An Absolute Necessity

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“The work is an absolute necessity for me.
I can’t put it off, I don’t care for anything but the work; that is to say, the pleasure in something else ceases at once and I become melancholy when I can’t go on with my work.
Then I feel like a weaver who sees that his threads are tangled, and the pattern he had on the loom is gone to hell, and all his thought and exertion is lost.”
(From “Stranger on the Earth : A Psychological Biography of Vincent Van Gogh” (1996) by Albert J. Lubin, p. 22)

This is one of our handloom workshops in Varanasi (Benaras).
Varanasi weavers have to struggle with many issues since the industry collapsed fifteen years ago and half the workshops of the city had to close.
RED HALO has settled a program in order to help a few of them, it is a drop in the ocean but in our humble and limited way we are trying to maintain a few people to carry on this amazing heritage which remains in the Eternal city.

RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people who were living with difficulties and education to children.
“Like” the RED HALO page on Facebook and join this human adventure in Varanasi,www.facebook.com/redhalo.in

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The Balancing Color

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“The color of the object illuminated partakes of the color of that which illuminates it.”
(Leonardo da Vinci – Italian Renaissance polymath, 1452–1519)

This blueish tone of light green is called turquoise, the name comes from the French for Turkish.
This friendly and happy color is worn by many people in India.
In color psychology, this shade controls and heals the emotions creating emotional balance and stability.
It is a combination of blue and a small amount of yellow and it fits in on the color scale between green and blue.
It radiates the peace, calm and tranquility of blue and the balance and growth of green with the uplifting energy of yellow.
Turquoise recharges our spirits during times of mental stress and tiredness, alleviating feelings of loneliness.
Focussing on the color whether on a wall or clothing allows to feel instant calm and gentle invigoration, ready to face the world again…
Being the mid color between the extremes of red and violet, it is the color of balance, for the emotions, thoughts and speech.
Turquoise is calming yet invigorating, restoring depleted energies, it enhances the ability to focus and concentrate, assisting with clear thinking and decision-making, and the development of good organizational skills.
This shade also represents open communication from and between the heart and the spoken word.
It relates to the electronic age and the world of computers, and communication on a large scale.

This picture was shot in a little workshop in Varanasi (Benaras) held by a Muslim family who manufactures several fabrics for Red Halo.
Those turquoise threads are used in order to weave a traditional silk brocade on a handloom machine.
This traditional artcraft transmitted from generation to generation contributed to the fame of the oldest living city in the world.RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people who were living with difficulties and education to children.

“Like” the RED HALO page on Facebook and join this amazing human adventure in Varanasi,www.facebook.com/redhalo.in

Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography

Weaving Dreams

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“We all have our own life to pursue,
Our own kind of dream to be weaving…
And we all have the power
To make wishes come true,
As long as we keep believing.”
(Louisa May Alcott – American Author, 1832-1888)

This is a handloom in one of our workshops in Varanasi (Benaras).
The warp threads pass alternately through a heddle and through a space between the heddles (the shed), so that raising the shaft raises half the threads (those passing through the heddles), and lowering the shaft lowers the same threads—the threads passing through the spaces between the heddles remain in place.
There is magic in the whole process which is made of the same “stuff as dreams are made on” (Shakespeare)…
Varanasi weavers have to struggle with many issues since the industry collapsed fifteen years ago and half the workshops of the city had to close.
RED HALO has settled a program in order to help a few of them, it is a drop in the ocean but in our humble and limited way we are trying to maintain a few people to carry on this heritage.
youtu.be/X3ZvxY8ZnCk

RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people living with difficulties and education to children.
“Like” the new RED HALO page on Facebook and join this amazing human adventure in Varanasi.,www.facebook.com/redhalo.in

Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography

Singing Colors

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“Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing?
Can one really explain this?
No.
Just as one can never learn how to paint.”
(Pablo Picasso – Spanish painter and sculptor, 1881-1973)

 

No one can explain why colors sing nor why Varanasi (Benaras) like the rest of the country is an amazing auditorium to listen to those blissful symphonies…
This picture was shot in a workshop nearby Sarnath where magicians display colors on sarees using the art of block printing.
This place which gives birth to unlimited shades is a treat for the senses…

 

 

 

 

Jai Bharat

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“United we stand; divided we fall”
(Aesop – Ancient Greek Fabulist and Author, 620 BC-560 BC)

 

Today is India’s Independence Day (स्वतंत्रता दिवस) it is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate its independence from the British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947.
Like every year it is the opportunity to thank all my Indian friends, all the people working with me and my loving Indian family who managed that I feel at home in this incredible country.
Thank you, dhanyavad, shukriya and Happy Independence Day to all of you, Indians and non Indians who love India as much as I do.
Jai Hind…Jai Bharat…!!!

 

This is a close-up of a silk sari still under the dyeing process at the upper terrace located at a few meters from Bivi Razaia Masjid, a small mosque in the chawk of Varanasi (Benaras).
(Like the yarns of this fabric it is united that we’ll fight against corruption and any kind of discrimination)

 

 

The Most Magnificent Cloth

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‎”…They declared that they could make the most magnificent cloth that one could imagine; cloth of most beautiful colours and elaborate patterns.
Not only was the material so beautiful, but the clothes made from it had the special power of being invisible to everyone who was stupid or not fit for his post.
“What a splendid idea,” thought the Emperor.
“What useful clothes to have.
If I had such a suit of clothes I could know at once which of my people is stupid or unfit for his post.”
So the Emperor gave the swindlers large sums of money and the two weavers set up their looms in the palace…”
(From “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson)

This was shot in a little workshop located near the chowk in Varanasi (Benaras) where traditional embroideries have been handed down from father to son since the time of the Mughals when that kind of work flourished.
Nowadays men wear that kind of sherwani mostly for weddings and engagement ceremonies.
Entering in such a workshop is like releasing a voluptuous fragrance from the past from an old bottle of perfume, it is like opening a door to a dream of magnificence, the splendor of the Great Mughals….
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“…Un jour, arrivèrent deux escrocs qui affirmèrent être tisserands et être capables de pouvoir tisser la plus belle étoffe que l’on pût imaginer.
Non seulement les couleurs et le motif seraint exceptionnellement beaux, mais les vêtements qui en seraient confectionnés posséderaient l’étonnante propriété d’être invisibles aux yeux de ceux qui ne convenaient pas à leurs fonctions ou qui étaient simplement idiots.
“Ce serait des vêtements précieux”, se dit l’empereur. “Si j’en avais de pareils, je pourrais découvrir qui, de mes sujets, ne sied pas à ses fonctions et départager les intelligents des imbéciles !
Je dois sur le champ me faire tisser cette étoffe!”
Il donna aux deux escrocs une avance sur leur travail et ceux-ci se mirent à l’ouvrage…”
(“Les Habits neufs de l’Empereur” de Hans Christian Andersen)

Cette photo a été prise dans un petit atelier se situant dans le chowk de Varanasi (Benares) où les broderies traditionnelles se sont transmises de père en fils depuis l’époque des Moghols lorsque cet artisanat prospérait.
De nos jours les hommes portent ces sherwani essentiellement pour les cérémonies de mariage et de fiançailles.
Entrer dans un atelier comme celui-ci revient à libérer une fragrance voluptueuse venant du passé d’une vieille bouteille de parfum, c’est comme ouvrir la porte à un rêve d’opulence, la splendeur des grands Monghols….

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The Emperor’s New Clothes

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“MANY, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed.
He did not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to drive out and show a new suit of clothes.
He had a coat for every hour of the day; and as one would say of a king “He is in his cabinet,” so one could say of him, “The emperor is in his dressing-room…”
(From “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson)

Those rich fabrics with heavy embroideries are men’s traditional garments in North India used for ceremonies and parties.
This picture was shot at my tailor in Varanasi (Benaras).

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“Les Habits Neufs de l’Empereur”

“Il y a de longues années vivait un empereur qui aimait par-dessus tout les beaux habits neufs ; il dépensait tout son argent pour être bien habillé.
Il ne s’intéressait nullement à ses soldats, ni à la comédie, ni à ses promenades en voiture dans les bois, si ce n’était pour faire parade de ses habits neufs.
Il en avait un pour chaque heure du jour et, comme on dit d’un roi : “Il est au conseil”, on disait de lui : “L’empereur est dans sa garde-robe…”
(“Les Habits neufs de l’Empereur” de Hans Christian Andersen)

Ces tissus opulents richement brodés sont des vêtements masculins portés lors de soirées et cérémonies dans le nord de l’Inde.
Cette photo a été prise à Varanasi (Benares) chez mon tailleur.

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What Makes It So Fine

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“…Then the Emperor himself came with his noblest noblemen, and the swindlers each raised an arm as if they were holding something.
They said, “These are the trousers, here’s the coat, and this is the mantle,” naming each garment.
“All of them are as light as a spider web.
One would almost think he had nothing on, but that’s what makes them so fine…”
(From “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson)

 

This picture was shot at my tailor in Varanasi (Benaras) during the last fitting of my brother’s sherwani.
The fabric is a traditional brocade with a Jamawar pattern made of silk and wool from one of our workshops in the city.
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“Toute la Beauté de la Chose”

 

“…Tous les gens pouvaient se rendre compte du mal qu’ils se donnaient pour terminer les habits de l’empereur.
Les tisserands firent semblant d’enlever l’étoffe de sur le métier, coupèrent dans l’air avec de gros ciseaux, cousirent avec des aiguilles sans fils et dirent finalement:
“Voyez, les habits neufs de l’empereur sont à présent terminés !”
“Voyez, Majesté, voici le pantalon, voilà la veste, voilà le manteau!” et ainsi de suite.
“C’est aussi léger qu’une toile d’araignée; on croirait presque qu’on n’a rien sur le corps, mais c’est là toute la beauté de la chose!”…”
(“Les Habits neufs de l’Empereur” de Hans Christian Andersen)

 

Cette photo a été prise à Varanasi (Benares) chez mon tailleur pendant le dernier essayage de la sherwani de mon frère.
Le tissus est un brocard traditionnel avec un motif Jamawar en laine et soie provenant de l’un de nos ateliers de la ville.

 

 

A New Extraordinary Suit

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“…Besides being invisible, your Highness, this cloth will be woven in colors and patterns created especially for you.”
The emperor gave the two men a bag of gold coins in exchange for their promise to begin working on the fabric immediately.
“Just tell us what you need to get started and we’ll give it to you.”
The two scoundrels asked for a loom, silk, gold thread and then pretended to begin working.
The Emperor thought he had spent his money quite well: in addition to getting a new extraordinary suit, he would discover which of his subjects were ignorant and incompetent…”
(From “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson)

This is a picture of the Badshah of Benaras (in other words my brother Manish) trying a new sherwani at our tailor in Varanasi…;))
This fascinating place allows to dream with eyes wide opened.
The fabric is a traditional brocade with a Jamawar pattern made of silk and wool from one of our workshops in the city.
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“…Non seulement les couleurs et le motif seraint exceptionnellement beaux, mais les vêtements qui en seraient confectionnés posséderaient l’étonnante propriété d’être invisibles aux yeux de ceux qui ne convenaient pas à leurs fonctions ou qui étaient simplement idiots.
“Ce serait des vêtements précieux”, se dit l’empereur. “Si j’en avais de pareils, je pourrais découvrir qui, de mes sujets, ne sied pas à ses fonctions et départager les intelligents des imbéciles !
Je dois sur le champ me faire tisser cette étoffe!…”
(“Les Habits neufs de l’Empereur” de Hans Christian Andersen)

Voici une photo du Prince de Benares (c’est ainsi que l’on appelle mon frère Manish avec une pointe d’ironie) essayant une nouvelle sherwani dans les salons de notre tailleur à Varanasi.
cet endroit fascinant permet de rêver les yeux grands ouverts.
Le tissus est un brocard traditionnel avec un motif Jamawar en laine et soie provenant de l’un de nos ateliers de la ville.

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Patience and Prayer

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“O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient”.
(The Qu’ran – The Cow 2.153)

Today starts Ramzan (Ramadan) in India.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual activities from dawn until sunset.
Fasting is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility and spirituality and is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God (Allah) and to offer more prayer than usual.
During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
Ramadan was the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.

The name “Ramadan” had been the name of the ninth month in Arabian culture long before the arrival of Islam; the word itself derived from an Arabic root rmḍ, as in words like “ramiḍa” or “ar-ramaḍ” denoting intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of rations.
In the Qu’ran, God proclaims that “fasting has been written down (as obligatory) upon you, as it was upon those before you”.
According to the earliest hadith, this refers to the Jewish practice of fasting on Yom Kippur.

I take this opportunity to wish all my Muslim friends to live this holy month with great moments of piety, grace and sharing.
May Allah’s blessings be with you on Ramzan and always…

This picture was shot at the upper terrace nearby the Bivi Razaia Masjid, a small mosque located in the chawk of Varanasi (Benaras) and facing Kashi Vishwanath temple (also called the Golden Temple).