Her eyes glued to the sari spread on the table in front of her, 59-year-old Bhagirathi K.B. is busy drawing at her shop, Khadi Mane, in Sagar, Shivamogga district.
“It takes at least 10 to 15 days to finish Hase drawing on a sari,” said Ms. Bhagirathi. She is probably the first Hase artist to use her skills to embellish saris. Hase Chittara of Hase Chitra is a traditional art form that has passed through many generations. No auspicious occasion is complete without Hase drawings being drawn on walls and baskets in many parts in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts. The families of Deevaru, Vokkaliga, Madivala, and Dalits follow this tradition.
Meticulous work
“The art form involves drawing many lines, and connecting points. Each stroke has to be finished in one go, without a break. Maintaining symmetry in designs is key,” said Ms. Bhagirathi. Earlier, the artists mixed rice flour in water to draw against a maroon background. Now, many artists use acrylic colours to draw, as Bhagirathi does for her work on saris, reinventing an art form she learnt from her mother and grandmother.
Prior to this, Bhagirathi for nearly 30 years worked for Charaka Women’s Multipurpose Industrial Cooperative Society, founded by theatre personality Prasanna, in Heggodu. She travelled across the State, met weavers and tailors organised them, and also offered them jobs. However, in the last three years, she started her own shop, Khadi Mane in Sagar, roping in women weavers and tailors.
Only two a month
She purchases plain cotton sarees from weavers and spends days drawing on them. “In a month, I can draw Hase only on two saris. I cover the borders and pallu with my traditional drawings. Considering the labour put in for Hase work, I quote the price” she said. So far, she has sold around 50 saris with Hase chittara. Recently, she received enquiries from the USA, and she is expecting orders from there too. She has taught Hase Chittara to hundreds women, but as of now she paints on saris only by herself.
