The ultimate in charm of Chamba Rumal - Lalita Vakil

- Antar- Raksha Shukla

Dharna, ovarana, souvenirs

Saves how much these doors.

The closed door is in the hands of time,

We have a strike to build.

Busy with your hands,

Ovarna can be taken by eye.

Some evening work will also come,

Keep the souvenirs.

Whosoever wants to rise,

So tell me, can we open the doors?

- Harsha Dave

One day the famous painter Pablo Picasso was relaxing with a friend on a beach in southern France. Then a little boy came to him with a paper. Picasso understood that the boy's parents wanted to get his autograph as an excuse.

Picasso did not deny the boy's request but took the paper and tore it up. Then he drew a figure on the boy's back and signed himself below.

Picasso told his friend - 'I suppose they will never bathe the boy again.'

It is also fun to learn about such incidents in the life of actors which show their sense of humor and sharp wit, their popularity and also the commonman in them. However, some artists work silently in a secluded corner of the world. Also, they light up the lives of many people. From Himachal Pradesh Smt. Lalita Vakil was honored with the country's fourth highest civilian honor 'Padma Shri' by the then Government of India on the eve of Republic Day 2022 for her notable and outstanding contribution to the field of arts. Smt. Lalita Vakil Chamba is an excellent and sincere handkerchief embroiderer. In 1965, Maheshwari Devi, the artisan who made Chamba Rumal, was given the National Award for the first time.

When man cannot put his feelings into words, he puts them into colors, tunes, dances or words. It is in art that his feelings get salvation and the conflicts or struggles going on inside him are resolved in that art. The contribution of such creators is very high quality and unforgettable.

Mrs. Lalita Vakil has played a key role in reviving the dying Chamba craft and bringing it to the fore. After receiving the Padma Shri, Lalitaji was given a grand welcome by many institutions and devotees on her return to Chamba. Working tirelessly in this field since 1970, Lalitaji's main objective is to preserve, make practical and train this endangered traditional cultural art of 'Chamba Rumal Kadhai'. Enchanted by the magic of Chamba handkerchief embroidery, Lalitaji embraced it with aplomb and discipline and decided to take up Chamba handkerchief art as a career. He wants to be the proud pioneer of this art. Traditionally it was done purely on muslin. He made an invaluable contribution to this art by discovering and mastering new designs suitable for fabrics like silk, tussor or voile.

Indian arts include many types of traditional embroidery such as Kantha, Phulkari, Chikankari, Zardoshi, Chamba Rumal or Kashmiri Kashidakari. Chamba Rumal is an ancient and famous kashidakari craft of Himachal Pradesh which was once promoted under the patronage of the traditional rulers of Chamba state. Chamba embroidery is not really a handkerchief but a Kamal. Chamba Rumal is not actually a pocket handkerchief, but a kind of embroidered 'wall painting'. Which is sometimes decorated like a painting on the wall and sometimes given as a gift. The interesting thing about Chamba handkerchiefs is that they may not look very attractive from a distance, but when seen up close one cannot believe his eyes at the fine details and the amazing cleanliness. Chamba kerchiefs in the early thread consisted of special fine hand-woven muslin fabrics of Punjab, dyed in a variety of vegetable dyes and embroidered with unbleached silk threads. The theme of which was based on mythology. The theme is then embroidered onto the fabric with a small needle and colorful silk threads with such skillful technique that the embroidery looks equally beautiful on both sides of the fabric. Who called Dr. Rukha Kashida. Chamba Rumal takes 10 days to two months to make depending on the fabric and design. To make a Chamba rug, the artist first draws a mythological scene or event on the cloth, then outlines it more clearly with pencil or charcoal. He then fills the required space with the desired color with a brush, which is used only nominally. This is followed by threading colorful silk thread into the needle, making this embroidery done with two side visible stitches an unforgettable masterpiece. A picture on a Chamba handkerchief is never made by tracing. It is done so quickly that the line does not break.

Chamba handkerchiefs are also heard in the folk culture and songs of Himachal Pradesh. Many songs like "Ram Lachman Chopad Khelde, Siya Rani Kaddi Kasida" are quite famous and are sung on many occasions. Chamba Rumal is also given an important place in people's personal life or traditional customs. "All my scattering moments are taken up, with my needle," says 19th century American writer Ellen Birdseye Wheaton. Only a creator or an artist can understand this. Because he is sensitive, he feels that the artist's pain or sorrow is absorbed into his creation. A creation like needlework does not allow its wounded, sad soul to be torn...It mends the soul. The senses of the creator are saved in his creation. American poet, activist and philosopher Sara Louisa Oberholtzer, an advocate for the upliftment of humanity, beautifully describes the sentiments of the needlework girl, saying that...

“The girl who sits

in the porchway low

Sings to her needle

as to and fro

It weaves the seam

with its glittering glow,

Close in the garment

she holds to sew.”

Smt Vakil was born in 1954 in a middle class family in the legendary and culturally rich town of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh. At the young age of 14, he joined this art. Lalitaji received her higher education in Chamba in 1970. Diploma from IIT Chamba in 1978-1980. In 2006, Chamba traveled to Germany for an exhibition of handkerchiefs and in 2011 participated in the Canadian Tulip Festival in Canada. He also learned the skill of double-sided i.e. do-rukha embroidery of Chamba handkerchiefs and its various techniques. Had he not made sincere efforts to promote this traditional cultural art, it would unfortunately have almost become extinct. Lalitaji's husband is a doctor who has always supported her in her career and social work.

This popular art of Chamba is done on muslin, silk and cotton fabrics. This is not just embroidery. There is also hidden a distinct visual art which is mainly inspired by mythological stories like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Samudramanthan, Dasavatar, spiritual epics, Ashtanayika, Gita-Govinda, Krishna Balalila, Rasalila or daily life which are the most popular. Along with this, designs of animals, flowers and ornamental plants, geometric patterns, different games and human figures are also seen. Such mesmerizing scenes are filled with calm seriousness by the creator. Lalithaji has contributed admirably in reviving this moribund art which delights in giving a decorative touch to the object. By developing new designs and skills, they are doing relentless and invaluable work for the upliftment of this art. He has taken a big step to sustain this art with modern lifestyle. Aiming at the demands and requirements of the contemporary lifestyle, he molded and developed this art in a suitable mold. Which impresses the sensibilities of the people with the colors of modernity. He blends traditional designs with modernity to create mesmerizing works of art that resonate with today's times, weaving in new age sensibilities. Lalitaji attracted a wide range of beauty lovers and art lovers from abroad by weaving the Chamba rugal art into everyday items such as wall hangings, fans, lampshades, bedsheets, room partitions, e-men's various garments or curtains. Ms. Lalita's contribution in developing this art form is amazing and significant. He exhibited the art in numerous exhibitions in India and abroad to promote and preserve this beautiful art form of intricate yet highly attractive Chamba shawl embroidery.

Lalitaji, who works tirelessly in Chamba Kashidakari, is also a social activist. Reaching out to girls and women sitting idle at home and engaging them in the upliftment of this art. Smt. Vakil has inspired and helped many women to learn this craft by giving free training at her home. Due to her inspiration, many women are earning a living by working at home today. Moreover, with the support of the government, it has taken the initiative to train thousands of women artisans under the Guru Shishya tradition and imparted excellent training. Lalita ji also prepares the young generation by giving special training and creates new employment opportunities for them so that the youth can get this rare artistic skill. Lalitaji devoted her entire life to the preservation and upliftment of this traditional art form of Chamba, keeping the original uniqueness of the art alive. Lalitaji educates poor children by receiving tireless support from wealthy people and their relatives living abroad. He has not made any appearances for his social activities.

With her devotion, hard work and dedication to Chamba art, Lalitaji has brought the name of Chamba not only in the state or country but across the seven seas to light the name of the country. Lalitaji credits her elders along with former artiste Maheshwari Devi for her achievements and honors. Smt. In addition to the 2022 Padma Shri award, the lawyer has also received the President's Honor in 1993 for his outstanding work in the field of art, Best Craft Woman Award in Lucknow in 1995, Kalashri Award in 2000, Kala Ratna Award in 1998 and 2002, Kala Ratan Award in 2006, Shilp Guru Award in 2009 and 2012, Women and Child Development Department in 2017. Courtesy has been honored with numerous awards and honors including International Craft Award and President's Award as Mahila Guru, Nari Shakti Award in 2018, President's Honor again from Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2019. Chamba Rumal Art Guru Lalita Vakil is the only woman from Chamba who has been awarded the National Award three times by the Government of India.

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I am more interested in the present than the past and more in the future than the present.

- Benjamin Disraeli