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One of the most fascinating studio visits in Kutch was a trip to master weaver, Vankar Shamji Vishram's indigo-dyeing and weaving studio in a village called Bhujodi. Shamji is the son of Shri Vishram Valji Vankar, who won the India's prestigious National Award [...]

 
In our current fast-paced and globalised world, we are faced with some important questions about our past, present and future: how to preserve traditions and yet make them relevant today? Can we preserve the skills and knowledge but evolve at the same time? Many artisans, craftsmen and designers around the world are [...]

A large bandhani piece we saw at Mr A A Wazir's house
 
I think many people are familiar with the term 'shibori' which is the Japanese technique of resist dyeing on cloth. The word itself means 'to wring, squeeze, press', and it is a way of manipulating the fabric to achieve the desired [...]

 
Embroidery plays a eminent role in Kutch textiles, and Gujarat was the world's centre for commercial embroidery in the 17th century. The area was renowned for its mochi (meaning 'cobbler' in Gujarati and Hindi) embroidery maintained by the Mochis, who were originally cobblers but developed their own style of embroidery technique on [...]

 
When I was doing my workshop at Somaiya Kala Vidya, the founder Judy Frater mentioned that she had co-founded and ran another Trust before moving to Somaiya Kala Vidya, and she said that the centre is located in a beautiful and tranquil environment just outside of Bhuj. Luckily, we did pay a [...]

Ajrakhpur – the land of Ajrakh
 
Before my trip to India, my knowledge on Indian textiles was minimal, yet the textiles workshop at Somaiya Kala Vidya (see my earlier post) completely opened my eyes. I did not realise that block printing is such a complex and time-consuming process, especially when only natural dyes [...]

Aina Mahal
 
For my first trip to India, I skipped the popular Rajasthan and opted for a 16-day textiles tour around the less touristy Gujarat, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I joined the group in Bhuj after my 5-day textiles workshop, where we spent a few days visiting the city's sights and textiles studios.
Founded [...]

 
 
After my 10-day textiles workshop in Japan last year, I wanted to learn more about natural and indigo dyeing, so I did the Natural dyeing course for two terms at Morley College in London. The more I learnt about the subject, the more I realised that India had to be my [...]

Kala Ghoda
 
Since I stayed not for from the Kala Ghoda district in Fort, I spent much of my time exploring this area, where many cool shops and interesting eateries are located.
One of the coolest shops in the area is Kultre Shop with a focus on contemporary Indian graphic design. The shop serves [...]

The view of Mumbai's highrise from the top of the hill
 
Before my trip to Mumbai, I was told by my friends from Mumbai that there isn't much sightseeing to do in the city, yet it is up to the visitors to find out what this city really has to offer. And they [...]