There is a book on saree that was released a few months ago. The author is Vijay Singh Katiyar and it is published in association with National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

This is a little blurb about the book:

This book lends a new dimension to the way the traditional Indian sari is looked at, and upholds it as an epitome of holistic design with a unique creative expression. In the backdrop of Indian socio-cultural and economic ethos, the pages inside unfold the mesmerising woven yards of the sari, the quintessential piece of garment that has draped the Indian women since time immemorial. The volume aims to delight and enrich the aesthetic experience of the reader with information on a wide range of saris from both the past and the present.

The images on the top show some of the different covers that they considered for the book and and below you can see the design that they ultimately ended up using. There were a few other designs that I liked but these two were a bit odd and it puzzled me for a second. The above two designs are a tad more provocative; unless the book is trying to strengthen the connotation of saree being more tantalizing and seductive, it probably wouldn’t have made sense.

I offered the author of the book an opportunity to write a guest post on this blog, he was less than enthused. I haven’t had a chance to read/view it yet but it looks like an aesthetically pleasing piece of work. I am glad he wrote the book; world does need some insightful books on sarees that successfully cover the past and connect with the future trends of saree designs.

And an interesting illustration from the book:

If you have seen/read the book, and have some insight to share, please let me know.