The story of Ahasan Khatri turning from an architect to a textile artist also resembles the script of a Bollywood movie. AR. Ahasan Khatri is an architect by training, a born artist, self-made fashion designer, entrepreneur, a businessman and a well-regarded youth icon. From a very young age he was surrounded by the colourful world of textiles, he was engaged in creating beautiful designs with knots and threads of Bandhani, dyed in many hues. He received his bachelor’s degree as a B. Arch from SVIT-Vasad Baroda, but his intense love for Bandhani, nurtured by the elders of the house, led him to pursue his passion in the field of his forefathers.
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Ahasan Khatri
Ahasan Khatri’s father, Dr. Anwar Khatri, who is a veterinarian by profession, turned to his traditional craft of Bandhani in his early years and was always his mentor. With his father’s guidance, Ahasan Khatri created a business model that creates livelihood opportunities for hundreds of women working from home. Within a span of 2 years, he has gained immense popularity for his work and is known as one of the youngest successful fashion entrepreneurs in Bandhani’s business, with his large variety of classical and aesthetic collections.
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Ahasan Khatri creating a Bandhani
Let us tell you that the art of Bandhani is a highly skilled process. This technique involves dyeing the fabric which is tightly tied with a thread at several points, thus producing a variety of patterns such as Chandrakala, Bavan Baug, Shikari etc. As Bandhani is a tie and dye process, it is dyed by hand, so the best colors and combinations are possible in Bandhanis. The Bandhani work is done exclusively by the Khatri community of Kutchh and Saurashtra. A meter long cloth may contain thousands of tiny knots known as ‘bheendi’ in the local language (‘Gujarati‘). Pethapur, Mandavi, Bhuj, Anjar, Jetpur, Jamnagar, Rajkot are some of the major cities of Gujarat where Bandhani is created. The term Bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root bandh (to bind, to tie).
Bandhani Tradition
Video of Bandhani Tradition – www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxu8ukPHvPo
Ahasan Khatri has done incredible work in the field of Bandhani. Kalamkari, Kanchivaram, Paithani, Madhubani, Warli, Banarasi, Ajrakh, Patola and Chikankari are some of his recent innovations in craft techniques with Bandhani, developed by him to create beautiful sarees, dupattas, lehengas, suits, stoles etc for every age groups. With his growing passion in Bandhani, he is currently working on some exclusive ideas and concepts that will definitely bring unique creations to Bandhani wear in the near future. The new definition he has given to the ancient and ethereal art of Bandhani is ineffable.
For more details, please visit www.bandhanitradition.com.
