In the words of Amita Walia, “The magic of Chikankari or the white-on-white embroidery of Lucknow reflects the splendor of Indian craft as pure moonlight resplendent in all its beauty.”
The 1986 Indian film Anjuman directed by Muzaffar Ali and starring Shabana Azmi and Farooque Shaikh is set in Lucknow and deals with issues of chikan workers.In fact, Farooque Shaikh was so charmed by this fabric and style that he wore chikan all his life and came to be identified as a brand ambassador of sorts of Lakhnavi chikankari.
Lucknow- the state capital of Uttar Pradesh is world renowned for its traditional Chikankari Embroidery. Chikankari is the embroidery work done with the white cotton thread on fine white cotton material. Chikankari is also called as shadow work. The word 'Chikan' is basically derived from Persian word 'Chikeen'
It's labour intensive and therefore expensive. Many shops these days have started fixing ready-made nets in the fabric in place of a handmade Jaali. It brings down the price and might appeal to some buyers but it's not authentic Chikan.
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