he weaved, proving that it is a work of art and that he wanted to be considered an artist," exclaims Mayank.

For those who are interested, the exhibition was previewed on November 12 and 13. It will close on December 7 and 8, remaining on view from November 14 through December 6, daily,

-Devika V Menon