Bandhini: Part 4: Magical fingers

Bandhini means to tie and this craft has a hoary history in India. Read about the history here

Magic Fingers make blooming flowers

Here is a short video that gives an overview of the bandhini process.

Let me just leave you with a thought here. Scroll down below and watch these girls make the knots. Tying is difficult, detailed and intricate. It is mostly done by women and girls. The dyeing is done by men. Business management is done by the men. Guess who gets the credit? Guess who gets the higher pay?

Here is Abduljabbar Khatri of SIDR Crafts talking about the ecosystem of bandhini. He has two daughters. Perhaps in the next generation, the pay disparity in bandhini will disappear.

“I once met a woman Bandhini artist who said she was tired of being a nobody and had forced the men in her family to teach her how to dye. That’s the only way to get acknowledged as a Bandhini artist.” Shilpa Sharma, textile enthusiast and founder of Jaypore.