GADAG: It’s a balmy afternoon at Kundaralli tanda near Shirahatti in Gadag district. Somavva Lamani is busy with her team, putting together richly embroidered apparel, with intricate patterns and glittering mirror-work -- a hallmark of the Banjaras, a community to which she belongs, and whose craft she is striving to preserve.
Somavva took up this passionate task 20 years ago, when she noticed the demand for products and artwork by the Banjaras was decreasing. She gave up her bread-and-butter occupation of selling sugarcane and opted to save her tradition.
Two decades later, Somavva is a brand today, whose special dresses are in high demand across Maharashtra, Telangana and Goa. As orders grew, she built a small team, providing employment to 10 other women. Simultaneously, she began training those interested in traditional embroidery at her tanda.
Banjara attire, lifestyle, traditions and customs are unique. But modernisation, technology, and need for gainful employment have forced many from the community to leave their traditional land and settle in big cities. Somavva, however, chose to stay in Kundralli, where she currently lives with her husband Mangalappa.
In the beginning, Somavva alone stitched dresses, which her family members carried around to sell across other tandas and towns. When orders began increasing, Somavva found it difficult and decided to teach stitching and traditional embroidery to young women of her community. Mangalappa would source pieces of mirror from a nearby town, along with other ornaments required for the designs. Initially, when Somavva began her work, the biggest challenge was attracting sales. Also, she took nearly two months to stitch more than 10 dresses.
Her husband started visiting all villages and towns of North Karnataka. When he went to Vijayapura and other places, he was told to attend Banjara district-level and regional-level meetings. Mangalappa met several people in those meetings and shared his and Somavva’s story. Somavva also joined him at such meetings in Vijayapura, Sirsi, Bhimasati, Surgondanakoppa and Goa. She received much appreciation in Goa, where they joined a state-level Banjara festival. This was the turning point for them, and soon after, they started getting orders from Hyderabad, Sholapur, Hubballi, Ballari, Vijayapura, and other places.
“Earlier, it was hard to find work. One day, I thought of continuing my tradition of stitching embroidered dresses of our people and selling them. As Banjaras are moving to different occupations, the number of traditional weavers is decreasing. I have involved some people who have been taught to upkeep our rich culture and tradition. My husband and son also help me,” Somavva says.
Traditional Banjara or Lambani dresses (for women) comprise a blouse (Khanchali), whales (Batiya), and skirt (Phetiya), all of which are decorated with beads, coins, mirror pieces, and other ornaments. Somavva says that her husband and son visit many parts of Karnataka to collect bangles, chains, pearls, glass, buttons and other embellishments for the dresses.
“We sing folk songs while stitching our traditional dresses. It is believed that by doing so, no dosha or other evil will affect those who wear them. It is a practice which we have followed for ages,” she says.
“My mother has not gone to school, but she has emerged as a model for our community and many people from other states visit us and express their surprise after watching the designs of our traditional dresses,” Mahantesh Lamani, Somavva’s son, says.
Dresses start from Rs 7k to Rs 25k
The dresses made by Somavva, which contain many ornaments and traditional embroidery, are priced according to their value-addition and finesse. They cost anywhere from Rs 7,000 for regular outfits, going upwards to Rs 25,000 for attires meant for special occasions. People place orders months in advance.