9/100 – Day 7 Ganesh Chaturti

A day of celebration, today (23, September, 2015) is also a day for remembrance for our family. It was the day my maternal grandfather B.N.SriSathyan passed away, 37 years ago. Time goes by but leaves behind some wonderful memories. Though I have precious few of these, I do remember that his home was always a place of love and laughter and had many pieces of art all around. I remember summer evenings spent showing off our childhood talents – music, dance, yoga, and everything that could be termed artistic!

Kutchi embroidery is traditional to the Kutch region of Gujarat, a state in Western India. An open grid of squares is sewn into the cloth to form a pattern and then the squares are woven with overlaying threads. This creates intricate geometric patterns. This form of embroidery is normally done in the vibrant colours that symbolise the desert tribes of India and is interspersed with mirrors that shimmer in even the faintest light.

I chose to have this ivory coloured silk embroidered in black. The simplicity of the colour scheme is in sharp contrast to the complexity of the workmanship. This very special saree in my collection was embroidered by my Aunt, Sudha Kuppuswamy. I will always treasure it for the numerous hours of labour and love that has gone into the creation of this piece. Thank you, Aunty.

To keep to the idea of simplicity, I have chosen to wear pearls again, this time a double strand, a gift from my Aunt Satyavati and Uncle Mohan Chander. Thank you, both of you! The earrings are white onyx teardrops. I enjoyed a few “beading” lessons during my stint in Singapore where a lovely lady by name Itina Khoo taught me the art of “wire wrapping”. I used a fine gold wire to create this design and immodestly show off my handiwork here!

I also have, at the request of some of my friends, included a picture of Nancy, my photographer for so many of my earlier posts. This picture was taken by Angel who helped me keep my house shining for two years and now does my ironing for me.