Excelsior Correspondent
New Delhi, Nov 10: The Kashmiri Shawls are among the most exquisite textile ever woven, they are a product of exemplary skill and artistry applied to one of the world’s most delicate fibres namely, Pashmina. This ancient handicraft leads to the creation of one of the finest and most desired textiles from India, from time immemorial.
Varuna Anand founder and designer for The Splendor of Kashmir unveiled her “Heirloom Collection” a collection of luxury Pashmina Shawls, curated and endorsed by Sara Abdullah Pilot at an exclusive preview in the presence of the who’s who from the fashion and lifestyle fraternity.
To promote this endeavor of conserving the age old heritage of this priced textile from India, the exhibition was supported by the high profile personalities like Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar (The Maharana of Udaipur), Dr Farooq Abdullah (Former Union Minister, Govt of India), Omar Abdullah (Former Chief Minister of J&K) along with other distinguished guests and a gathering of admirers of the Kashmiri artifact at Hotel Imperial, Janpath, New Delhi.
Speaking at the “Heirloom Collection” Varuna Anand highlighted that every creation of the Splendor of Kashmir is the acknowledgement of the art of shawl making from Kashmir and she feels honored to have Sara Abdullah Pilot endorse this endeavor. Sara is the co-founder and chairperson of Cequin, an NGO founded in 2009, which promotes equal rights of marginalised groups, especially women and girls, to lead a violence-free life, develop their capabilities, have ownership and control of resources and participate and be included in decision making.
Sara’s love for these textiles is a part of her legacy she has inherited. She is the youngest daughter of Dr Farooq Abdullah. The endorsement of this collection by Sara is her way of supporting The Splendor of Kashmir and the weavers and craftsmen involved with them.
The Splendor of Kashmir by Varuna Anand was started in the year 2011 by her late husband Parveen Anand, keeping in mind his love for his State and Varuna’s love for textiles. A qualified textile designer by profession, Varuna believes that it was destiny which brought her to the J&K by virtue of her marriage to Parveen Anand and exposed her to these treasures of textiles.
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