Bomkai saris start at Rs.3,500

Bomkai Saree or Sari

Gunjan Jain of Vriksh is working to revive weaves such as Bomkai in Orissa.

 

The texture of these cotton saris from Orissa is so thick that they look and feel like bedspreads. Yet, Gunjan Jain of Vriksh hopes she will be able to create interest in the weave before it dies out completely. “The sari was originally woven very thick, necessary because of the humidity and atmospheric salinity in the air. The so-called Bomkai saris you find in the market nowadays are heavy silks and thin cottons with jacquard work, which are produced in another weaving district of Orissa, and are completely different from the original weave. The Bomkai weave is woven on a basic pit loom and at present there are only four weavers left in the Bomkai village, from where this weave originated,” says Bhubaneswar-based Jain who studied fashion design at Pearl Academy, New Delhi, and moved to Orissa in 2007.

Jain says the weavers have inherited the colour and design sense from their ancestors who were inspired by their immediate environment. Hence you are likely to find motifs like kanthi phoola (small flower), mayura (peacock), rui machha (carp fish), koinchha (tortoise), padma (lotus) and daanti (teeth) on the anchal or pallu.

Bomkai saris start at Rs.3,500. Contact Jain at vriksh.orissa@gmail.com.