Viyaan India, Varanasi, Varanasi (2026)

14/10/2025

Meeting incredible artisans is one of the most rewarding parts of my work, and today I have a story to share that truly moved me. I was recently at the Geographical Indication (GI) conference organized by the Uttar Pradesh government, where I met Anita Devi, a talented Sohrai artist from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. Her work is absolutely mesmerizing, a tapestry of intricate patterns and earthy colors that tell an ancient story.

For those unfamiliar, Sohrai is a traditional mural painting made by tribal communities. The paintings are created on the mud walls of homes to welcome the winter harvest.

The designs are drawn with twigs and fingers, using natural pigments gathered from the earth itself.
*White mud* (Dudhi matti) for purity, *red oxide* (Lal matti) for the life force, *black manganese* (Kali matti) for protection from spirits, and *yellow ochre* (Pila matti) for joy and warmth. Some patterns dates back to the Meso-chalcolithic period.
Seeing Anita’s passion for preserving this art form was inspiring. But she faces challenges in reaching a wider market. Her GI tag, a mark of authenticity awarded in 2020, is a huge step forward, but commercial success is the next frontier. That’s why, after our meeting, I was inspired to help. I devised a comprehensive strategy for her, focusing on introducing her unique, authentic products to institutions for corporate gifting and conference kits. These aren’t just gifts; they are stories, a piece of Indian heritage captured on a canvas or product.
Imagine a conference kit featuring a Sohrai-painted diary, or a corporate gift box with a piece of her art—it’s an opportunity to share a profound cultural story.
This initiative is about more than sales; it’s about empowering women like Anita, ensuring their ancient craft thrives in the modern world. It’s about bridging the gap between rural artisans and urban markets, allowing a piece of Jharkhand’s soul to reach new audiences. The raw, unfiltered beauty of Sohrai art deserves to be celebrated on every platform, and with this plan, we hope to do just that.

09/10/2023

The literal meaning of Bhuta in Tulu (the predominant language of South Kanara district in coastal Karnataka) – is ghost.
But the Bhutas are not the restless spirits, that the word Bhuta suggests. They are divinities, deified cultural heroes and ancestral spirits that are considered Dhootas or ‘assistants’ to God, and who manifest his power and interpret his word. They are guardian angels of the community. Their judges and their juries.
Bhuta Kola (an ancient dance form) take place annually in the ancestral homes in Tulu Nadu, Karnataka.
This ritual, consisting of nightlong performances that include dancing, storytelling (in ballads) and rhythmic hypnotic drumming.

Bhuta worship occurs on both, an intimate, family level or on a grand scale inviting the entire community or village to participate. The latter is usually held once a year, and lasts several nights. Ritual objects such as bronze masks and ornaments are placed in sthaana (shrines) after the ceremony and offerings are made. The oracle, who plays the role of the diviner, is adorned in a heavy, colourful costume, make-up and metal ornaments.

Bhuta masks are sculpted in bronze or wood in the form of a Panjurli (pig or boar), Pilichamundi (tiger) and Nandikona (bull). According to Dr Ammanichanda Nima Poovaya-Smith, "The animals represented are either predators like the tiger or an asset to the land like the bull, so that the choice of a totemic animal incorporates elements of both appeasement and celebration."

Bhuta Mask shown in the pics is a bronze mask - The mask depicts the head of a boar with an elaborate headdress and earrings. The headdress is decorated with rows of cobra heads. The earrings on the mask are also decorated with cobra heads and additionally, on one, a human figure, and on the other, an elephant head. Two of the cobra heads each has hanging from it a small heart-shaped pendant with a bead at the end.

04/10/2023

Discover the exceptional craftsmanship of Chamba artisans through my lens. Join me on a virtual tour of my recent visit and get a glimpse of the beautiful .
We all have a story to tell. But oftentimes, it's hard to find the right words to share it with the world. I've been traveling around Chamba, one of India's most picturesque towns of Northern India, to discover the world of Chamba Rumal Artisans.
It was heavily raining when I reached Chamba, the highway leading to Chamba was in terrible shape. So I opted to leave my car at Dalhousie and took a local taxi, where an experienced mountain driver could safely take me to Chamba. It was quite difficult to reach but totally worth it.
Once I reached, Indu welcomed me at the nearby Temple, It is an unwritten custom among the locals to take the guests to their neighborhood temples for offering prayers. After all, Himachal is given the name of Devbhumi, or “Land of Gods,” because of the faith of its people in the almighty.
Indu Sharma is a senior Chamba Rumal Artisan who is taking this craft to newer heights and helping in the revival of this craft by training young girls in her community and motivating them to make this craft their profession. She took me to her house which is also her training centre. I was amazed that she lives in a place where time seems to stand still — small by lanes led to her house. Her home speaks of a bygone heritage era — a time when people lived with a lot more grace, love, and care than we do today. You can see that pride in everything she does there: from the craftsmanship of her Chamba Rumals to the warmth with which she is teaching at her centre.
The greatest difficulty currently faced by Chamba Rumal artisans is keeping the art form alive and relevant in a modern world. The region's committed artisans/karigars like Indu, have made sure that the embroidery tradition, often referred to as needle wonder, is being passed on to younger generations, despite their meagre and measured steps toward revival.

Rumals have origins in Himachal. They were created with fine silk on muslin and used as wall hangings, wedding gifts and thaal posh or coverlets for gifting.

29/09/2023

Kalamkari is a type of hand printed or hand block printed cotton textile. Kalamkari refers to the ancient style of hand painting that is done with a tamarind pen, using natural dyes. Literal meaning of Kalamkari is kalam, which means pen and kari which refers to craftsmanship.

नायक (Nayaka) Kalamkari - Among the greatest of historical Indian textile arts known are hand painted narratives associated with the Decean and south India, made for local courts. These are marked by a distinct quality of human figuration which has often been attributed to patronage from the mid-14" century to the mid-18- the rise of Vijayanagara to the decline of the Nayaka dynasties. The images, that they depict are similar to murals in the temples of Tamil Nadu, and this textile is inspired from a particular style-group, considered trom a late phase of Nayaka art a group of courtesans from a historical masterpiece, is re-embellished with elaborate jewellery and adornment from other art sources of the period.
Likewise other references from the palace pillars of the Thirulama Nayakar of Madurai, renders the textile a new version keeping in mind the older aesthetic. Arts such as these were created with the mastery of resist painting and dyeing, almost extinct in the country today, and their successful revival may be possible now only for a small market segment.
Created by Murugesan M (weaving). Abhirami and Malathi (kalamkarl and batik).

29/09/2023

Kalamkari is a type of hand printed or hand block printed cotton textile. Kalamkari refers to the ancient style of hand painting that is done with a tamarind pen, using natural dyes. Literal meaning of Kalamkari is kalam, which means pen and kari which refers to craftsmanship.

नायक (Nayaka) Kalamkari - Among the greatest of historical Indian textile arts known are hand painted narratives associated with the Decean and south India, made for local courts. These are marked by a distinct quality of human figuration which has often been attributed to patronage from the mid-14" century to the mid-18- the rise of Vijayanagara to the decline of the Nayaka dynasties. The images, that they depict are similar to murals in the temples of Tamil Nadu, and this textile is inspired from a particular style-group, considered trom a late phase of Nayaka art a group of courtesans from a historical masterpiece, is re-embellished with elaborate jewellery and adornment from other art sources of the period.
Likewise, other references along from the palace pillars of the Thirulama Nayakar of Madurai, renders the textile a new version keeping in mind the older aesthetic. Arts such as these were created with the mastery of resist painting and dyeing, almost extinct in the country today, and their successful revival may be possible now only for a small market segment.
Created by Murugesan M (weaving). Abhirami and Malathi (kalamkarl and batik).

21/09/2023

On this special day, let's take a moment to appreciate the artisans who meticulously craft these stunning fabrics and the stories they weave into every thread.
Courtesy: Ministry of Textiles

18/09/2023

are locally known as the आदिवासी गुड़िया हस्तशिल्प (Adivasi Gudiya Hastashilp). Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh is native to a tribal group called the tribes, this region specialises in one of the most beautiful forms of art depicting the region’s rich aesthetics- that of ‘Tribal Doll Handicrafts’.
Jhabua Doll’s designs have managed to cross and transcend boundaries influencing indigenous cultures. This is evident from the seamless amalgamation of Gujarati ethnic styles of jewellery and the Rajasthani (puppet) patterns that adorn these pretty dolls.
Subhash Gidwani, the master artisan, says “Doll-making has given employment to local women of all communities in this area where agriculture is the only other occupation,”. Artisans also travel for exhibitions, haats, and organised by the government.
Now the have found a place in the list of Geographical Indication (GI) tag, issued by the Geographical Indication Registry under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Jhabua is dominated by . Originally made only by the tribals, the dolls are an intricate replica of their .
The brown cloth used to shape these dolls closely emulates the skin of the tribals which turns bronze working under the scintillating sun. Female dolls are decked up in ghagra choli and the male dolls sport with a . Their accessories are one of their most distinctive features, be it the silver or bead necklace, and bangles, baskets, bow, arrow, and spears used for hunting.
“These dolls have been an integral part of the tribal lineage as they are gifted on auspicious occasions like marriage and childbirth,” says Madhubai. Until a couple of decades back, would go knocking door to door to collect old clothes. Later, they sat together bringing these rags to life through the art that honours and celebrates .
Pic 1 – Subhash Gidwani and Lalita Kumari from Jhabua, with Ashima Chauhan.
Pic 2 , 3, 4 & 5– Jhabua Doll designs.
Pic 6 – Jhabua kids presenting Jhabua Dolls to PM

12/09/2023

🪡 Odisha weavers have been creating magic for generations. Odisha weaves are the treasures that grandma passes on to the new generation, these have been and always will be an heirloom!
Handwoven Odia weaves speaks of our history, of our culture, of our rich tradition and bind us to our roots.

Odisha is the land of cathartic spiritual experiences and immortal architecture. its cultural ethos and identity are deeply influenced by its rich ethnic tribal culture. Tribal lifestyle, their weave designs and jewellery designs speak of the rich culture of Odisha.

According to art historians, handloom weaving in Odisha goes back to 600 BC. The history of Odia weaves is linked to Lord Jagannath.

Four primary colours used in keeping with this tradition are white, black, yellow, and red, with green added much later. It is also inferred that the Ikat silk art came into existence by copying the temple architecture which existed much earlier.

Human figures sculpted on the centuries-old temples reflect stylistic draping of clothes. Usually woven in cotton and silk, the regionally unique handlooms display a wide variety of styles, colours, designs and motifs, the State’s natural beauty such as plants, birds, elephants, temples and geometric patterns.

Odisha weaves, Jewellery and artworks has a distinct earthy appeal, and the designs are eclectic, earthen and timeless. Odia tribes are influencing on the weaving designs and jewellery trends widely and they have a lot of impact on fashion arena as well. You can see a lot of these weaving patterns and jewellery designs in the catalogs of famous fashion designers.

09/09/2023

Majestic Indian Folk Art - Cherial Art from Telangana.

G20 Cultural Meet

06/09/2023

इस गांव के बच्चे और बुजुर्ग शानदार संस्कृत बोलते हैं। During the G20 cultural meet, I had the honour of meeting Shri Uday Singh Chauhan, he is the panch of Village JHIRI (Madhya Pradesh). A Village Where Locals Speak Only In Sanskrit. Shri Chandar Singh Tomar was also accompanying him, who is a Sanskrit scholar, his love for teaching the language is so profound that he conducts free of cost online/offline Sanskrit classes.

The Jhiri village, situated nearly 45 km away from Rajgarh district headquarters of Madhya Pradesh, has established this unique identity in the country.Not only every native speaks in the language, even verses have been written in Sanskrit on the walls of the houses of the village. People start their day with Namo-Namah and not with Good Morning.

The villagers hope that their tradition of speaking Sanskrit will continue for years to come and they will succeed in saving the language. The names of the houses of Jhiri village are also in Sanskrit -- Sanskrit Graham is written outside many houses.

In a bid to stay connected to their roots, the elders of the village gather the children either in the temple or chaupal, and teach them the language on an everyday basis. Not just that, women sing songs in the Sanskrit language during festivities and occasions like marriage.

09/08/2023

Banarasi Sarees, using versatile weaving technique, is an embodiment of creative splendour.
Cross cultural influences have enriched the Banarasi weaving and there's virtually nothing that Banaras has left untouched giving various weaves from other states their unique Banarasi identity.
One such weave is , it has been described as the fabric that imitates woven air and is one of the most highly-priced products of Indian textiles, aptly titled 'Woven Breeze'. These saris are made from the finest cotton yarns, in which sometimes pure silver and gold zari are used to enhance the attraction of the pallav and body of the sari. Tone on tone is the most preferred style in which these textiles are woven using varied shades of whites, off-whites and cream colour.
These Jamdanis are given different names according to the predominant colour of the body. Like, Pitambari if the base is yellowish white, Nilambari if it is blue, Shwetambari for white & Raktambari for red!

Traditionally hand-woven having White colour in prominence, Shwetambari denotes the colour white.
The beauty of the white colour comes out with a handwoven base of fine muslin cotton ornated with extra weft zari of gold and silver with the jamdani technique.
The traditional Konia buta in the pallav and body design is a result of months of labour. White on white colour muslin is the most difficult to weave on the loom with the jamdani technique and hence it makes this Shwetambari an exclusive piece of Indian traditional textile.

Pitamabari as the name suggests, literally means ‘Yellow Sky’. Mustard yellow being the main color of the Saree, it is woven with traditional Jamdani technique. Pitambari is recognised as fine cotton count fabric with intricately woven buta (Konia) on the pallav and all over buti/jaal with an ornate border.

Woven in the religious city of , these banarasis have a mystical aura around them making them a class apart! It takes a craftsman anything from weeks to months to weave these exotic art miracle.

Viyaan India

14/10/2025

09/10/2023

04/10/2023

29/09/2023

29/09/2023

21/09/2023

18/09/2023

12/09/2023

09/09/2023

06/09/2023

09/08/2023

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category