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Avacayam – From Temple Flowers to Colors
Holi, the festival synonymous with colors, surges the sales of ‘gulal’, balloons and pichkaris (water guns) being sold at the roadside stalls and markets. While the air is filled with mischief and people are drenching each other…have you ever wondered how these synthetic colors affect our environment? As the awareness grows, more and more people…
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The Handmade Paper Trail: A Fascinating New Journey
Once upon a time, roughly in the late ’60s America, if you bought a dress and met with some post-purchase dissonance or dropped sauce all over the front, you could just tear it up. Because that particular dress was made of paper! In the 1920s London, one could buy a ‘Paper Suit’ for a tiny…
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Ajrakh Tales – Re-Contextualizing an Age Old Textile on the Contemporary Scene
The elegant symmetry of geometric patterns, the waltz of Indigo & madder dyes, and the minor imperfections that add to its allure… this is what forms the syntax of an ancient craft like Ajrakh. Like a skilled raconteur, the standard 3 meter length of an Ajrakh print tells tales of its invigorating history, the many…
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An Uncommon Journey
Design in India permeates everything we do. Its in our clothes, our buildings, our temples, even in the pots and pans we use in the kitchen. In this plentiful land of many seasons and myriad languages, of ancient civilizations and constant influx of new peoples; every material possession has become a canvas for expression. It…
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Koraput – Reviving Odisha’s Timeless Craft
Koraput – rough, coarse to the touch, yet soft on the skin and completely organic. Like a wildflower’s unrefined beauty, Koraput’s elegance lies in its unassumingness and simplicity. Woven for centuries in Kotpad – a dusty little town in Odisha, this fabric is entrenched in Kotpad’s regional identity. Traditionally woven by the Mirgan community, Koraput…
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In Harmony with Nature: Bina Rao Talks Textiles and More
Designer and scholar Bina Rao, of Creative Bee, talks to Jaypore about her organic dye farm, collaborating with her artist-husband Kesav Rao, and starting off in Hyderabad at a time when it sorely lacked facilities for the creative folk… here are snippets from our conversation with her. Creative Bee’s textiles and apparel are produced by…
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How to get the perfect glow this Monsoon!
Giving us a pleasant respite from the scorching summer heat, monsoons are finally here bringing along a fresh burst of energy, cooler climates and unfortunately skin problems! What better way to take good care of your skin than organic personal care products? So, indulge in handmade bath and body essentials that will replenish your skin…
Storytellers of Wonder 