Pehchaan kaun?

Pehchaan or identity is not static It is a living guide that evolves over time shaped by creed custom country class culture stirring a wild cocktail of personal history politics and desiresYet within the map of Indian design aesthetics identity remains a sticking point Much of Indiarsquos cultural identity stems from craft traditions that diverge from Western predominantly modernist concepts emphasising individual genius in design Ahalya Matthan is the founder of Yali an online retail platform that brings to life the work of The Registry of Sarees TRS a Bengalurubased research and study centre with an interdisciplinary approach that enables design curatorial and publishing of projects in the area of handspun and handwoven textiles She claims ldquoIt is interesting to acknowledge that there is no word for lsquodesignrsquo in the Indian vocabulary Despite ongoing debates on distinguishing craft and design both have contributed to utility and aesthetics in the space of art and culturerdquo Sikalnayakanpet saree handspun handwoven cotton inspired by the Bauhaus shapes and functionality hand painted at Sikalnayakanpet in Ponduru weaving clusterIn Indian practice the term ldquokalardquo craft approximates the concept of design and is rarely approached in isolation Most designers collaborate with artists and craftspeople to produce cohesive outcomes that reflect the contributions of all parties This dynamic shapes both our understanding of design and our exploration of identityYali Handspun Handwoven ndash Past Present an upcoming exhibition in Mumbai from July 12 to August 4 at Khotachiwadi gallery 47A nudges at fundamental questions of identitymdashWho am I What do I belong toTextiles serve as a conduit for this inquiry prioritising practices over rhetoric to drive environmental and economic impact educating and engaging communities with the stories behind their clothes and promoting supply chain transparency With a focused emphasis on process materiality and skill the exhibition aims to connect directly with our human experience Half blue half red wave saree in handwoven mulberry silk inspired by Josef Albersrsquo Interaction of Colour theory from Kodiyala weaving clusterA collaborative effort led by Vishwesh Surve principal and spatial curator Aayushi Jain curatorial research Radha Parulekar textile research and development and Rahul Ravishankar graphic design the exhibition unfolds across six rooms journeying through the history of handspun and handwoven Indian textiles It situates them within two influential design movements the Bauhaus and the Vishwakarma exhibitions A significant portion of the exhibition spotlights Indiarsquos independence movement and the political connotations interwoven into Khadi widely recognised as the brand of our ldquoFabric of FreedomrdquoIn the early 20th century Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Swadeshi movement boycotting foreignmade goods Concurrently Rabindranath Tagore championed integrating contemporary developments into identitybuilding for a new India inspired by his experiences at Bauhaus in Germany particularly in holistic designThe gallery walkthrough begins with a timeline of key events including the noncooperation movement led by Gandhi from 1920 to 1922 and the Bauhaus delegation to Calcutta in 1922 invited by Tagore and American art historian Stella Kramrisch It covers milestones such as the establishment of Ahmedabadrsquos Calico Museum of Textiles in 1949 the Vishwakarma exhibitions from the 1980s to 1990s and the Khadi ndash The Fabric of Freedom show curated by Martand Singh in 20022003Mahatma Gandhi silhouette in handwoven cotton with gold Zari Jamdani technique originally designed by the Dastkari Haat Samiti for the Akshara project from Venkatagiri weaving clusterThe exhibition proceeds to juxtapose contemporary and historic textile works to reveal layers of information about material construction technique texture colour pattern and dimension Chapters on Zari Influences of the Bauhaus and Vishwakarma on Vernacular Textiles Intersection and Colours Design History and Indigenous Variety of Cotton Khudrang contribute to narratives on diverse communities geography culture language and sometimes religion Handspun handwoven materials speak a universal language that transcends cultures offering deeper insights as visitors move through the rooms culminating in what the exhibition calls a ldquopersonal storyrdquo This section celebrates the contributions of ordinary families to Indiarsquos freedom struggle through textiles remembered in living memory rather than history booksOn display are 86 pieces including 56 sarees and various stitched garments each asserting a unique identity To wit Tucked inside the world of Kora in room 5 is Khudrang meaning ldquoselfcolourrdquo or ldquonatural as you arerdquo Colour moves us because history saturates it with associations and symbolism Often discussed as if its impact were fixed and natural the Kora room introduces Indiarsquos white unbleached fibre as a nuanced palette of colours Natural fibres handspun unevenly reflect and refract light uniquely shaping textures of cotton and silk from delicate to coarse evoking emotions akin to jasmine buds sea foam windkissed clouds and a tigerrsquos clawRoom 4 of the exhibition showcases Manuel Bauerrsquos 2001 photographs for Khadi The Fabric of Freedom curated by Martand Singh The black and white series captures stages of handpreparing and spinning cotton in Baswaria Bihar and Bontalakoduru Mandavakuriti and Ponduru in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh These traditional processes are still in use today and Gandhirsquos preference for Ponduru Khadi continues to influence contemporary politiciansThe design of Kora textiles influenced by historical context shows how past design choices impact the materials and processes used guiding craftsmanship For example Gandhirsquos silhouette woven with his favourite bhajans using millspun yarn and gold thread adopted post the industrial revolution showcases delicate cotton with intricate gold handling skills The fabricrsquos translucency achieved through the refined Jamdani technique by Venkatagiri weavers of Andhra Pradesh imparts a gentle luminosity on the gallery wallOriginally designed by the Dastkari Haat Samiti for the Akshara project this Gandhi rendition continues to be woven within the Venkatagiri weavers cluster in Tirupati district Andhra Pradesh It stands as a testament to how artists craftspeople and designers in pursuit of Indian identity surrender their identities as reflected in this pieceAhalya Matthan founder at Yali and The Registry of SareesOn display is a 120yearold Angarakha in Bengal cotton from TRS It originates from an Awadhi family of courtiers during the Nawab era introducing the Mughalinfluenced stitched silhouette now a cornerstone of Indian sartorial heritageldquoUnderstanding our textile traditions through design journeys and vocabularies teaches us to keep their identities fluid yet intact and distinctrdquo Ahalya Matthan Yali and The Registry of SareesAlso featured is a Bandi jacket in Tussar a wild silk indigenous to India Previously known as the Nehru jacket and now the Modi jacket this style has become ingrained in our cultural and national identity This reminds us of the role of textiles shapes and silhouettes as cultural identifiers with Tussarrsquos natural shades adding to material diversityAs visitors wander through the rooms they will ponder Are we nearing an understanding of what it means to be Indian Does the relationship between past lsquothemrsquo and present lsquousrsquo pivot on identity difference or both Will our identity be shaped by our choice of textiles gender sexuality politics and the gods we revere or is it nebulous and instinctual