Old sarees, new avatars

Joy Bimal Roy

We had previously written in this page, about how designer Joy Bimal Roy had started a saree upcycling project, Touch of Joy. In line with his venture, the Kala Ghoda-based ARTISANS’ gallery had started a saree bank to give old sarees a new lease of life. Yesterday, on Earth Day, the gallery hosted an interesting Instagram live session with Roy and Savitha Suri, of Anvaya Narratives, on how one can be a saree saviour. “Saving a saree also means saving a legacy and remaking a memory,” pointed out Radhi Parekh, founder-director, ARTISANS’. In the session, Roy and Suri touched upon a few aspects of the project. “One is the idea of donating a saree, which is upcycled, and then forwarding a part of the proceeds to Shanti Avedna Sadan cancer hospice. There’s also the larger issue of social barriers that hinder recycling in India, such as caste,” Parekh shared, adding that one can contribute by dropping off hand-woven or hand-printed sarees at their gallery.