T is for .... Tiny ... n ... Timeless

 

All this month I am writing about outstanding Indian handlooms, a quick but captivating dive into the saree specifically, a garment worn by Indians for five millennia. Come with me into the magnificent, complex and utterly fascinating world of fibre and yarn, of skills and techniques of dyeing and printing and embroidery, traditions unchanged for centuries. Of sumptuous finished fabrics that not only make a fashion statement, but also constitute our cultural heritage and political identity.

T is for Tussar 

Tussar (also known as Kosa silk) is a type of silk obtained from the cocoons of wild moths. Watch this short film on how Tussar is produced in a village in Jharkhand in the east of the country. 

Like the other silks of India, Tussar also has a rich history with its potential origins being in the Indus Valley Civilisation. Tussar is essentially a non-mulberry, non-cultivated silk. The Tussar silkworms grow on a diet of  Arjun and Indian oak in the forest, from where tribal communities have been collecting the cocoons and creating this type of silk for many centuries. These cocoons yield shorter silk filaments and therefore Tussar has a slightly uneven texture and coarser feel. It is breathable making it suitable for the tropical climate of India and it combines well with other yarns such as wool, therefore its export potential is excellent.

The colour of the silk obtained from silkworms of any variety depends on the leaves they feed on and the climatic conditions they are growing in. Since the Tussar silkworms feed on a variety of leaves, the colour of their silk varies from off-white to old gold to honey and shades of beige/brown. The variation as well as the texture are highly prized. In short, Tussar has a unique, rustic feel and is a niche market. 

Plain woven, plain dyed and hand block printed Tussar

sarees from Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal. Except for 

the flat dyed one, the colour of the original fabric is 

visible in all the others. 

Note that not all Tussar is violence-free, some are made from living cocoons. Only Ghicha (pr Ghi-cha as in chair, not -ka as in the film) is made from spent cocoons. However, Ghicha has become more popular in the last few decades as consumers have become more conscious of environmental considerations and sustainable practices. To ensure that the larvae can go on to complete the life cycle and reproduce makes much more sense than killing the wild silkworms. 

Tussar has a share of less than 4% of the production of silks in India, a very tiny quantity indeed. It is produced in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and West Bengal. The lion's share of production goes into sarees - for Kantha, Madhubani, Pata Chitra, hand block printed and Batik mainly, though some of the fabric is used for stitched apparel as well.  The market volume may be tiny but Tussar's appeal is quite timeless. Read more about Tussar here and here. 

...also for Textile historian and Tradition

I also wanted to tell you about Rta Kapur Chishti, a well known textile historian who has recorded the regional weaving and wearing of sarees. She has documented over 100 ways to drape saris in a book she coauthored with Martand Singh, another giant textile academic. She also runs a programme called The Saree School, where the techniques to tie a saree and its different drapes are taught. 

Image credit

Btw, in Hindi Taana refers to the warp and Baana to the weft yarn in weaving, both must be perfectly in sync - the tension just right, the alignment perfect, nothing torn, nothing a single millimeter out of place - for the fabric to form, the pattern to shape up. Everyday art. That is centuries old and still going on. And you can just grab it off a shelf and wrap yourself in it in two ticks - six unique yards of tradition. If that is not clean breathtaking, I don't know what is.

~~~

Did you know that the twist of the yarn determines the durability and lustre of silk? Yarns that have been highly twisted are stronger than yarns which are low twist. High twist yarns are used in the warp usually - they are stronger but of lower sheen, while weft yarns can be low twist and more lustrous.

Thank you for reading. And happy A-Zing to you if you are participating in the challenge. 

A-Z Challenge 2025