Regal Relics Reincarnated
TE meets the first jewellery designer of the city and listens to her story
An ancestral jewellery shop, running down several generations, from where all the family ornaments came and found their way to the treasure trove, is almost a household story. But jewellery, a style statement, needs an awareness of changing tastes of the milieu, as it needs expertise to save tradition. In Guwahati, Waheeda Rehman is a name that guards the traditional art of jewellery as fondly as she experiments with contemporary designs. A childhood passion for gems and a persistent desire to do something what others had never thought of, were elemental in Waheeda’s recognition as the first ever jewellery designer of Assam.
A posh looking jewellery boutique that seeks to give you a taste of the new and the old, is Waheeda’s, the name that has been synonymous to exquisite pieces of jewellery, ever since its inception. As I ascend the stairs and enter the cosy store at Ambari, I encounter several warm pairs of female eyes who manage the boutique. I am ushered in and seated on a couch. I wait till the lady I have come to visit, gets over her conversation with what seems to be a regular client. The beautiful woman meets me after she has seen her visitor off. What follows is an engaging account of her journey down the bejewelled road. She is Waheeda Rehman.
While people still wondered if a woman should at all be anything else than a decent homemaker, she read books on astropalmistry and numerology to hone her idea of the subject she loved so much. She learnt gem therapy at Gondhiya Jyotish Parishad, Nalbari. She also got trained at Antho NSIC and in several other institutes in Delhi and Kolkata. Marriage was nowhere on her cards when her parents sought for a suitable groom for her. But determined as she was, Waheeda made her ideas clear. “‘If the groom’s family do not allow me to pursue my ambition, I’ll leave him,’ I said,” recalls Waheeda. Fortunately of course, her husband had been co-operative and encouraging enough to let her have her way. She began her own jewellery store for the first time at Lakhtokia, Guwahati in 1995. How was it setting up a jewellery boutique where there was none? “Initially, it was very difficult. People wouldn’t understand that it is not similar to what they have always seen; that it takes an artist’s specialisation to create exclusive designs on dull metal. So they wouldn’t agree to pay me anything more than regular jewellers. It took me a lot of patience and hard work to convince them that my work is different. Now, everyone who wants a Waheeda design knows that his money is not going in vain.”
Saving the old cultural motifs of the region is what drives her passion. “The jewellery of the Ahom kingdom was designed by Rajasthani karigars who were hired by the kings. Just observe any piece of traditional Rajasthani jewellery; you’ll find some kind of similarity between theirs and ours. Except that ours have a coarse finish while theirs is fine. After the downfall of the Ahom kingdom, there has been no attempt to preserve the traditional jewellery in the last hundred years.” In her meticulous research of the Ahom jewellery, she has been able to even revive a few motifs that had almost become extinct; for instance, gejera, mota lukaparo, mogor, kornosingho, kingkhap and singhkhap.
While she is waking up the long lost history, she’s also leaving back footprints for the future generations. “Many day to day things inspire me a lot. I try to capture what I see and feel, in my designs,” says the artiste. She shows me one of her designs that is flaunting a mist-covered tree branch with dew drops. Another indicates the life cycle of a plant. While nature is her guide, the traditional costumes of various tribes also get a chance to make an appearance. I see something of a ‘phanek’ (a wrap around skirt, traditionally worn by the Mising tribe) on one of her pendants and I get curious. “I have studied the textile designs and motifs of around 20-22 tribes of the region and have tried to incorporate them in my jewellery.” That’s quite an interesting point to note. You know then, where to find traditional motifs if perchance they are lost with the advent of changing trends!
Does she have clients outside the state? “People have appreciated my designs very well in various places. I have a lot of clients from Delhi, UP and many other Indian states and even abroad. I remember wearing a pair of thuria with a chain hanging from there, at one of my exhibitions in Birmingham. The women were very inquisitive; they wanted to know what it was. People often ask me about the history of our jewellery and my researches come in handy then. I tell them the stories and they listen to me with a lot of awe. It seems like I am representing my culture and it really feels good.”
Fashions change in the wink of an eye. Could it be possible that some of these designs that she is preserving so hard, might undergo change? “I think that our traditional jewellery could adopt a few modern designs but at the same time, there’s every possibility that the original designs would be ruined or distorted. So we have to be careful. A lot of girls came to learn under me but if I don’t see sincerity, I don’t keep them. Jewellery designing is a functional art; it needs concentration, lot of in-depth study and creativity of your own to put your thoughts into your design.”
I fiddle with a design that has a ‘kopou’ (orchid) pendant and ear-rings to match, and I see the nature lover peeping through it. She has been working with different metals, stones and gems. Which is her favourite? “I have a soft corner for gold. It is some kind of a sentimental attachment that I have with it.” With her aesthetics at work, is it always possible to tally her imagination with her client’s? “Different people would have different imaginations. It’s not necessary for a person to think the way I do. But at some level, his or her aesthetic sense has to match mine; otherwise it is difficult to take an assignment. You wouldn’t be able to deliver what they want.”
What else does she do apart from designing? “I love travelling a lot. I like getting drenched in the rain on the way from Jowai to Silchar. I can’t explain it, but it’s a special connect with nature. Since I travel most of the time, I like to cook when I’m home. And I can safely say that I’m a decent cook.” (laughs) Any plans of expanding her enterprise? “I am planning to open a boutique in Delhi for easy access to my national and international clients.”
As the conversation ends and I make my way out, I pass by another Waheeda – a golden ‘dola’ (Assamese name for a winnowing tray), with a thread of wheat hanging on to it. Delicate, dainty and yet strongly speaking of its origin; just like its maker. A moment of reflection holds me back and I throw a glance through the glass door entry of Waheeda’s. Inspiring… that’s all I can say.
Words: Agamonee Barbaruah
"I fiddle with a design that has a 'kopou' (orchid) pendant and ear-rings to match, and I see the nature lover peeping through it."
"The jewellery of the Ahom kingdom was designed by Rajasthani karigars who were hired by the kings."
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