Grand lady of garas

Died: Naju Sam Daver, 57, talented artist who made it her life’s mission to resurrect garas, in Bombay on December 27, 2004 fol­lowing complications caused by diabetes.

"Generations and generations will remember her for the beauty and joy and pleasure she brought to thousands, through her loving work and art, and the warmth and cheer she poured from her heart,” wrote Bapsy Chubb, principal of the Cumballa Hill High School, adding, "She did so many things lovingly with care...and made the world a special place for every individual.”

"Originally considered a Parsi family heirloom, today with the help of Naju’s revival of the garment the gara has become the prized possession of women all over India,” acknowl­edged a write-up in Discover India (February 1991). As she had then confessed, "I treat it more as my hobby and not a business and very often I don’t even like to part with the saris because they have become a part of my life as I have watched them being created.” As she had elaborated on this subject in Island maga­zine (March 15, 1989), "Each sari used to take a minimum of six to eight months to be intricately embroidered. So by the time it was completed I couldn’t bear to part with it until and unless it had a genuine buyer who would really appreciate its worth. There were so many times I would spot a moneyed customer at the exhibi­tions of my clothes and quietly hide my precious garas because I felt that they wouldn’t suit her or she wouldn’t value it as much...My sister used to keep telling me, ‘Why are you having an exhibition if you can’t part with your best saris?’ Finally somebody suggested that I put a ‘sold’ tag on my prized collec­tion and at least let people admire them, if not buy them.” Gradually these exhibitions were discontinued when Daver realized that many of her original designs were being blatantly imitated.

Daver: a labor of love

"Every gara of hers comprises of six yards of silk ex­quisitely embroidered, conceived and executed with poetic imagi­nation and painstaking labor over months of dedicated hard work,” commended The Afternoon Despatch and Courier of October 19, 1995, adding, "(She) has received many offers to retail her exclusive saris through fashion stores and houses, but she has declined. This is not something that she can do to a deadline, she avers. Each gara is a labor of love that takes its own time in the making.” "I think what really matters is that I have enjoyed doing this every second of the way. Creating a new gara is really my biggest joy,” Daver was quoted in the Afternoon.

For Daver, the fascination with the gara began when she found her mother-in-law’s gara in tatters and tried to salvage it. The art of gara making reportedly originated in China and was patronized by the Parsi traders during the late 19th century. Noticing that many from her generation were using up their old garas as cushion covers and curtains, she tried to bring about an awareness, urging those in possession of these heirlooms to give them the care and respect they deserved. After the passing away of her husband Sam in 1988 she, being the sole earning member of her family then, converted her hobby into a vocation.

Her loyal band of customers came to regard her as a close friend and confidante: "In spite of the various tragedies in her life, she always presented a happy and contented front,” noted Katie Mulla, adding, "For the world she will be forever alive through her work.” "Coming to her was like meeting a close rela­tion — the warmth and closeness she created will always remain with us,” reiterated Soonu Shehriar.

Over the years she built up a team of dedicated karigars or craftsmen who worked for her. Each sari is put on a loom on which four-six artisans work simultaneously, specializing in their respective motifs like flower, tree, house, figure, etc to ensure uniformity in workmanship. When creating an intricate gara every few days the craftsmen would be made to work on a simpler sari to break the monotony of the complicated motifs.

Failing health in the last couple of years had slowed down Daver. Interacting with the karigars or clients was left to daughter Farzeen Boomla who had learnt the ropes or threads from her mother. Her creativity never ceased though. She continued to discuss graphic ideas with Farzeen, enjoyed experimenting with new designs on the computer.

Artistically inclined since childhood, her forte was painting, cooking, embroidery, relates Farzeen. Born to Jeroo and Noshir Cooper of Lonavla, famous for their chikkis and fudges, Naju’s early education was at Poona’s Dastur School after which she obtained a teacher’s training diploma. When marriage brought her to Bombay she started teaching at the Miniland Nursery until the birth of her children, Rohinton (who had predeceased her), and Farzeen. Initially her creative talent found an expres­sion through the scarves and kerchiefs she painted and embroi­dered for family and friends. In fact, mother Jeroo continues to preserve old cushion covers embroidered by Naju. As her creativi­ty flowered, Naju needed larger fabrics. She thus graduated to painting on saris, embroidering them, doing sequence and cutwork until garas left her little time for anything else.

Admiring her mother’s kind and considerate demeanor, Farzeen acknowledges, "I have learnt a lot from her. I have changed with her. She was always impressing on me how it pays to say a kind word.” Wont to describing herself as "God’s child,” the artist would be spiritually recharged after her private conversations with God. As she often told Farzeen, "Being a good soul is more important than making money or being famous.”

The gara enthusiast is survived by her mother Jeroo, daughter Farzeen Cyrus Boomla and sister Allan Madan.