Portrait of a Weaving Unit in Gujarat
The little-known Ashavali cluster in Ridrol, Gujarat The beauty of India is that every weaving cluster is special, every cluster does something so totally unique...
sari
How to recreate a 100-year old Jamdani today?
Darshan Shah of Weaver’s Studio, Kolkata pulls out what looks to be a white roll. It turns out to be a stunning jamdani weave that...
Welcome to the wonderful weaves of Jamdani
Dozens of my friends in the South– Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad– love cotton sarees and especially those from Bengal. They may have their Coimbatore and...
Why are Bengalis (and their textiles) so diverse?
Cotton sarees abound in India, but the jamdani weave is special. It has been quoted in poetry and displayed in Bollywood movies like Devdas. Why...
Gopilal & Sons: master weavers of Chanderi
My name is Shrikrishna Somani and I am 88 years old, he began. Somani-ji runs Gopilal & Sons, a reputed Chanderi weaving company that his...
Chanderi: Introduction
Two clouds passed over a parched land. They took pity on the toiling natives. “Oh, how hot they look,” exclaimed the kind clouds. Smiling, they...
