‘I want to teach weaving to as many people as possible. I want to contribute to this craft and make it as popular as possible in the whole world. This is what I want.’ Dayalal Kudecha, SKV graduate, weaver-designer and teacher, Bhujodi, Kutch. Weaving is just one of the many textile crafts of Kutch that form an important part of the cultural identity, economy and social life of the region and both the individual and collective maker and user. The many Kutchi villages, home to weavers, block printers, bandhani (tie-dye), batik artisans and embroiderers, have become popular destinations for visitors seeking to escape from busy city life or learn more about…
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Review: Tang Ke Sang – Traditional and Contemporary Ply-Split Braiding
Two exhibitions are currently being held at Khamir in Kukma village near Bhuj, Kutch. Read about Rohi: stories of the shoemakers of Kutch here. The second exhibition is Tang Ke Sang which showcases the unique and characterful ply-split braiding technique traditional to North West India, in the form of both traditional items and innovative interpretations by renowned maker Erroll Pires. History and technique The ply-split braiding technique, locally called ‘guthna’ as the English name suggests, involves splitting the ply of wool or cotton chords and interlacing them to create a very strong fabric. This fabric is therefore perfect for camel girths, harnesses and decorations which are made using this technique chiefly in North West…
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Learning to weave the Kutchi way
For 21 days starting on the 28th December I learned the basics of weaving under the masterful and patient guidance of four skilled and experienced weavers from Bhujodi village in Kutch. The course was organised by Somaiya Kala Vidya whose primary aim is to teach design education to craftspeople of Kutch (find more information on SKV here and here). The ‘Crafts Traditions’ courses are a side project that aim to extend the awareness and appreciation of Kutch’s crafts further afield, welcoming visitors from all over the world to come and learn a new skill and also gain a deeper understanding of the crafts’ context. In three weeks I learned the whole…
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Interview with Kuldip Gadhvi of Kutch Adventures India
Kuldip Gadhvi runs Kutch Adventures India, an award-winning tour company in Kutch that helps tourists engage with the local culture and people. I spoke to him about his passion for the region, its nature, people and cultural heritage and winning the World Responsible Tourism award for the best in engaging people and culture. What made you want to start as a tour guide in Kutch, and how did you begin? I naturally enjoy showing people things and am enthusiastic to share experiences with people. It first started when I bumped into a group from London who came to Bhuj. One lady asked if I would take her group to the desert…
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Textiles in Depth: Handloom Weaving in India, Part Three
While in Rajkot, I called the other contact that Shamji had given me – Chandrakant Patel, who I was told managed an organisation that produce Khadi – a handspun and handwoven fabric, in Gondal, just 40 km from Rajkot. I asked if it was ok for me to come and visit for my research. About an hour later I received a call from Durgesh Jadeja, who informed me he worked as the fashion designer and PR at Udyog Bharti – the name of the organisation. He said he lived in Rajkot and was travelling to Gondal the following morning by car and would I like a lift. He also said…
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Textiles in Depth: Handloom Weaving in India, Part Two
When I visited Shamji in Bhujodi (see previous post) and told him of my research, he gave me the names and contact details of a few weavers I should visit in Saurashtra, the region to the south of Kutch in Gujarat – an area I had not yet visited. The first was Laljibhai Parmar who lives in Rajkot and is a member of an extended family of Ikat weavers. Laljibhai is not actually a weaver, although he hails from a weaving family, but his extended family are practicing weaving. Laljibhai makes the phanni – the reed section of the beater that beats the weaving in between each passing of the shuttle.…
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Textiles in Depth: Handloom Weaving in India, Part one
I have just returned from a month long trip to India, three and a half years after my last trip. After a few days of settling into a very different time zone, climate and pace of life, I soon felt quite at home, the places and people I visited seeming as familiar as if I’d seen them only a few weeks before. A busy schedule and little access to the internet meant I couldn’t blog about the trip as I went, so this is the start of a series of blog posts in which I will write about my encounters with various textile artisans – this time mainly weavers, as…
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The traditional kediyun of Kutch – A review of LOkesh Ghai’s research
I have been following LOkesh Ghai’s research for his MA at Manchester Metropolitan University with zeal since we crossed paths at the University as I was completing my MA and he beginning his. LOkesh has a rich and varied career, graduating from National Institute of Fashion Technology in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, running his own textile design practice, teaching at Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya in Kutch, and in the last few years, taking part in various artist residencies in the UK. I have previously written about his first exhibition at Platt Hall Costume Gallery as part of the Global Threads and Cotton Exchange projects in Manchester. Before that, in 2011 Lokesh produced work for the…
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Kalamkari and Mata ni Pachedi painting in Ahmedabad
This post moves away from the peaceful, rural villages of previous craft profiles, onto the bustling, polluted and noisy city of Ahmedabad. This city has been named the ‘Manchester of the East’ because of its rich and ancient history of textile production. The city is well-known for its block printing, and was the home of the trade of saudigiri printed textiles for the Thai market which began about two hundred years ago, reached its peak at the turn of the century, but declined during the Second World War. The saudigiri motifs share more similarities to those of the malir, jimhardi and haidharo block prints for the skirts of women in…
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Roghan – rare painted textiles from Kutch
The hand painted craft of roghan is today the rarest of the painted and printed crafts of Kutch and in most danger of becoming extinct. It is practised by one family of Khatris in the village of Nirona in northern Kachchh. Formerly it was produced in Chowbari in Eastern Kutch and the larger cities of Ahmedabad, Baroda and Patan in Gujarat. The process involves applying a thick paste of boiled castor oil mixed with pigments to create the colour, and applied using an iron rod, or kalam. The name roghan refers to the paste that is used and is the Gujarati term for resin. This gives the pattern a relief effect on…
