The desert of Kachchh in Gujarat is a searing white canvas spanning 30,000 square kilometres with parts of it in Pakistan. The sand glistens, sticking like glitter to camels’ hooves as they plod across the arid landscape. Squint and you’ll see a line of Agariya farmers working the salt pans, often the only caesura marking the horizon. Look farther and colours start to emerge— bright red bands merging with dusty yellows, covering the bhunga mud houses and making the desert sing.
Kachchh is home to one of the country’s most densely packed craft clusters— weavers, leather craftsmen, potters moulding the abundant clay into objects of wonder and artisans working with Ajrakh.
“Kachchh has always been an independent, isolated region because of the difficult geographical terrain, so the locals had to use all their might to build a unique system of survival through the crafts and the pastoral economy,” says Meera Goradia who has been working with various craft clusters over the past three decades. Her recently published book, Weaving with Compassion: The Rikhyas of Kutch (Tara Books), transports readers into the heart of this region.
This resilience is palpable in the weavers of Kachchh. The craft becomes intensely personal, tied to their lives and motivations. Raji Murji Loncha, a waste-plastic weaver from the remote region of Avadhi Nagar in Kachchh, who joins me on Zoom, says that weaving gave meaning to her life after her husband passed away.
“It was easy to feel like nothing mattered because his sudden death was so traumatic that I’d even forgotten my children for days. It was my sister who helped me save and purchase a loom that I operated from her house.” While she learnt the basics of hand-weaving as a child and was out of practice, it was her sister’s idea that she learn weaving on the loom to upskill herself if she was to be the sole breadwinner for her children.
Bu hikaye VOGUE India dergisinin September - October 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye VOGUE India dergisinin September - October 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.