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Resurgence of ‘Shakti’: Shamlu Dudeja’s Kantha Crusade in Bengal
Each piece of work is a labour of love, in its patterns, the story of simple women, their joys, sorrows and aspirations. The origin of Kantha can be traced back to the Buddhist era when devotees had to seek alms for their daily survival. The ‘bhikshus’ often received old fabrics which they layered and tacked…
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7 Workwear Styles That Every Wardrobe Needs
Contemplating about what to wear to work? Here’s a simple work wear guide from Monday to Sunday that will be your ultimate wardrobe changer! Beat the Monday blues with a pop of bright pink and add summer spirit with hand crafted silver bangles. 1. Pink Hand Woven Silk Saree 2. Brown Saddle Tote 3. Dendrite…
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Katna’s Kantha: Crafting Lives in Murshidabad, Bengal
Slowly one stitches together the layers of frayed fabric Slowly, step by step, does one tread the path Slowly and steadily one scales the mountain – Sanskrit shloka; oral tradition Kantha embroidery is a distinct style applied to the creation of coverlets. Traditionally the Lep kantha of old, involved poor village women sewing together layers…
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6 Ways To Reinvent Your Saree Style
The most elegant of Indian dress forms, the six unstitched yards gracefully accommodate individual creativity and aesthetic, making the saree so unique to each wearer. Read how this time tested and much loved silhouette can make way into your wardrobe. 1. Cocktail Craze Whether you’re attending a cocktail party or a wedding, add a chic…
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A Date with Design and More at Windmill Design Festival 2015
Over the last few years, the studios of Windmill Interiors and Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates (PSDA) at Aya Nagar on the Delhi-Haryana border have become the focus of a creative community that often drops in to share an idea, collaborate or simply talk over a cup of coffee. The Windmill Festival celebrates this friendship and…
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The Geometric Genius of Toda Tribal Embroidery
This red and black play on cloth is an embroidery so fine that it looks like weaving. Toda embroidery created by the Toda tribe inhabiting the Niligiris, is reversible and they consider the rougher underside of the fabric as the ‘right’ side. The Todas are a small pastoral community who live on the isolated Nilgiri…
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The Embroidery of Life: Needle Crafts and Colors of Kutch
Amidst the barren desert landscape of the western border towns of India, smatterings of color are a representation of life, appearing as adornments on the bodies of the beautiful tribes. Embroidery, here, is not a glorious vocation but part of the daily fabric of how a day is spent. It isn’t uncommon to walk among…
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The Vankars of Bhujodi
The festive vibrance of embroidered textiles is the natural show stealer within Kutch textiles, but the subtler, elegant outcome from the rhythmic clacking of Bhujodi’s Vankar family of weavers is not far behind in appeal. The Vankars or weavers of Kutch weave colorful threads on the loom, with the yarn coming from Bhujodi, Ludhiana, Rajasthan…
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Exploring Kutch, Solo….
Opportunity often comes disguised as an ordeal. That’s exactly how a solo trip to Kutch fell into my lap, as an ‘individual’ college assignment. There was more. It came with a deadline, and I had to be back in college in 5 days! I had no clue how or where to begin, for student-days meant…
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Commitment to Kashmir: Nature Bazaar’s Winter Mela
In between our love for handicrafts and the Delhi winters, we decided to explore the flavor of the month- the Kashmir Festival at Winter Mela, Dastkaar Nature Bazaar. Brought to Delhi by the people of Kashmir to celebrate the spirit of the valley, the colorful and vibrant bazaar saw various handicrafts of India on one platform…
Storytellers of Wonder 