For Anitha N Reddy, a decade of engaging with the Siddi community — a people of African descent who settled in Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra — began with a classmate’s marriage into the community. It was at the wedding that the large colourful quilts drying in the sun caught her eye. Then, following her curiosity with a trail of questions behind her, the art historian, curator and researcher set off working with the women of the community to help keep the tradition of making quilts, or kavand, alive while monetising the craft to earn a living.

The Siddi tradition of quilting is an amalgamation of craft and technique borrowed from surrounding cultures, after the community reached the West coast of India as soldiers, attendants to traders and slaves on trade ships over five centuries ago. Reddy notes that each piece of work is a harmonious blend of African and Indian sensibilities.