RAPTURES in life and DEATH

In the little town of Moreno in Madhya Pradesh, designer Dhruv Bandil creates arresting pieces that reflect on widows and their spiritual liberation.

- RADHIKA BHALLA

In the district of Moreno, a small town in Madhya Pradesh, fashion designer Dhruv Bandil has been harbouring big dreams. For with the help of deadstock, salvaged textiles, and a remarkable level of creativity, Dhruv has been creating saris, skirts, and tops that blur the lines between the sublime and style.

“I ve admired self-expression in small but wellthought-out forms since I was a child growing up in Morena,’ Dhruv tells Bazaar India, when asked about the beginnings of his journey. The way women drape their saris, the clothing in local tableaux, the way my mother used to put a black dot beneath her bindi, and the sculptures at temples have all been, and continue to be, a significant part of my creative consciousness. These recollections, I feel, are at the heart of my profession...”