BANDHANI,

Bandhani is a beautiful tie and dye craft form that is practiced on various types of fabric. Interestingly, Bandhani is one such craft that no modern technique or technology has been able to replicate. The trademark motifs of the craft are fine outlines of tiny, light coloured dots on textile, against a brightly coloured background and is practiced by a family very close to Paldi, Ahmedabad.

The main artisans are a father-son duo who take care of dying the fabric and the business aspects of their craft, while the women of the household are fully in-charge of planning, measuring and tying fabric to be dyed. The family's livelihood is dependant on multiple bulk and wholesale orders from big retailers in and out of Ahmedabad. They also fully customise orders and are open to experiment with patterns, colours and fabric. Apart from the sale of fabric, they also closely work with the students of NID and come over to conduct training and workshop sessions at the institute and have been doing so for at least two generations.