Zardozi

Subject: Arts and culture

Context:

Zardozi workers have been left with joblessness due to lockdown

Concept:

Zardozi is form of embroidery that came to India from Persia.
Its literal translation, “zar” meaning gold and “dozi” meaning embroidery, refers to the process of using metallic-bound threads to sew embellishment on to various fabrics.
This heavy and intricate style of design is said to have been brought to India with the Mughal conquerors.
After flourishing seamlessly in the initial Mughal period, the craft declined during the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb when the royal patronage that had been extended to craftsmen was stopped. The onset of industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries was yet another setback.
It has been given GI tag in 2013.