Glimpses Of Silver Dust: Preserving The Tradition Of Chapa Work In Bihar

Mohammad Riyazuddin has been doing chapa work for more than two decades. He learned it from an artist in Sabzibagh where he used to live. Since then, he has been doing chapa work on saris, ghararas & dupattas for weddings. They say Bibi Fatima wore chapa & that’s why it is auspicious. No Bihari nikaah is complete without the chapa that the bride wears. Many years ago, the whole family used to wear chapa during the wedding function but fast fashion has killed the tradition.

Chapa work in silver on wedding ensembles is unique to Bihar. It is kachcha work & doesn’t stay on the garment for long. But maybe that is why it is so beautiful because it is so ephemeral. Like love. Or the idea of it.

I remember the sky blue chapa sari that Afreen & her sister-in-law had worn with red chapa blouses and gold jaal necklaces and chandbalis at the wedding next door. We lived in a mohalla where many Muslim families lived and I remember having attended many weddings when I was little. The silver varak block printing was done on the wedding gharara and dupatta of the bride and all the women in the family would wear chapa saris.

I had a few kurtas with the silver varak block printing but for years, I have been looking for the sky blue sari with that floral silver pattern because it reminded me of that wedding with the shamiyana at Majo Miya’s house. A lot of people said djinns visited his house and we never entered the aangan except on that evening. I think I was six. The smell of qorma & makuti filled the air. The women wore gajras. My mother & aunt also had flowers in their hair and wore bijlis in their ears. There was a lot of silver dust in the air. It stuck to my hands and feet. That evening, I felt I was made of silver dust.

Today, I found a guy who does silver block printing. Once again, I had silver dust on my hands. In his workshop were hung all the things I had seen at the wedding. But he didn’t have that sky blue sari with silver flowers.

Riyazuddin, who says his sons won’t practice the craft, has done the chapa printing for Outlook for the event in collaboration with the Bihar Museum on June 24. This is our attempt to showcase the craft.