A display of geometic and pictorial patterned dhurries adorns the walls of weaver Tejsibhai Dhana Marwada in the village of Sanjotnagar, near Bhuj in Kutch,. Woven into the kharad (Sindhi word for carpet) on the most basic and ancient of looms, are the stories of these weavers’ lives and experiences. Some of these narrative pieces were initiated by Carole Douglas for her exhibition Zindagi jo Vanat – The Weave of Life. Tejsi explained to us the stories depicted in the pieces. One tells of the Marwada Meghwal community migration. They came to Kachchh from Marwad in Rajasthan about 600 years ago, hence their name Marwada which accords a sustained sense…
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Batik!
I dug out this piece of batik from my pile of Indian fabrics, and it took me back to its origin – a tiny crumbling building nestled in the warren of narrow streets of the majestic city of Udaipur in Rajasthan. While the building seemed modest from the outside, it was home to the internationally renowned Batik Art Research and Training Institute (BARTI), founded and run by Dr Abdul Majeed. Dr Majeed has taught under-privileged women the craft of batik as a way to support themselves economically for the past four decades. The charismatic Dr Majeed told us the history of this craft – thought to be 2000 years old,…
