H.E. Sheikha Altaf Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah, Patron and Chairperson of Al Sadu House, and H.E. Mr. Ajai Malhotra, Ambassador of India, inaugurated an Exhibition of Indian Hand-Woven Textiles and of Madhubani Folk Art at Al-Sadu House on November 9.
Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Sheikha Altaf Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah warmly recalled the long-standing ties of friendship that linked Kuwait with India. She highly appreciated India’s rich and varied textile tradition and cultural heritage and noted how the inter-mingling of our peoples and civilizations over the centuries had resulted in mutually reinforcing cultural influences. In turn, Ambassador Malhotra spoke of India’s fascinating cultural heritage and its long and rich tradition of textile weaving. He invited
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Kuwaitis and others to Al-Sadu House to get a glimpse of some aspects of traditional Indian textiles and design, pointing out that the textiles on display used “vibrant and dramatic colours that flowed straight from the heart of rural Indian artisans”. He noted that on exhibit were silk saris from Benaras and Kanjeevaram, traditional shawls and jackets from Kutch, and folk art on textiles from Madhubani in Bihar. He drew attention to the Banarasi brocades from Uttar Pradesh, which used silver and gold threads in their weave and had acquired a world-wide reputation for richness and glamour. Ambassador Malhotra added that such exhibitions served to further enrich the partnership and traditional friendship that so happily linked India and Kuwait. He pointed out that a demonstration of the hand-weaving of Indian textiles could also be seen at Al-Sadu House, where live henna application by a traditional artist from India was also on offer. The Exhibition will stay open at Al-Sadu House till November 14.
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