Threading through the fun and games

Remember those evening chats with your grandmother and the twinkle in her eye when she narrated how she loved playing a game of Pallankuzhi with her friends during festivals like Sivarathri and Vaikunda Ekadasi in the temples? The game has fascinated researchers keen on unravelling its many anthropological and social aspects. The beauty of traditional games lies in the fact that they have not faded away — we return to them time and again. 

It is not Pallankuzhi alone, but there is a wealth of traditional games in Tamil Nadu waiting to be rediscovered. Interestingly, they have served as an inspiration for a saree collection for designer and artist, Lakshmi Srinath, who runs the popular boutique, Tvam, at RA Puram. 

Her collection consists of sarees with magical motifs and abstract designs, reflecting hunting games, using cutwork, cord work and applique or one with embroidery that represents the game of Chaupad. Lakshmi decided to give life to our heritage of leisure time activities, and her exclusive collection, in collaboration with Kreeda, is on display at an exhibition and sale at the Amethyst. The sarees, most of them in silk, chanderi, cotton and khadi, have dramatic patterns and beautifully translate these ancient games into art.

“I come from a traditional family and the tales of ancient games have been a part of my growing up years,” says Lakshmi. About five years ago, she and Vinita Sidhartha of Kreeda, an organisation that works towards reintroducing old Indian games, were talking about creating usable art with traditional games. This was around the time of Madras Day celebrations, and Lakshmi realised then itself that this was a lovely idea. They resumed their discussion on the idea this year on Madras Day, and they thought of creating a saree collection, inspired by traditional games of the state. 

There were several of them: Aadu Puli Aattam, Pallankuzhi, Nakshatra Vilayattu, Dahdi, Kattam Vilayattu and Panch Keliya. The Aadu Puli Aattam at the Prasanna Venkateswara Perumal temple is seen as a slash of copper coins against gold to depict the legend of a devotee and the miracle that turned his dream into reality. The saree, inspired by Thyagarajar Swamy and Vadivudai Amman Thirukoil, highlights the colour tone red with tie and dye, with embroidery representing the game of Chaupad and cord work enhancing their splendour. The one based on Agatheeshwarar Aalayam depicts the game of Dahdi in cotton and silk. 

“The patterns from the traditional games are rigid but what one can create out of them is phenomenal. I wanted to recreate the old-world charm and stony patchiness of the temple floors and also used colours like red, yellow and black. While the concept of traditional games in a saree is fantastic, I also had to keep in mind the practicality of wearing it,” she finishes.