Stitching traditions from across the country

Textiles and handicrafts are perhaps the best representations of the rich and diverse cultural heritage of India that reflect the unique, vibrant element of the regions pretty aptly.

Paramparik Karigar, an annual exhibition of mastercraftsmen showcases the best of art, craft and textiles.
 
From beautifully woven tussar sarees to blockprints, tribal art and pottery, Paramparik has it all. Not only this, workshops are also being conducted each day.

Founded with the aim of promoting and preserving traditional Indian craft, Paramparik has been holding exhibitions for over 17 years now — not only providing the otherwise exploited local craftsmen an exposure and sales, but also helping preserve the threatened and distinct regional arts.

The craftsmen are selected on the quality of work they do and also on the basis of their financial situation.

“We try to promote as many craftspeople as possible whose craft is dying out, who are not doing well, don’t have access to regular sales. It gives the word craft another meaning altogether,” asserts Anu Chowdhury Sorabjee, a committee member of the Paramparik Karigar.
 

The exhibition is broken up into two categories — textile and art and handicraft. “The reason we break up the exhibition is because most people tend to buy textiles more. When we combine arts and crafts with textiles, people spend their money on textiles. The textile craftsmen do much better overall in any case, so we feel a separate platform for arts and crafts benefits the artisans more,” explains Sorabjee.