Ash's wedding saris controversy

By Super Admin

Two cousins, Chaturbhuj Meher and Kailash Meher, are embroiled in a legal battle on Aishwarya Bachchan's wedding sari. It all started when Chaturbhuj Meher sold two Sambalpuri silk sarees, 'Double Ikat' and 'Radhakunja', to the Bachchans for Rs 2.3 lakh before the Ash- Abhi wedding.

The saris, like the wedding, made a splash and now Meher's cousin, Kailash Meher, has filed charges alleging that the designs were taken from his painting 'The Tree of Life'. The two artists live in Orissa.

Chaturbhuja Meher denied the allegations, saying his creation was substantially different from the painting. The master weaver told a local television channel. "All the charges made against me are false. I am contemplating a defamation suit".

Kailash Meher, winner of President's Award and an UNESCO Award for his painting, said, "I survive purely on my earnings from paintings. The unwanted act by Padmashree Chaturbhuj Meher has affected my image as an artist. I've suffered huge financial losses also."

Chaturbhuj said, "How can I lift Kailash's work? He is a painter, while I am a tie-and-dye artist. The 'Tree for Life' or 'Kalpabrikshya' he is talking about is an oil painting."