Who is god's dress designer?

The term fashion usually conjures up images of models strutting the runway flaunting latest creations of designers But if you thought that a lot of thought and precision was given to clothes only for the ramp then you are wrongLeft and bottom Embroidered with zardosi aari chikankari gold and silver threads with Japanese pearls Swarovski crystals sequins resham the handpainted dresses worn by the deities are a visual delight Pics Meher CastelinoMuch work goes into dressing up gods at religious institutions looking resplendent in regal attire complete with a serene expression on their face as devotees throng to them in large numbers seeking divine interventionThe Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir popularly known as ISKCON at Chowpatty has a design studio where artisans work with clockwork precision following briefs by designers to dress up deities in the choicest of attireFollowing trendsOne of the four ISKCON temples in Mumbai the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir started operations in 1987 and the deities were installed in 1988 Dressing the nine deities seven in the temple and two in the farm called Govardhan Eco village 100 km from Mumbai is a continuous process Purushottam Das and Premkishor Das are in charge of the taskldquoInitially we had a designer Rekha Mafatlal popularly known as Radhapriya Devi Dasi in the temple who created beautiful garments In 200607 the design workshop which was the brainchild of the late Gaurkrsna Das Murlimohan Das and Gagan all three passed away two years ago in an air crash visualised the designing Earlier we only designed the outfits but they were stitched and embroidered elsewhere Now we have an inhouse embroidery unit with craftsmen from West Bengal to supervise the qualityrdquo informs Purushottam DasArtisans at work in the embroidery unitA team of three designers follows current trends for the garments and ensures how they can be assimilated while maintaining tradition The nine deities have day and night dresses mdash the former is worn before the 8 am aarti and the latter before the 850 pm aarti Embroidered with zardosi aari chikankari gold and silver threads with Japanese pearls Swarovski crystals sequins resham and handpainted the dresses are a visual delightThe wardrobe department has over 100 dresses which are kept in order according to their stylesldquoWe handpick the designers from among the devotees We show them a small sample after which they create outfits for one of the templersquos seven festivalsrdquo adds Premkishor Das Experiments with colours fabrics which are procured from all over India are an ongoing processAbove and below The dioramas depicting the various festivals where dozens of deitiesrsquo dresses are designed but changed twice a yearCatalogued perfectlAfter the festivals the garments jewellery and accessories are catalogued numbered named and moved into the wardrobe department from where they are periodically reused Fifty night and 70 day dressers select the outfits daily along with the specially designed backdrops for the altar along with freshlywoven garlands and jewellery for the idols The seven deities mdash Sri Nityananda Sri Gaurchandra Srimati Lalitadevi Sri Gopinath Srimati Radharani Srimati Vishakhadevi and Srinathji mdash are permanently positioned from left to right The other two deities mdash Srimati Radharani and Shri Vrindavan Bihari mdash are in the farmThe wardrobe department has over 100 dresses which are kept systematically according to the styles ldquoWhat is important is coordination between the designers of the clothes who visualise everything and the dressers who must know how the apparel needs to be draped All outfits have Velcro with separate backfront openings for easy dressingrdquo informs designer Samira Shah who created grand outfits for the deities during JanmashtamiThe jewellery department has beads in various hues and sizesChallenges galoreA special group of ladies create floral garlands for the gods keeping in mind the dress every day The idols are also bedecked with Swarovski crystals pearls and stones including tiaras which are gifted by devotees from AustrialdquoThere are several challenges mdash what may look good on a human being or in a sketch may appear completely different on the deity Twelve to 13 sets are created for each deity during the seven festivals in the year Deciding the concept is also a challenge but once everything is finalised they are made within a monthrdquo informs Shah The altar is a vision of great beauty when the deities are dressed keeping in mind every minute detailIn the courtyard of the temple are 12 dioramas depicting the various festivals where dozens of deitiesrsquo dresses are designed but changed twice a year All four ISKCON temples have separate design studios to dress the deities which function in the same waySo the next time you pay obeisance to the Almighty in a temple take a minute to observe the rich designs that adorn them and praise the designers who work diligently to achieve the same