Embroidered Art of Punjab: Phulkari

Embroidered Art of Punjab: Phulkari

The bright and delicate embroidery giving vibrancy to the colourful and intricately woven thread on a piece of cloth, khaddar, adorns the lives of many women especially those of Punjab. Popularly known as Phulkari, forms a very important part of Punjabi atire culture. Traditionally in Punjabi culture when a daughter was born, the women in the family would start embroidering on the cloth creating beautiful web of imagination that would be one day used in her wedding. As an integral part of a girl’s dowry- material wealth given at the time of wedding- the cloth was just like a canvas for Punjabi women to draw their feelings and inspiration on. Punjabi girls were taught how to do embroidery at a young age which they would eventually teach their daughters. Hence this became a tradition of passing down the skill from one generation to another.

Phulkari, literally means “flower work”, is a combination of vivacious and intricate designs created using silk floss for embroidery, called pat, sourced from Kashmir, Bengal, Afghanistan and Turkistan and was dyed locally in Amritsar and Jammu. Phulkari means the shape or direction of flowers which symbolizes life. Originally Phulkari was done with real flowers. Silk and Mulmul fabrics were used because of their purity and longevity. Although phulkari means floral work, the designs also include motifs and geometrical shapes beside flower work. The final product could be made into a beautiful odhni or shawl. The love and affection with the phulkari is so deep that many folk songs are made celebrating this craft.

On the basis of designed areas and motifs phulkari has many types. Some of the famous types of phulkaris are Chope, Suber, Nilak, Til partra, Sheeshedar, Sainchi, Kaeta etc. Generally bright colours such as yellow, red, green, pink, golden, blue and white are preferred when it comes to phulkari. It is to be noted that no religious subjects or darbar scenes were embroidered.

Earlier usage and making of phulkari was a social and leisurely done activity and not for commercial sale. The craft of phulkari has undergone changes over the centuries. Overtime women have started stitching and wearing phulkari less frequently. The partition of India in 1947 into India and Pakistan resulted in large loss to Punjabi heritage and culture. Traditionally, phulkari garments were a part of a girl’s material wealth and its motifs expressed her emotions and the number of phulkari pieces defined the status of the family. But now they are used to earn revenue. Earlier women could embroidery without the use of stencils but nowadays embroiders make use of tracing blocks.

By the end of the 19th century, phulkaris and Baghs had found a promising market in Europe and America. Some of the firms obtained orders from Europe for supplying Phulkari on a commercial scale. The newer market dictated the changes in designs and colour combinations. It is believed that Punjab developed at a very fast pace but failed to value its traditional crafts. Phulkari designs and techniques were never patented and were typically just passed from one generation to another. Eventually phulkaris were lost as millions of Punjabis moved to Pakistan after partition. The Phulkari style of embroidery met with a tragedy and faced some very difficult times. There was a time when around 52 types of phulkaris existed but with the passage of time this form almost disappeared. In 2011, after a five-year-long legal case, Phulkari was awarded the geographical indication (GI) status in India. Over the years, the Indian and Punjab government has been working towards promotion of Phulkari embroidery, by organising exhibitions and fairs. The Punjab Handicraft workshop Cooperative Industrial Society Ltd was founded in 1997 to promote the craft and empower women by providing a source of livelihood. There are several non-profit organizations promoting the art and reviving the industry. 

Relatively low remunerations have made it an economically unviable option for many young women who don’t want to take it up as a livelihood. Phulkari embroidery is a painstaking and time-consuming art and leaves harmful effects on eyes. The industry is facing stern competition from big industries where use of machines and technology is made use of at a large scale.

From being restricted to shawls and dupattas, the craft of Phulkari embroidery is being showcased on saris and salwar kameez using machines and modern techniques and materials now. It is crucial to keep traditional handicrafts alive, but it can be done only if a need for them exists. Today this vibrant style has become an integral part of fashion shows of some well-known designers such as Manish Malhotra. From a mere domestic art form, it has earned a place on international platform. The biggest challenge however to hand-embroidered phulkaris today is that the market is flooded with cheaper machine made phulkaris which are manufactured in Amritsar and Ludhiana. The need of the hour is preserving the age-old technique and modernise it to best fit needs of this generation.