The Hindu Business Line : Collector's item

Playing around with tradition upsets textile visualiser Shashiv Chandran who runs `Utsav', the well-known sari and fabrics outlet in New Delhi. "Why are Coimbatore saris woven with Bengal designs? Or why is the Orissa style of pallu found on the Kanchipuram saris? Orissa and Bengal are noted for their own exquisite designs, and there is no need to mix these up," he frets.

Chandran was in Mumbai for his sari show. He visits the city at least twice a year and has established a regular clientele. Venkatagiri saris from Andhra Pradesh dominated the collection this time. "I am not a textile designer," he explains. "I keep away from current fads and fashions; I focus on ancient patterns and traditional designs from different parts of India. We try out different permutations and combinations, like blending two types of fabrics and designs from the same region. Printing on mul mul is common in Rajasthan, but we do it with different dyes, fabrics and styles." Utsav saris stick to tradition. To satisfy customer demands,, he tries out different kinds of borders and layouts on Kanchipuram saris but without deviating from tradition. Most of his weavers are from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa, while the printing jobs are done at Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Extensive travelling from an early age has enabled Chandran to establish direct contact with weavers, though he is equally at home dealing with the Mudaliars, who have dozens of weavers working for them. He supplies them with designs, colours and motifs. "I am particular that what I pay reaches the individual weavers," he explains.

Ideas for new designs come from books, magazines, libraries and personal interaction with weavers and their families during his monthly visits to different States.

Nearly 75 per cent of `Utsav' saris are cotton and the rest silk. The prices are affordable, with most of them ranging from Rs 400 to Rs 800. Expensive saris are available too, with the costliest being Rs 22,000. Most of Chandran's customers are working women, professionals and housewives with an eye for tradition but who also want `something new, something different'. Chandran's celebrity clients include Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit. .

Actress Shabana Azmi, her mother Shaukat Azmi, actress Ratna Pathak Shah and stage personality Preeta Mathur are among the regulars at his sari shows. "To me any customer is as good as a VIP. I have a personal rapport at all levels," he says.

Self-taught Chandran had no formal training in textiles. Even during his school days at St Columba's, he dabbled in drawing, painting, batik, wall paintings and sketches. An English (Hons) graduate from Delhi University, Chandran started out on his own with a small sari collection, designed and presented after visits to Jaipur and Chennai. "The early days were difficult. I was everything from coolie to marketing manager, sweeping and cleaning the garage which was the first shop. Travelling in the heat and dust and convincing weavers that despite my youth I had plenty of ideas was also a problem initially." The business, which began with two suitcases in a garage, today has a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore.

Utsav was set up in 1993. Chandran handpicks his staff and personally trains them. Family members and friends were the first customers but soon his saris became sought after. Utsav will soon have a branch at Gurgaon, while the outlet in Bangalore is doing very well; it's already regarded as one of the 10 best shops in the city. Besides Mumbai, regular shows are held at Bangalore, Chandigarh and Kanpur.

Chandran is now keen on tapping the export market. "Our block prints are popular in Japan and it could be a good market for the future," he points out. Utsav also sells fabrics and its dupattas are extremely popular. "We are now planning a show with geometrical figures on the borders and pallus of our saris."

However, the visualiser in him is disappointed with the apathy of the Ministry of Textiles, government co-operatives and various State emporia. "They have sacrificed regional designs for populism," he fumes. "Why should the Kerala State Emporium sell merchandise from Punjab and Orissa emporium deal in AP products?". Commercialisation and the craze for computer designs also displease him.

Despite plans for expansion, Chandran is keen to leave his imprint on whatever he does. "I am not catering to the mass market. There are enough people doing that. Small, to me, is quite beautiful and satisfactory."

Picture by Shashi Ashiwal

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