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Textile Trails: Where The Loom Comes Alive
Did you, like us, not want National Handloom Day to end? Beautiful images of effortlessly draped handwoven sarees, weavers working their magic on the loom and cities steeped in textile traditions made us long for an earthy aesthetic. It also evoked in us severe wanderlust. After all, Chanderi, Maheshwari, Kota, Paithani – all get their…
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Out of the Woodwork
In a world of steel, glass and chrome, where does wood, one of the earliest materials used in a home fit in? In nearly every corner! As accents like keepsake boxes, tissue boxes and tea-lights, as serveware like trays, platters and bowls or table ware with coasters and napkin holders. Once largely relegated to the…
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In a Qila
How Qilasaaz is effecting change in the lives of women artisans of Mahmudabad. The backbone of the erstwhile world of feudal privilege and opulence was always an invisible army of skilled craftsmen/women and artisans. They ensured a splendor and an aesthetic richness that was often breathtaking. Their efforts affected every aspect of life then and…
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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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Mubarakpur Weaves a Success Story
When we talk of our commitment to revival of dying or languishing hand looms and handicrafts, we believe that change is happening, right now, right here and that it can only go up. Our confidence is based on many instances of craft revivals across the country; far reaching changes brought about by the collective efforts…
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National Handloom Day, India: Jaypore Speaks with Experts
The Indian government announces 7th August as India’s first ever National Handloom Day, with the unveiling of the brand ‘India Handloom’. “The National Handloom Day and honouring of handloom weavers will not only provide an impetus to the handloom industry of India but would also serve to promote handloom as a genuine international product of…
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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…
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Lucknawi Naqqashi: Decorating the Medicinal Metal
Copper finds a pride of place in kitchens across India as it is held in high regard by Ayurveda for its remedial properties. The metal is believed to have electromagnetic energy, called ‘Prana Shakti’ and many Indian homes store drinking water in a copper vessel overnight to allow copper to make water ionic, thus helping…
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The Gilded Storytellers of Lucknow
Deep kohl-set eyes follow the graceful movements of decorated fingers, the intricate beats of the tabla and the progressive tempo of rhythmic footwork. Spectators watch transfixed as elegant swirling movements, lightning quick pirouettes, subtle gestures and sudden poses combine to tell a breathtaking story. Kathak, the North Indian dance form famed for its subtlety and grace, traces…
Storytellers of Wonder 