Preserving traditions, one stitch at a time.
Kutch has a rich culture of hand embroideries, especially using sparkling little mirrors. The region struggles without water & these twinkling mirrors are symbolic of drops of water. They are also believed to keep evil eyes at bay. The beautiful hand embroideries were done by the Kutch women for their own use, their chunnis, ghaghras, bed sheets or wedding trousseaus. But as we race to urbanization, these rich traditions seem to be dying. We risk losing the crafts & the craftisans. Kala Raksha aims at preserving this rich culture by having the younger generation take it up professionally. The Kala Raksha Vidhyashala started in 2005 to enroll artisans to teach them embroideries & expose them to contemporary styles & market trends. Atleast 50,000 artisans have been trained & hired so far. They are earning members of their families & communities. As artisans grow older & can longer do the more intricate embroidery work, they create products like these pretty animals or interestingly embroidered traditional board games. The next time you choose a little sparkly elephant or a fun game of saap seedi, you are choosing the work of a senior artist who has spent decades huddled over an embroidery ring with a needle & thread. More importantly, you're helping keep a rich tradition alive.
