NATIONAL HANDLOOM DAY - 7TH AUGUST 2025 continues......

We had written about 3 wonderful designers and revivalists doing stellar work. We continue with another 3, each of whom is close to my heart and I am friends with. They work from weaves from their particular area and are dedicated.

Sarees and Mekhela in natural dyes
using Mulberry and Muga. 
Image courtesy - Naturalli Anuradha

Naturally Anuradha – Anuradha Kuli – There is just one word for Anuradhas’s creation – beautiful. A weaver who worked with the Sericulture Training Institute of the Silk Board,  before launching her own little brand. She effortlessly combines traditional motifs into contemporary textiles – mekhela, chadder and sarees. The colour combinations and the motifs are to die for. She has a very pretty petite lady belonging to the Miri (Mishing) Community of Assam. Two things that really strike about Anuradha’s creation is the brilliant colour combination and the choice of motifs. This together with her clever use of silk, mixing mulberry with eri, tussar and muga. In the weft, in the borders, for the motifs, the result is remarkable. It is amongst finest of silk woven in some astounding patterns from the North East. The motifs are all from the North East traditional ones but they had been given such a beautiful contemporary interpretation that I was bowled over. So beautiful that the colour combination and sarees are lyrical.

Image Courtesy of Pankaja Studio

Pankaja Sethi Studio - yes Pankaja from Odisha. One tiny bundle of energy is how one can describe Pankaja. She has worked extensively with the textiles of Odisha and more importantly she has documented tribal textiles which has not been done by anyone so far. This extends to the Dongria Kondh embroidery. One of the most beautiful of shawls embroidered by the women.

Young and earnest, her description of her fieldwork in Odisha. Understanding the textile dyeing practiced by the tribals using natural colours had me hooked. Odisha has a number of tribes who weave some very interesting textiles. Though the designs and motifs used by the tribals are copied, very little documentation or studies have been conducted on their life and of course textile tradition.    

Speaking with Pankaja revealed that she had been working with the Adivasis or tribal weavers and artisans of Odisha for over 10 years. A social Anthropologist and a textile designer, this combination is what brings out her sensitivity to tribal way of life, practices and at the same time explore design development and weaving with them. Her research has been funded by Karun Thakar Project Fund, Sahapedia-UNESCO, Nehru Trust for the Indian Collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum amongst others. It is her work documenting the textile traditions of Dongria Kondh textiles, Kotpad Adivasis, Kontha or quilting traditions of Ganjam, Kerang – bark cloth of Gadaba Adivasi women which was the pivotal point for me. There are many designers who are working with textile weavers of Odisha. The wealth of textile tradition in Odisha is mind boggling. She has worked extensively with natural dyes which is her forte.p

Image Courtesy of Yatri Weaves

Gayathri KK – Yatri Weaves – Reviving the forgotten textile techniques of South India with special focus to Tamil Nadu. To be precise, Gayathri recreates textile museum pieces. The pieces one of a kind, but with her tenacity it becomes a saleable wearable option. Gayathri is a research freak, who using her skills in the online world has unearthed some spectacular collections from South especially Tanjavur, Kanchipuram and more. She has then painstakingly worked with weavers to revive the tradition and create sarees and other textile from them. Her work ranges from  Neerezhuthu,  (The tamil term for Kalamkari - literally meaning writing using water) with an artist in Andhra Pradesh. The other is mezhugu ezhuthu – batik, Kutni – satin yes, Mashru from Tamil Nadu, Tanjavur ikkat, intricate sungudi woven using Kancheevaram technique, Fusing of three to four different textile techniques to recreate museum pieces. She has used old photographs, old pieces in museums as references to give a modernistic interpretation. Speaking of photographs she says, they are all black and white photos, so we just use our imagination and give it the desired colour. She recently curated an exhibition at the Dakshina Chitra Heritage Museum titled -Resist Revive.