& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Dhaka Day by Day

Shahruk’s Creative Efforts

by Lavina Ambreen Ahmed
He designs blockprinted saris. Nothing unusual or special about that. Every so-called designer in town boasts his or her own collection of block-printed ensembles. Yet. his annual Eid sales always receive excellent response from sari lovers. Fashion conscious women, irrespective of age. make it a point not to miss his sari exhibitions and keep him busy all the year round with orders.
The person in question is Shahruk Shahid of Henry’s Heritage — a boutique for exclusive designer saris. Though in the recent years he has made quite a positive impression on the local fashion scene. Shahruk refuses to be branded a fashion designer. Why? "It's simple. I haven’t studied fashion designing. It requires extensive formal training. Without sufficient knowledge of cuts, shapes and fabrics, one cannot become a dress designer." he explained.
For training. Shahruk has a BA degree in fine Arts from India to nis credit. That is why he is only confident about designing saris and refrain from making shalwar kameezes and dresses. Talking about his fascination with saris Shahruk said it was Just a 'challenge'. "I paint on canvas and on clay pots as well. I don’t like being confined to one 'particular medium, it gets boring after a while. Sari is like a huge canvas to me. I can express my ideas on it. he commented. With a little imagination the artist believes that a dull, plain sari can be transformed into an exotic cre-
Like his previous sales, his twd-day long sale held a week before Eid this year at the Alliance Frandaise was also a success. There were approximately hundred exhibits on display. Almost half of the cotton and silk saris were booked within an hour of the show's beginning. In Bangladesh,- 'block-print' is the nottest fashion trend of the 90s. The demand for blockprinted clothes is quite high and these days it seems that an original (or in most cases unoriginal) range of blockprinted outfits is mandatory before launching a bou
nr is ancnai
tique in town. How does Shahruk perceive the block print overdose' situation? "I guess it's all right. A blockprint dress looks good and people like it because it's perfect for casual and evening wear. It's quite natural to move with the fashion flow, provided the designers introduce new and innovative block motifs every season.
So. what is Shahruk’s specialty? He strives to synchronize concepts with colours. Henry's Heritage line includes simple as well as ornate saris, but each piece is classy. Thread, bead, mirror and Jute work highlight the printed patterns on his saris. He prefers geometric and somewhat abstract designs. But admits his weakness for the very ethnic 'kolka' motif which appears on many of his saris. Shahruk stresses on the anchaT as he considers it to be the main attraction of the sari. In his recent sale, most of the saris had anchals' with elaborate printed and embroidered patterns on them. The edges were decorated with crotchet work and matching tassles. Shahruk actually has a signature style and those familiar with his work can identify his tasteful creations right away.
Another vital point of his saris is the perfect colour combinations. Shahruk sticks to seasonal colours. For summer he likes soft pastel shades, and for winter he uses both bright and light colours. This time he had worked on brick red. rust, olive, and fluorescent green. Eeacock blue, sophisticated lack. grey, beige and white coloured saris. Shahruk believes that compared to other designer labels, his saris are quite affordable. The price range of cotton saris starts from Tk 700 to Tk 1000 and silk saris are priced between Tk 1900 to Tk 3000.
So far he has organized altogether seven sari and pottery exhibitions. His hand painted pottery exhibition held in 1994 on Mughal miniatures was well-received. Currently, he is preparing for his pottery exhibition on tribal life, due sometime this year. Taking into account Shahruk’s past record, it should be anything but boring. .