The sari that gives you an unusual glow

From going deep into the Seshachala forests with two escorts and spending four hours plucking delicate buds of the Brahma Kamala flower (commonly known as the May flower), to spending six months trying to create a sari that has little bulbs which glows at the touch of a switch, Peddaiah Gari Mohan does everything in his power to create patterns in saris that are sure to wow the consumer, whether or not they buy it.

On exhibition at the Silk Utsav at Gayatri Vihar have five such innovative designs by the 33-year-old weaver-designer. The most interesting of them is perhaps the light-emitting sari, which has 20 small light bulbs attached to it. The bulbs are wired to a battery located behind the pallu. On pressing a tiny switch at the shoulder, the 20 light bulbs come alive, glowing bright green along the border and the pallu, for around two-and-half-hours.

“It took me three trials over six months to get this design right,” said Mohan, who learnt the art of weaving from his father and began experimenting at the age of 21.

“The wiring cannot be seen as they are hidden beneath the beadwork on the sari,” he said.

Other designs by the weaver include the May flower-designed sari that even changes colour — just like the flower — and the ones that smell like sandalwood and champak flowers. “For the sandalwood-smelling sari, I have carved out the wood and added it to the design. Each sari has about 200 gm of sandalwood,” he said.

While weaving the saris, Mohan dips the thread in the extracts of flowers for hours to make the product smell good.

“Keeping the extract at an optimum temperature, the silk thread was dipped in the sari for about four hours, after which the sari was woven,” he said.

Mohan claims that the fragrance will last a lifetime if the sari is well-maintained. Asked why he worked hard to create such designs, he said, “So that weavers stop committing suicide. I come from a family of weavers and I know what the situation of weavers is in our country. I want to show the people that so much can be done with saris. I want to create awareness about the plight of weavers who are committing suicide because they cannot come out of their poverty. At the same time, I want to show people that so much can be done with a sari, that it has so much potential.”

When asked about his next innovation, quietly smiling, he said, “Sculpture! Till today, it has been done only with stone, wood or bone. I am going to sculpt the designs of Ajanta and Ellora caves using silk and embossing it by about half-an-inch.”