Parsi gara: A spinoff from Surat-China opium trade
One of the most enduring symbols of Parsi heritage in India are the community’s exquisite gara embroidered sarees – an offshoot of Surat’s opium trade with China.
Wading in through the sea trading routes, Chinese symbols found their way into this iconic Indian fashion statement. Co-editor with Shilpa Shah for books by the
TAPI Collection, author Tulsi Vatsal writes in ‘Paeonies and Pagodas’ that the tripartite trade between India and China involving tea, cotton and opium resulted in large consignments of the commodities.
The word Gara comes from the Gujarati word garo – meaning width. Surat emerged as a gara hub and it was so high in demand that the embroidery was sold by weight. Huge sums would be paid for innovative designs which extended to the pallu and all-over designs.
The opium crates exported to China were brought back by the Parsi traders filled with exotic Chinese silks for their wives. Emblems from these silks depicting emblems such as the phoenix, fish, roosters and flowers resonated with the Parsis and they immediately adapted these to their wardrobe. Runners and shawls were cut into borders and attached to the sarees.
Soon, running borders were locally embroidered specifically for sarees. Motifs were adapted onto lighter silks, chiffon and georgette for a ‘flowy silhouette.
The Parsi garas were a sophisticated fashion statement for the wives of successful Parsi professionals who often accompanied their husbands at official functions, and thanks to the East India House that sold fashionable fabric, this oriental embroidery was already a rage in London in the 19th century. Overtime, the symbols from the garas were also adopted into the auspicious, ‘chalk’ or rangoli, which Parsis
designed at their door steps for good luck.
After the second World War, the demand for garas decreased. Revived in the present day, the embroidery has made a comeback with modern patterns in pretty blouses, stoles, vests, little purses along with the sarees. Designer
