A LIFE IN PHULKARI

At the Latitude 28 gallery, Bhavna Kakar presents rare pre-Partition Phulkaris from her family collection, with reflections of memory and loss through Punjab’s embroidered traditions

- PANKIL JHAJHRIA

THE word 'Phulkari' literally translates to 'floral work'. Traditionally executed on hand-spun cotton or khaddar, Phulkari embroidery is built from darn stitches that form colourful geometrical motifs — cotton bolls (fruit of the cotton plant), birds, flowering vines, wheat stalks, vegetables, and Punjab’s everyday agrarian life — all woven in bright silk floss.

The craft dates back to undivided Punjab, spanning present-day Punjab and Haryana.

At Latitude 28 in Delhi’s Defence Colony, gallery director Bhavna Kakar is presenting a collection of over 40 rare pre-Partition Phulkaris and Baghs — the latter a ceremonial form of Phulkari made primarily for weddings and rituals. Unlike Phulkaris, Baghs (meaning “garden”) are heavily embroidered, with thick borders and densely packed geometric patterns that cover the entire surface of the fabric.