A Stitch in Time

Parekh points out that the vintage quilts comprise two varieties: the ones made by the Rabari tribe of Kutch and the quilts that the Sindhis made or brought along to India post-Partition. “While the latter,the Ralli quilts,are known for their bright colour palette and geometrical designs,the Rabari tribe quilts make for interesting use — as veils by women or as men’s pachedis (a multi-purpose cloth draped over the shoulder or across the waist),” she says. The exhibition also has the regular fare from Kala Raksha such as handloom saris,Malkha cotton robes and linen kurtis and stoles.

Parekh — a graduate of the National Institute of Design,Ahmedabad,with over 22 years of experience as a designer and illustrator in the United Kingdom and United States — stresses how Artisans’ was the outcome of a realisation that hit her when she started making and selling her jewellery in San Francisco. “In the US,I witnessed the toll that mall culture had taken on traditional arts,” she reminisces.

The centre hosts lectures,screenings and workshops,the most recent being a series of creative workshops during the Kala Ghoda festival. “We make sure each exhibition has a value addition,so that people can learn more about these crafts. For instance,during Comforters,we will be screening films such as Tanko Bole Chhe: The Stitches Speak,Masters’ Voices and Artisans’ Design,which centre around the lives and works of the craftsmen,” Parekh explains.