textile text

from the colors and kites of ahmedabad i headed towards the promise of deserts and textiles in kutch. a few hours spent mostly asleep at the back of a sleeper bus (they actually have beds with curtains - kind of like the 'knight bus' in harry potter. and often just as jerky) and i arrived in bhuj, the principal central destination and jumping off point for the area. the guest house i had tracked down was small and simple with a friendly staff.

earthquake damage inside the palace complex

the first day i spent wandering the town, which is rather unremarkable except for the earthquake damage that’s still visible throughout. the quake, in 2001, was fairly disastrous for the region and many of its oldest buildings and the remnants are still around. i saw the aina mahal, the foremost of the city’s few sights, which was little more than a few rooms of a once-great palace. the blue and white-tiled floor and the room covered in mirrors made for quite a sight. i capped off the day with some window shopping – perusing the markets, shops and stalls for embroidery work and snacks.

the next day it was off to discover what i had come here for: textiles! kutch is the home of all things textile in gujarat, which therefore makes it home to some of the best textiles in the country. there are hundreds of villages in the region, each of which specializes in a particular craft, be it embroidery (of all different styles), dyeing, or printing.

so the first day i set off in a rickshaw with lilli, a lovely finnish, london-based lady who takes off the month of december every year to travel and has been making her way through india for the last few of them. we stopped at various points along the way at small villages to wander, take pictures, enjoy chai, or snack on namkeen. we even crashed the early stages of a wedding at one point. ‘tis the season.

displaying her wedding dress

our first craft stop was in bhujodi, known for its embroidery - as many villages are. the work was indeed detailed and beautiful - full of mirrors (actually more of shiny silvery discs) and every color imaginable. the things they produce are amazing and surely take months to create. one can't help feeling though that they would be helped (commercially, at least) by creating items with a color palette that appeals to a more western aesthetic (as opposed to every color you can think of). the pieces we later saw in workshops and cooperatives (run by westerners, often) reflected this notion, but the women whose work we saw in their homes largely didn't.

prints on prints

our next stop was ajrakhpuram, the home of traditional wood block printing. (!!) dr.ismail mohammed khatri's family has been in this business for nine generations and seems to be the only family left in this business. we took a tour of the workshop although it was past 3 and the dr. explained that the sunlight, and therefore work, was largely over for the day. this was disappointing, but still seeing the dyes, long tables laid with cloth, and best of all - dozens and dozens of block designs, was still fascinating. after the requisite chai we were let loose to explore the fabrics and clothes in the cabinets. my excitement must have been noticeable because at some point lilli said 'you're in heaven, aren't you?'. was it that obvious? in the end i curbed my enthusiasm a bit and walked out with some fabric, a scarf and a bag. and the important information that one has to go to a different city/region to buy the actual wood blocks (i smell another trip to gujarat!)

our final, rather abbreviated, stop (too many village stops earlier, i suppose) was in madhapur,  a town that had some handloom work. we saw the giant looms but, again, nobody working them. and i was disappointed to find not handloom textiles but rather predominantly heavy woolen shawls and blankets.

sari i fell in love with

the next day i headed north, up into the bunni region, which requires a government permit for a reason i'm still not sure of. it was a bit farther than the last day's journey and the wind made the trip rather chilly. but along the way there were sights of marshes and all kinds of birds. again it was a day of visiting random little villages that one would never find without a guide. here there are all types of embroidery, including jat and rabari, which each use distinctive stitches and motifs.

desert dwelling

but the villages were also filled with fantastic architecture. traditional round mud huts called bhungs decorated with the ubiquitous gujarati mirrors and carved designs. the interiors were similarly bright - filled with brightly colored walls and carved and mirrored wooden furniture. being me (of course) i also took particular note of the doors. there seem to be so many similarities between these and ones i've seen in north africa. it makes me wonder if there's a universal 'desert' architecture - the mud carvings i also related to the arid landscape of niger and nigeria (or at least what i've seen in photos). at any rate it was as beautiful and ornate as the textiles we saw all over - usually accompanied by arms loaded with plastic bangles and weather-worn smiles.

my final day in the region was spent in mandvi which is a port city known for its beach and ship-building. the beach was incredibly underwhelming - a depressing little stretch of sand with a few snack stands and some horses tethered to stakes. the city itself was similarly unexciting, the 'market' leaving much to be desired (like shops, for instance). the ship-building, however, was an incredible sight. i wasn't expecting much, but tramping around seeing these enormous wooden structures propped up on shore, being made by hand, was pretty awe-inspiring. like watching noah's ark being built. was it worth the 30 rupee/one hour bus ride? yeah probably.

in short kutch was a lovely place with friendly people, unique sights, and of course, colors!

all in the families

i've spoken a little bit before about the hospitality i've encountered in india. well, here comes some more. i went to ajmer on something of a whim after pushkar. (i can only take so much dreadlocks and ali baba pants, you know) i texted a friend (really more of an acquaintance, at the time) that i'd be in ajmer asking for recommendations. seconds later, he called me giving me his parents' number and told me i would be staying with them.

nom nom namkeen

sure enough, a few days later i hopped off the bus in ajmer and was greeted by a grinning, friendly-faced man in a baseball cap who flagged me down and took me straight to his home. there i was offered chai and namkeen (tasty fried snacks, which just about everyone has just made during diwali) for the first of dozens of times in the subsequent days. we chatted, we rested, we shared meals together in a little picnic on the bed, we watched tv, we took walks on the roof (back and forth, back and forth), we visited family. overall it was lovely and relaxing.

entering the dargah, loaded with offerings

his parents were both busy with work during the day but i managed to get into the city and explore it a bit. i didn't do the fort, which is perhaps the biggest (literally, in any case) attraction in the city. i saw some mughal architecture here and there. and i even saw the craziness of the chisti dargah on bakri id/eid al-adha. it's a big muslim pilgrimage site on any given day, but on one of the more important islamic holidays the streets were particularly bustling. interesting how religious events here - whatever religion - seem to include offerings, whether they be flowers, candles, or foods.

old streets of ajmer

aside from people watching, i did my own roaming around the city and doing two of my favorite things (shopping and taking pictures). i wandered around the old streets, popping into havelis here and there, admiring doorways, and attracting a lot of confused stares (as usual. but then i was pretty far out of tourist turf here). i stopped on a whim for some mosambi juice or a little daal ka halwa when the mood struck.

rolls and rolls

i also indulged in my latest obsession - buying trim! in theory i'm buying trim (or ribbon, but ribbon just makes it sound like i'm wrapping a christmas present) that will match fabric i've bought for kurtas, though some are just too pretty not to buy. i'll find a purpose for them later. plus they're so cheap (even compared to bombay prices)! after i had had my fill of shopping (chappals, incense, snacks, glass bangles, and snacks for the train) i tracked down a rickshaw, haggled for a decent price back to the family's house, and silently reminded myself to be grateful i live in a city where i never have to do that.

that night, as i said, was eid, and i found out we had been invited to a dinner at a muslim friend's home. delicious mutton with plenty of oil - yum! only then did i realize that i couldn't remember the last time i'd had meat (non-veg, here). i tried not to stuff myself too much which ended up being a very good thing, since from there we went directly to a wedding, where i was presented with a smorgasbord of snacks and desserts. i managed to make room for dahi wada, halwa, and gulab jamun, but had to pass on the dosas (and many other things, i'm sure). i even managed to make my way to the dance floor for some good old bollywood dancing with some perfect strangers. i could have stayed longer (my friend later told me his mother said it was 'hard to get me off the dance floor'.. oops) but still it was a fun night.

from there it was a sad goodbye to a new family and hello to a new one. i took the night train (my first in sleeper class, totally fine!) to indore and was greeted by a car and driver. this family, parents of my mom's neighbors and friends, lives right in indore in a really lovely, airy house with pale blue walls. i was of course offered the requisite tea and a chance to 'get fresh'. i happily took a sorely-needed shower before a delicious homemade lunch.

traffic jam

the next day i was taken to mandu, a town that was 2 hours of winding, often bumpy roads from indore. in addition to the driver, i was joined by uncle and the 12-year old daughter of family friend's. she graciously shared her music with me, asking me every other song if the (american) musicians were famous in the US. to her continual shock, they all were. and that, my friends, is how i was graced with the sounds of the jonas brothers for the first time. if you haven't had this experience, you're not missing much. the same few chords along with repetitions of the same inane lyrics, pretty much what you'd expect. on the way back we listened to hindi music, which was much more my speed (because in india my music tastes are about equivalent to that of a pre-teen). the other highlight of the drive was the herds and herds of sheep and be-turbaned shepherds we passed on the roads. like a sea of wool!

now that's a window

at any rate, mandu itself wasn't much. at one point there were something like 40 or 50 mughal forts and palaces spread across the town, of which only a few remnants remain. we explored three or four of the bigger ones and there were some interesting elements. sadly this also coincided with my camera acting up, but i did at least get the shot i came to get (see right). it's a pity the forts, and roads, aren't better maintained. but such things are not always priorities.

in indore itself we saw the typical things.. a musty old out of place baroque palace and a rather pitiful museum. there are good things here, but generally the state of these city museums is rather sad! i'd love to give them some TLC if someone would let me. we also saw the glass temple, a jain temple that certainly lives up to the moniker. every inch of the place is glass! no photography, of course, but it was quite a sight to behold.

sabudana khichdi, nice and spicy!

the main reason i came to indore (besides meeting up with family of friends) was twofold: eating and shopping. i was completely taken care of in both regards. i showed the family a list of a few things i had heard or read i should try in indore. upon seeing the list, uncle popped out to get me one dish (subudana khichdi - YUM) for breakfast and auntie planned to make another for lunch (baingan ka bharta, a delicious eggplant dish, with baajre ki roti, some of tastiest i've had), which she also showed me how to make. i was thoroughly spoiled! and then for shopping we headed out for some textile shopping. i was taken directly to the cloth market and directed to the best shop. there was no shortage of great materials and i had great fun, as usual, poring over them and matching colors. i walked out with 9 new fabrics (i may have a problem!) and a smile on my face.

in the few hours before my last meal in the city i spent time with auntie looking at lovely old pictures and going through her beautiful saris. by the time i left indore (another night train), i really did feel like i was part of the family. the goodbyes on the platform very nearly got teary.

i had an absolutely lovely trip and it really is because of the wonderful people i've met. it seems the more places i go to, the more i need to re-visit. it never ends! but i don't suppose that's a bad thing.