Designer tree

Milind Soman and designer Madhu Jain create an installation for the opening ceremony of the CWG.

For someone who feels extremely strongly about Kashmir, it’s no surprise that Delhi-based designer Madhu Jain decided to create a Chinar Tree which will stand at the centre of the stage during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. The Tree of Knowledge is the brainchild of Projekt M, a foundation working at promoting crafts and handicrafts, run by Jain and Milind Soman. They had worked with Wajahat Habibullah in Kashmir and when the idea of working on an installation came for the opening ceremony, they decided on the chinar tree. “The tree would represent our symbol for peace,” says Jain. The idea, according to Jain is to showcase India’s rich heritage and tradition. The Games organising committee (OC) had invited the duo to create something unique for the opening ceremony which would highlight weavers of India and promote India’s heritage.

The base fabric of the 110 foot high and 40 inchwide installation is a combination of bamboo and silk and the Kalamkari craft technique has been used to create Chinar motifs. The chinar motifs have been sourced from Andhra Pradesh and about 500 painters and 300 weavers have worked on the project. The tree has been in the making for the past three months and the artists have been working on it night and day. The chinar tree would be draped with as many as 25 panels of colourful cloth that has been sourced from remote areas from states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Orissa and has been hand woven by traditional artisans.

“Hopefully, we would be able to showcase India’s traditional handicrafts and works through the Tree of Knowledge,” she says.