Return to India

January 4th - The end of christmas and new year and back to normality, work and the monotonous trudge of everyday life.

Not for me though as I'm off to India for 3 weeks! Exciting, well sort of. Its not quite a holiday, as it is more a 'study' or 'research' visit. I have spent 6 months in India before, so it doesn't feel quite as much of an adventure.

I'm a bit fed up of the snow now so looking forward to the warmth. January's the best month to go as its generally the coldest in Gujarat where I will be, which means its about as warm as our summer!

I'm looking forward to seeing the people and places I feel I got to know well last time. The welcoming families of the villages of Kutch. I worked for a small organisation called Kala Raksha - a grass-roots trust working with the local textile artisans to preserve the traditional arts and provide sustainable livelihoods. It was an informal arrangement, having arranged it myself after being introduced to the founder Judy through Carole Douglas who ran the textiles tour I went on previously - Desert Traditions and Textile Treasures.

showing off our bandhani on the tour

The tour took us travelling round Kutch visiting the villages and artisans, joining in with the crafts, meeting lovely people, eating tasty food and experiencing fascinating traditions. We also stayed in Ahmedabad to sight-see, shop and immerse ourselves in the city crafts.

After the tour I went on to work with Kala Raksha. I was helping revive old products that weren't selling by adapting them or re-designing them. By the end of the 6 weeks I was there I hadn't done as much work as was originally planned as so many other events got in the way. There were weddings, a festival in the desert (see picture above -some of the ladies of KR outside a traditional decorated mud hut - just been built for festival), and travelling the 3 hour drive down to Tunda Vandh where the Kala Raksha Vidyhalaya, the design school was situated.

Rabari wedding

A re-visit to KR this time will help keep in contact in hope that I will do more work with them in future.

I will also be re-visiting Anokhi near Jaipur in Rajasthan, where I spent a 2 month design placement near the end of 2008 after returning for the second time to India. (I was first there January to March 2008). With 3 other students from Brighton, I produced a selection of painted designs intended for block print patterns, had a go at block-printing in a few of the nearby villages and enjoyed chilling it out in the farm of the Anokhi compound. This included swimming in the pool, watching films in their mini cinema , eating home-cooked organic food and relaxing in our comfortable cottages. That is a time well missed!

Anokhi fabric hanging to dry. Indigo dyeing in the village of Jahota

I am currently writing my proposal for my MA by Research which I began in September 2009. This trip was not originally planned, I wanted to be more prepared and know in detail my research before taking a visit! But there was a group already going from the university so it means I get to go free, I couldn't possibly afford to miss such an opportunity! Only problem is now I have to do lots of work in less time so I know exactly where I will visit, who to see etc. I'd better be getting on with it, I'm off in a week!