Ten-day jamdani exhibition begins at National Museum
Amu for tapping potential of jamdani industry
The government is relentlessly working for the development of Jamdani industry like muslin industry, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu said yesterday.
The Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) has set up a Jamdani Industrial City and a research centre at Noapara in Narayanganj district at a cost of Tk 5.86 crore for the further development of the Jamdani sector, the minister said while inaugurating a ten-day Jamdani exhibition at National Museum premises at citys Shahbag area. The programme was jointly organised by BSCIC and the Museum.
Amu said, this hand loom woven fabric made out of cotton, is historically was referred to muslin. The Jamdani of Bangladesh has already been acknowledged as part of the worlds heritage and the government is working for expansion of the industry.
There are 409 plots in the Jamdani Industrial City, the minister said, adding, Of all the plots, 399 industrial plots have already been distributed among entrepreneurs for setting up their industries.
With a view to enhance the traditional Jamdani industries, the government has set up Jamdani industrial city and research centre on 20 acres of land at Noapara of Tarabo union under Narayanganj, the minister added.
BSCIC Chairman Ahmed Hossain presided over the programme while State Minister for Textile and Jute Mirza Azam MP, Industries Secretary M Masharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and Director General of Bangladesh National Museum Faizul Latif Chowdhury, also spoke on the occasion. A total of 38 Jamdani saree manufacturers are taking part in the fair which will remain open for the general people every day from 10 am to 8 pm.
Jamdani is one of the finest muslin textiles of Bengal, produced in Dhaka district for centuries. Jamdani patterns are mostly of geometric, plant, and floral designs and are said to originate in Persian and Mughal fusion thousands of years ago. Due to the exquisite painstaking methodology required, only aristocrats and royal families were able to afford such luxuries.
The historic production of Jamdani was patronised by imperial warrants of the Mughal emperors. Under British colonialism, the Bengali Jamdani and muslin industries rapidly declined due to colonial import policies favoring industrially manufactured textiles. In more recent years, the production of Jamdani has witnessed a revival in Bangladesh.
Whether figured or flowered, Jamdani is a woven fabric in cotton, and it is undoubtedly one of the varieties of the finest muslin. It has been spoken of as the most artistic textile of the Bangladeshi weaver.
Traditionally woven around Dhaka including Sonargaon, Bangladesh and created on the loom brocade, Jamdani is fabulously rich in motifs.
Jamdani is a fine muslin cloth on which decorative motifs are woven on the loom, typically in grey and white. Often a mixture of cotton and gold thread were used. The government and other organisations are trying to revive the old glory of Dhakai Jamdani. In a bid to avoid the middlemen, they are trying to establish direct contact with the weavers. A Jamdani Palli has been established near Dhaka. Jamdani, one of the oldest forms of cottage industry in Bangladesh, was once a dying trade. Tangail Saree Kutir along with other sari stores on Baily Road, Jamdani Hut, Aarong and Nilanjona Palli strive to support the thousands of weavers of Bangladesh who have struggled to keep this age old tradition and fashion alive.
Organisations like Radiant Institute of Design, Shanto Mariam University of Creative Technology, National Institute of Design (NID), and others are helping designers create new Jamdani designs.
Jamdani has never gone out of style. Even today, Jamdani is equally valued It has and it always will symbolise aristocracy. The demand for quality Jamdani sarees have increased exponentially over the years.
