Ujjwal
Chiffon Dupatta in White with Large Phulkari Snowflake Border in Pink and Silver

The border star forms on this dupatta are the most elaborate Phulkari embroidery in the collection. Where the pinwheel stars of Tara and Phulwari are built from six radiating arms of equal length, and the geometric diamonds of Prachi and Svarna are rectilinear forms, the snowflake crystals of Ujjwal have many radiating arms with secondary branch structures — each arm carrying smaller branching elements that give the star its crystal or snowflake quality. At close range, the embroidery reveals its internal structure: the pink and silver-white threads alternating within each arm, the Phulkari running stitch float covering the arm’s length and branching detail in the two thread colours. The complete star is a complex composition that required the needlewoman to plan the full arm structure before placing the first float.
The pom-pom fringe at the hem is the only such finish in the dupatta collection. Every other dupatta ends in a straight hem, a tassel fringe, a picot edge, or an overlock finish. The small white pom-poms at regular intervals along the Ujjwal hem are both a practical finish and a visual signature: a contemporary, slightly playful element that sits at the edge of a very elaborate Phulkari border without competing with it. The pom-pom is approximately the same scale as the scattered body buti — the smallest elements at the body level and at the hem level in the same scale family. The border snowflakes are at the largest scale. The pom-poms and buti are at the smallest. Three scales, two techniques, one white chiffon composition.
The white chiffon is the most transparent in the collection: in the reference close-up image where the dupatta is in drape, the olive/rubber tree and the grey wall behind are clearly visible through the chiffon. The pink and silver-white Phulkari threads on this ground read as the most delicate embroidery in the collection — not because the stitching is lighter but because the white-on-white relationship of the silver thread and the white ground reduces the contrast to a minimum while the pink thread carries the embroidery’s visibility.
The reference images are shot in a contemporary minimalist interior: white walls, concrete floor, large ceramic planting vessels, a rubber or olive tree, natural light from a large window. This is the only dupatta in the collection shot in a contemporary Western-influenced setting rather than a Mughal, Rajasthani, or traditional Indian interior. The dupatta belongs in both registers. The name is Ujjwal: luminous, from the Sanskrit ujjvala, the quality of holding light from the inside rather than reflecting it from the surface.

The snowflake crystal star form in Ujjwal’s border is the Phulkari tradition’s most complex geometric construction in this collection. The form requires the needlewoman to work the main radiating arms first, then the secondary branching elements on each arm, maintaining the alternating pink-and-silver thread discipline throughout. Each arm is a separate embroidery unit — the float passes covering the arm length in the chosen thread colour before the silver passes cover the branch structures on the same arm. The complete star is built arm by arm, and the full border is built star by star along the full dupatta length.
The white pom-pom fringe at the hem is applied after the embroidery is complete: each pom-pom individually stitched to the hem at regular intervals, the attachment thread invisible at the hem fold. The pom-pom finish is a contemporary adaptation of the traditional tassel or loop fringe that has finished Indian dupattas for centuries — the same position at the cloth edge, a different form for the finishing element. On white chiffon with pink and silver Phulkari, the white pom-pom connects to the white ground of the fabric while adding the tactile dimension of the soft ball against the flat chiffon. It is the collection’s most contemporary finish.

• Wash: Dry clean only. 100% pure white chiffon and complex Phulkari snowflake embroidery both require professional care.
• First wash: Dry clean only. The pink thread may release against the white chiffon on the first water wash.
• Pom-pom fringe: Handle the pom-poms with care. Do not catch or pull them. They are individually stitched — aggressive handling can loosen the attachment thread.
• White chiffon: Keep completely away from coloured garments. White chiffon picks up colour in water, in damp storage, and in sustained contact.
• Snowflake embroidery: The branching arm structure of the snowflake stars has more thread per area than simpler Phulkari forms. Handle through non-embroidered areas. Do not pull or catch any arm.
• Do not: Machine wash, hand wash, wring, bleach.
• Iron: Low heat, reverse side only, away from the snowflake border and away from the pom-pom hem. Never iron the pom-poms.
• Dry: Lay flat in shade. White chiffon is UV-sensitive and will yellow under extended direct sun.
• Store: Rolled in acid-free tissue, then white muslin. Never fold through the snowflake border. Store in complete darkness to protect the white ground.