City Desk:
The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi has launched the first-ever Jamdani Exposition at the National Crafts Museum in the Indian capital, offering audiences a rare glimpse into Bangladesh’s most celebrated textile tradition.
The five-day exposition, inaugurated on Friday, will remain open to visitors until September 23, according to message received on Saturday.
Curated by Indian craft and textile revivalist ChandrashekharBheda, the showcase brings together exquisite Jamdanis woven by Bangladesh’s master artisans, including two rare 150-year-old pieces, reports BSS.
At the opening, Bheda underlined Jamdani’s uniqueness: “Jamdani cannot be replicated by machine. Its sheer transparency and delicacy are like weaving magic that floats in the air.”
Adding conceptual depth, ChandrashekharSaha, a leading figure in Bangladesh’s craft revival and former design head at Aarong, highlighted the fabric’s heritage: “Once, Bengal’s Muslin reigned supreme. Jamdani stands on that same pedestal – an art you must see and feel to understand. Let us hope its legacy endures.”
The ceremony also featured voices from India’s design and cultural fraternity. Padma Shri award-winning designer SunitaKohli described Jamdani as “woven air,”.
“Emperors coveted it, traders carried it across seas, and poets struggled to capture its fineness. UNESCO calls it intangible cultural heritage – I call it intangible luxury, measured not by price, but by patience, time, and the human hand,” she said.
