Storytellers of Wonder

Category: Embroidery

  • The Nomad Lyric: Embroidered Textiles from Kashmir’s Gujjar Bakarwal Tribe

    The river Lidder that flows through majestic mountains and meadows near Pahalgam in Kashmir had earlier this year taken on a ferocious form, threatening all life that breeds alongside its banks. But before nature played truant, perhaps in just retaliation against man, a community of nomadic tribesmen began to migrate southwards from their camps at…

  • Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti: Empowering Lives in a Himalayan Hamlet

    In a rural village outside Dehradun known as Purkal, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, a society has dedicated their resources to enhancing the lives of the disadvantaged women of the Community by empowering them. Purkal Stree Shakti Samiti (PSSS) defines itself as ‘an organisation for empowering the women of Purkal’. Many families in the area lack basic…

  • Bridging the Old and New Worlds: Vintage Textile Collector Mr. A. A. Wazir

    The room is layered with brightly colored phulkaris, rabari embroidered cloths and cowry shell tassels. Among them is seated a man who has spent more than forty years painstakingly building what can easily become a museum collection. At his home in Bhuj in the Kutch region of Gujarat, the septuagenarian Mr. A.A. Wazir has passionately…

  • Textile Discoveries

    Excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro have unearthed bone needles and wooden spindles, clearly suggesting that homespun cotton was used to make garments. In fact, fragments of woven cotton have also been discovered from these sites. Historically renowned for it’s textiles, India’s woven love story dates back several centuries. The first mention of textiles in India…

  • In the Bazaars of Hyderabad

    What do you sell, O ye merchants? Richly your wares are displayed, Turbans of crimson and silver, Tunics of purple brocade, Mirrors with panels of amber, Daggers with handles of jade. What do you weigh, O ye vendors? Saffron, lentil and rice. What do you grind, O ye maidens? Sandalwood, henna and spice. What do…

  • Embroidered Elegance: The delicate art of Chikankari

    There is a subtle understated elegance of intricate white thread embroidery on delicate white muslin.  So uniquely exquisite is this fine creation that it has been applauded and desired for centuries. While the true origins of Chikan are shrouded in mystery and legend, it is clear that Chikankari has its roots in the Mughal reign. Although Chikankari…

  • Kantha – An Intimate Witness to the Spirit of Womanhood

    “Spreading the embroidered quilt She works the livelong night, As if the quilt her poet were Of her bereaved plight. Many a joy and many a sorrow Is written on its breast; The story of Rupa’s life is there, line by line expressed.” (From ‘Field of the Embroidered Quilt’ – a translation of ‘Nokshi Kanthar…

  • Jamdani – A Wondrous Weave

    Apart from being a land of deep-seated culture, with colorful festivals, rich literature, varied languages and dialects, and an unparalleled heritage of classical music and dances, India is also a land of expert craftsmen and master weavers, who literally weave magic on the looms! One such magical weave is that of the Jamdani, which is…

  • Essaying the Revival of Parsi Embroidery

    Parsi Embroidery is an aesthetic composition of pictorial traditions and an emblem of elegance. Combining the beauty inherent in four cultural traditions – Persian, Chinese, Indian and European – this exquisite textile form is truly an intercultural craft. The Parsi community, followers of Prophet Zarathushtra, left Iran for India, and settled along the western coast…