1 Shyam Ahuja

Ramaa Narayanan, January 2009

Shyam Ahuja is known to be among the most famous rug designers all over the world; he personally designs almost all the SHYAM AHUJA DHURRIES. Today, his dhurries drape the homes rich and the famous of the world over. A dhurrie is an Indian flat woven rug. The dhurries are common floor coverings in Indian homes. Intended for personal and domestic use, they are both utilitarian household item and an object with decorative appeal. Shyam Ahuja dhurries are designer dhurries an exclusive product. The dhurries are essentially woven rugs in cotton. In Shyam Ahujas durries cotton, wool and silk are used. From a strictly technical perspective Shyam Ahujas wool dhurries woven on cotton warps and woolen wefts are considered as parallel to tapestry or a new Indian version of a kilim. The word dhurrie may be traced back to the Sanskrit dara which refers to a mat of split-cane. Both dhari the Assamese word, and dhai a Hindi word denote line. There is considerable evidence of existence of striped flat woven rugs from India of the past. Though dhurries were prevalent in India, Indian dhurries were not known outside India until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and under the British rule, the jails became the production centres of dhurries. Though simple and unimpressive, the jail work-shops were instrumental in creating many places and centres of carpet and dhurrie weaving, even in places where it did not exist earlier. The prison workshops catered essentially, to the colonial bureaucracy. Known by the popular name of jail-blankets, the woolen rugs and blankets from the textile workshops of the jails could be found in use in many cities, even after India got its Independence. During the late nineteenth century and in the first half of the twentieth century dhurries were being woven throughout India by villagers for use within rural societies and in town workshops which catered to the Indian middle class and the aristocracy. The private manufacturers were involved in weaving mostly small dhurries meant for bed as well as still smaller prayer rugs for the local market. Though the designs varied to suit the needs and demands of the local market, they were invariably made of yarns dyed in primary colours using bright aniline dyes. The design ranged from elementary stripes, to more complex floral patterns. The Jat womenfolk of Punjab and Haryana wove dowry dhurries in cotton, which were akin to the woolen rugs and carpets woven by the rural women of Sind. Cotton dhurries of large dimensions were woven under the patronage of the various maharaja-s and nobles, particularly in the north western Rajasthan; they were intended for use in their court in the durbar halls and during the outdoor receptions. The design preference was for archetypal geometric motifs arranged all over the field with simple borders all around.

2 Thus dhurries of different qualities and various designs were prevalent in the twentieth century India. They were used in palaces, haveli-s, bungalows, guest houses, hotels and offices. The dhurrie designs are structural being integral to the process of weaving. They are weft-faced, the coloured designs are brought forth by the change of weft bobbins. Slides : No. 9 to No.13 Traditional dhurries : - Set of stripes in two or three colours is the quintessential of the flat woven rugs of India. - They may be continuous or disrupted; wide or thin but invariably horizontal. - arrows may be added at both the ends.; mihrab,-s may be worked out along the narrow ends - Geometric motifs and designs : - Stepped and serrated outlines are natural outcome of the weaving process staggered diamonds or stepped lozenges in striking colours - lattice and trellis designs - pictorial designs of flowers, birds, human beings were not uncommon. Since the motifs involve curvilinear lines, the making of pictorial dhurries is a challenging preposition. Shyam Ahuja revitalized the dying craft of dhurries in early 1960s. Dhurries are my passion. My love affair with flat woven rugs began years ago and is still alive. I dont see it dying. Conceptualizing a successful design, manufacturing the dhurrie to perfection and helping in its marketing have given an unimagined joy Sustained interest Creativity collaborative enterprise; design sense Entrepreneurship - target audience, niche market Shyam Ahuja had developed a keen eye for quality early in his life. Shyam Ahuja was inducted to wool business by his father, whose livelihood was in wool trading, at the age of eighteen. Purchasing wool and shipping the raw materials to a Philadelphia based company who was their main client provided the training ground of a staple business. Breaking away from his father, Shyam Ahuja started on his own in November 1963. In a chrysalis stage of his yet unborn new business, Shyam made his trip the second one to New York , United States of America; to a market that had no respect at a that time, for the land he was from. India was a bad word business-wise. Forunately for him, a chance meeting and advice from the Commissioner of Mexican Government that Shyam was wasting time trying to sell a product of high quality at a common market and to target specific sectors and upscale establishments. Irvin Covey who owned a showroom in New York, suggested to the dumb-founded and hesitant merchant that he produce for him

3 dhurrie in cotton and in a design inspired by the Afghan kilim. The idea that the traditionally made dhurrie be given a novelty of design, was taken well by Shyam Ahuja. Shyam Ahuja found that manufacturing of dhurries rested solely on the Government, and it funded and sponsored the activity / production by jail convicts. All over India plain dhurries were woven in jail - usually in plain blue or black colour with a broad border in red; Shyam found one such jail workshop making these unimpressive dhurries in the north-western Rajasthan. In the meantime, he also located some old paper thin cotton dhurries of intricate designs which caught his fancy. Shyam got a weaver with great difficulty - because many weavers had given up their traditional profession or had migrated abroad to make sample dhurries in cotton. When it won praise from Covey, Shyam Ahujas new business was born. Being essentially a wool-man he made dhurries with wool as weft. Eventually, Shyam Ahuja dhurries would have wool, cotton or silk as weft and cotton as warp. He procured silk from Bangalore and China: wool from Ireland and New Zealand and cotton from India. SHYAM AHUJA product : Exceptional attention is paid to the - quality of materials used - finish in workmanship - wide range in the merchandise - stringent and most exacting standards of inspection - standard of product through quality control infra structure for shipment by air and sea advertisement

The Birth of the designer dhurries 1982 : On the occasion of his sons wedding the five of his now dhurrie clients were present as special invitees. A business deal coalesced with a social ceremony. Strategy : - He lowered the price :( the entire stock could not be bought, strengthen and intensify his marketing in U.S. of A. - As bulk sale was not possible in European countries he fulfilled his goal to market his dhurries in fifty European countries by labeling his product as designer dhurries. - The scenario of Indian market :During the 1970s selling of dhurries in India priced at the range from Rs.10,000/ - ruepees ten thousand to Rs. 50,000/- rupees fifty thousand a piece was considered a crude joke. However, Shyam Ahuja was confident that a section of the Indian society would unhesitatingly embrace the new avatar of the traditional dhurries

4 Growing industries, corporate business, increasing affluence, world travel and exposure have affected a changing lifestyle as well as the climate for designed objects ( as in the designer dhurries) in India. Retailing in India : Production plant and main show rooms were in India; he also opened showrooms all over India. Shyam Ahuja showrooms in the various cities in different countries like New York, Paris, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Florence, etc. boasted the designed product from India to advantage. Shyam Ahuja holds periodic sales in its showrooms at New York, Paris Florence and Frankfurt; and whenever otherwise necessary. Shyam Ahujas Home Collection range covers the entire spectrum of living from rugs fabrics bed linen, table linen, bath linen and personal accessories. Various types of floor coverings like area rugs, throw rugs, rag rugs, knotted carpets and miscellaneous life style rugs like throw rugs were part of his product range. Through Shyam Ahujas talent the dhurries were transformed from the common to extraordinary, from the general to the unique and, in terms of design, from the rustic coarseness to the urban sophistication. In short the transformation was from the universal to a designer item. Slides Examples CAMBAY Shyam Ahujas very first designed dhurrie ; woven in 1969 CAMBAY : simple stepped lozenges that fill the field ;contained by a zig-zag border. The repeat motif; grid- based rectilinear arrangement; colours - pink and beige, also came in pastel shades - rose, peach, light yellow, buff. SHALIMAR and DELHI are somewhat similar; both are inspired by the jaali fretted screen - designs. The over all scheme of lattice is most suitable as dhurrie design. Both are characterised by subtlety in colour scheme, though the sense of scale is gone awry in DELHI . LIDICE : A woolen dhurrie ; Was introduced in the mid 1970s. This enchanting design named after a town in CzechoslovakiaSince the concept of charbagh quartered garden is the basis of the lay out of LIDICE, it brings to ones mind the Mughal gardens. LIDICE is a spatial design based on the Mughal gardens. The brilliant design of LIDICE, with its stylized emblems of platforms, flower-beds and rectilinear geometric layout, is directly created specifically for the dhurrie. The design offers the delight of perfect geometry and the beauty of precision in individual motif. BIENNALE STRIPES : has a play of wide and narrow stripes; edges narrow black border along the edges; bright blue and white.

5 This was a part of the Blue and White Collection of floor coverings and household linen. This simple pattern takes less than a day to weave. A finer stripe and variations in width would require - more number of warps, in order to keep the lines straight and crisp. Also need careful planning when translated on the loom. In a way derives from the traditional favourite - the simple stripes in blue colour {see slide no. }, but is characterized by acutely modern sensibility. LOTUS is a woolen dhurrie of late 1970s in green, the stylized lotus flowers are at once traditional and ethnic. This was woven in the Shyam Ahuja weaving centre at Bhadoni; and in a harmonious spectrum of seven colours. There are dhurries the designs of which look challenging to weave but are easy to work actually; for example CASABLANCA. On the other hand there are designs which look deceptively simple but are demanding to effect as dhurries, like WICHERS. Appealing to the contemporary taste of the buyers in its stark cream and navy blue colour scheme, WICHERS is difficult to weave. Larger expanses of monochromatic ground, particularly in a dark colour, leave very little room for lax weaving. The weaver must ensure that all the wefts are tightly packed, or else flashes of white warp thread would show through. Nor can the weaver afford to be careless with the strict uniformity of the square motifs and geometric grid, as any deviation would be glaringly apparent. KISMET The diagonally placed lattice is considered the weavers nightmare. CASABLANCA 1974. Woollen dhurrie. Modern interpretation of of a classic zig-zag design. Dramatic effect :The zig-zag shapes scattered with diamonds and the rows of chevron Colour combination multi vibrant arrangement of navy blue, red and green. CASABLANCA is a favourite of Terrance Conran who ordered it year after year. KISMET A perennial SHYAM AHUJA favourite and woven in1972, the woolen dhurrie in blue and pink t won an award from the American Association of Decorators in 1973. The design of KISMET was derived from traditional kilims of Afghanisthan. CALAIS demonstrates the modern avatar of the traditional feature of Indian carpets that of the four quarters being mirror images of each other. The floral,animal and bird motifs are introduced in the late 1970s as witnessed in KAVITA, SHANGRILLA and SAFARI. The motifs require curvilinear outlines for good effect. The conversion of curvilinear motifs into woven patterns requires tremendous skill and experience. Dhurries are weft-faced, and the designs are derived entirely through changing bobbins with coloured thread. The changes either occur between the horizontal rows of weft or interlaced within the same row. These changes in colour produce minute steps of colour blocks and reveal the right-angle at which the weft intersected the hidden war. The weave therefore requires to be fine enough to obscure any obvious

6 angularity and render the illusion of smooth curve. The finer the weave the easier it was to produce a seemingly curvilinear design.. While the warps need to be tightly packed the wefts have to be as thin as possible yet sufficiently thick to conceal the warp entirely. Even traditionally, the pictorial dhurries are not unknown if not common. And so the skill was available The pictorial dhurries are woven by following the original designs translated on to graph paper as patterns. The weaver would have to, at times, use methods such as eccentric picking and outlining to achieve greater sense of curved lines. Shyam Ahuja was specially fascinated by the lush floral patterns of the French Aubusson and the Savornerie carpets. The Savornerie in particular symbolizes the romance, glory and intrigue of the seventeeth century. Shyam Ahuja dhurries of the late nineteen eighties, for example, TOULOUSE, were inspired by them. Shyam Ahuja himself loves the unbridled vibrancy of TOULOUSE, with its rich field and bold medallions. CHAILLOT is the first of Shyam Ahujas Classic Savonnerie Collection. Shyam Ahuja took the humble dhurries to new heights of design, colour and quality. Pop star Madonna, Princess Diana, Ex-President George Bush singer Eric Clapton, Ismail Merchant, Nelson Mandela, Princess Noor of Jordan, the late David Lean, Giani Versace, Jacqueline Kennaedy and Rajiv Gandhi are owners of Shyam Ahuja signature dhurries Shyam Ahuja has been in the business since 1952. Not depending on the market to device a price for his dhurries Ahuja rather created a market for his highly priced dhurries; through the goodwill of his brand and through intelligent advertising strategy. The advertisements for Shyam Ahuja are known for their brilliant display of creativity. For example a superlative advertising campaign by the Indian affiliate of J.Walter Thompson launched Shyam Ahuja Dhurries with breathtaking images The byline was a single clever line - SHYAM AHUJA DHURRIES They are not for everyone . For that matter, each advertisement has a catchy yet elegant caption which accompanies an arresting visual. The Pastel Collection of Shyam Ahuja carried the caption Feast on Pastel that complemented the visual judiciously (fig52) and underlined the mood of tranquility. The logo of Shyam Ahuja is bold in design, yet classy in effect Shyam Ahujas main strength lies in the talents and strengths of his weavers who are still passionate about their profession and are Shyam Ahuja Dhurries. Hundreds of skilled weavers translate the specially created designs into Shyam Ahuja dhurries and fabric. Shyam Ahuja had been lucky if not shrewd in attracting good weavers to his trade; who, once inducted, were trained in dhurrie weaving with out difficulty. Today the company

7 has a fixed group of weavers proud artisans - who are very much part of Shyam Ahuja label. Shyam Ahuja considers himself a a merchandiser and artist and not a businessman ( indiainnewyork.com ) Shyam Ahuja the wool trader / merchant became Shyam Ahuja the designer. Shyam Ahuja the designer came into existence simultaneously with Shyam Ahuja the manufacturer of exclusive dhurries. With that, Shyam Ahuja the manufacturer became an enterprise. Soon enough SHYAM AHUJA became a brand name; and on final analysis the brand sustains itself on two important thing its design aesthetic and quality production. _____________________________________________________________________