Aurangabad Himroo handlooms, where history comes alive

Kanili Kiho
Aurangabad | October 14

In a quaint little neighbourhood of Nawabpura, 11-year-old Imran Ahmed Qureshi would come home from school in the afternoon; put his bag away and dash into a room alive with the gentle rhythmic sounds of the loom pushing the yarn into place.

Two male weavers on each handloom, one at the top and the other at the bottom would be seen working in tandem. Noticing the boy sitting on one of the looms, the weavers would nudge him, “Get off from there, Babu Bhai will be annoyed,” mentioning his father, Ahmed Saeed Qureshi, the master weaver. Young Qureshi would assure them, “Don’t worry, I will explain it to father. But teach me what this is.” He would sit and watch the weavers work their magic into the Himroo fabric, weaving exquisite designs of old.

This was more than three decades ago. Now at 50, since his father’s passing, Qureshi has taken over the family’s heirloom—the Aurangabad Himroo Handlooms, a unique form of handweaving rooted deeply in tradition that has been passed down from the 14th century during the reign of Mohammed Bin Tughlaq. 

History
When Tughlaq shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, Aurangabad, the extremely skilled artisans migrated with their ruler. However, after the capital was reversed back to Delhi, some artisans decided to stay back and continued weaving in that part of the kingdom. They weaved and sold fine Himroo shawls and linens to the royal families. Himroo was endorsed by the Mughal and Nizam nobility.

Till the mid-twentieth century, the Nizam’s court in Hyderabad sought its steady supply. The Nizam wore exquisite sherwanis (long coat) made of the fabric and soon the Himroo became a statement attire among the nawabs of the Deccan. With the backlash of the Second World War and later as the Nizam’s court faded away from political power, there was a drastic decline in the demand for Himroo.

Its unique legacy now lies in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Unlike the other handlooms, this technique of handweaving is today practiced only in Aurangabad, to the lone Qureshi family.

‘Himroo’ is a fabric made of silk and cotton, which is grown locally in the city. The word originated from a Persian word ‘Ham-ruh’ which means ‘similar.’ It is a replication of ‘Kimkhwab,’ a fabric which was woven with pure golden and silver threads in the olden days. Gowns and turbans were weaved from it and were meant for the royal families. Himroo uses original Persian designs, and is very characteristic and distinctive in appearance. While the raw materials have been changed to silk and cotton owing to its affordability, the designs remain the same.

Although Himroo fabrics can be found in bulk in other cities with the use of jacquard loom and powerloom, what makes the Aurangabad Himroo Factory stand apart, is the carrying forward of the historic art of handweaving, untouched by a machine.
From shawls and stoles to table runners and running fabrics, the design of every Himroo carry with it historical relics and remnants, in the form of floral and unique designs that appear embroidered on the surface of the fabric.

Imran Ahmed Qureshi, the fifth generation weaver envisions carrying the traditional heritage forward and to empower the underprivileged women at the same time. Initially the men weaved, however with the change of times, “men do not want to weave anymore,” he adds. Today, Qureshi has trained 22 women including the divorced and the widowed. 

The Morung Express was part of a media tour to Mumbai and Aurangabad which was organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Kohima under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. Hosted by the PIB, Mumbai, the team of journalists from Nagaland led by Sonikumar Singh Kongenbam, Assistant Director, PIB Kohima attended the Himroo workshop on October 7.

The factory still stands in the same place where he learned weaving as a young boy. Only that, it is now a two-storey home, as visitors are greeted with the soft sounds of a ‘thud-thud-thud,’ when they enter the house.

The modest factory has three looms at present, where six women have been employed. Two additional looms will be installed soon, and four women weavers will join efforts to revive the ‘dying art,’ while being able to sustain themselves. “This is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) generation and it is taking away employment,” says Qureshi.

On one side of the room hang medals, certificates, letters and photos of great personalities, from the queen to the presidents, ministers and actors who paid a visit to the factory since his forefathers’ era.

Qureshi has buyers from every part of the world, including the United States, European countries and cosmopolitan cities in India such as Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Delhi, Hyderabad, to name a few. The factory has a social media handle, where most buyers place their orders from. The cost of the fabric starts from Rs 3500 per metre.

Process
The Himroo handloom process needs two persons, the one who sits above as a helper who helps in changing or twisting the nakhsha (design or motif) threads so that the weaver can produce the design.

The slow, meticulous process of the age-old technique continues to thrive in this unassuming street, Nawabpura. The oldest street in the city of Aurangabad, named after Nawab Begum, the wife of King Aurangzeb has since witnessed people from across the world, only to get a glimpse of history come to life through the delicate art of Himroo weaves.