Honor Rituals & Red Phulkaris – A Hypothesis
“Use of Phulkaris in Wedding Rituals – Social Practices in Punjab pre-1947” is a report based on an independent exploratory study that focuses on the use of Red & White … Continue reading
Note on Red Phulkaris / Use in Wedding Consummation Rituals
Immersive exposure and study of the 29 white-base phulkaris led to certain observations. Supplemented by readings of published material (Cooney (2019), Hershman (1981) and Ibbetson (1939)) led to the formation … Continue reading
Stay Tuned: Report on Cultural Use of Phulkaris coming soon….
Old books on the culture of Punjab surround me. Notes from the fieldwork done in 8 cities in Punjab surround me. 29 white & red Phulkaris surround me. And a … Continue reading
The Showstopper
THE SHOWSTOPPER at the Phulkari AUCTION Sep 6 on Liveauctioneers. A Rare BAGH Sainchi Phulkari … with the base cloth completely covered up in silk stitches! As in all Sainchis … Continue reading
Auction Sep 6 – My best Phulkaris on Offer
Download the Catalog here. PHULKARI AUCTION SEP 6, 2020 LIVEAUCTIONEERS And if you like the low starting prices, visit the Auction Website to register & bid Enjoy … Continue reading
A Wedding ‘Muklawa’ Scene in a Textile
The term ‘Big Fat Indian Wedding’ has been coined in the recent times. But it has existed for decades. Even in families with limited means, a wedding supercedes all other … Continue reading
Someday Soon…
Someday soon we’ll go for a ride…. someday when the world is safe again. Until then, let’s all stay indoors & safe! Some days we’ll ride on the animal… and … Continue reading
Hybrid Art – 4 – Phulkari Shawl
667 Amazing Sar Pallu on a navy blue Nilak base cloth. The impact of the gold & magenta against the deep blue base is amazing! But the remarkable aspect of this … Continue reading
Lion of Punjab – Sher-e-Punjab
Punjab – the land that has been facing invasions for centuries – values bravery and courage. And the lion offers an excellent metaphor for these values. Maharana Ranjit Singh was … Continue reading
A Note on Phulkari Classification
A compilation of my jottings on Phulkaris Textiles of Punjab
Textile Study Tour of Punjab
Preface on the minor notes about the textile study tour, Punjab, 2019
Conversations – The Soul of Punjab
A few photos of the grand old women and men who were young at the time of the “hallaa” … the Partition.
Over deep conversations about phulkaris, over chai & pakodas followed by parathas & butter, we bonded – discussing the culture of their youth, of their childhood homes and the culture of the time.
A Phulkari Fan from the Olden Days
Here’s another cultural remnant of the olden days in Punjab – A ceiling fan decorated with Phulkari work: The rope is used to swing the fan and is held by … Continue reading
Wearing her mother’s Bridal Haalvan Phulkari
A “haalvan” phulkari is done on very fine cotton cloth that is similar to mul mul. This is the first time I held one in my hand! All bridal textiles … Continue reading
Article in “Passage” Magazine
For a tiny red dot, the large number of museums in Singapore comes as a surprise! Link To support museum enthusiasts there is a body the “Friends of the Museums” … Continue reading
Phulkari Auction
21 Phulkaris to be auctioned globally on November 24th, 2017. VISIT THE AUCTION WEBSITE here Oct 2017 antique art, antique embroidery, antique Indian, antique Indian textiles, ANTIQUE SHAWL, … Continue reading
Hidden Gems – new sightings in old acquisitions!
In an embroidery rich in texture and motifs and age, it was easy to miss the 5th color used sparingly – it hid within the flowers – almost shy of … Continue reading
Running Out of Sand – Random Musings
The sands of time are not unlimited …. and each walks a finite journey. Some moments we stop in the journey to catch our breath and reflect And that is … Continue reading
ANNOUNCEMENT: Auction of Antique Phulkaris
Auction of rare exquisite Antique Phulkari Bagh Shawls collected from India in the 1960s-1970s and now in the wovensouls collection. Follow the link to view these pieces: http://stores.ebay.com/WOVENSOULS Ends on … Continue reading
Art in A Phulkari Temple Hanging
A Temple Hanging from Punjab with its unique motifs makes it an intriguing subject to explore!
A Story in A Sar Pallu Phulkari Textile
Before we had cartoon TV serials, we had cartoon comics. Like Tarzan and Phantom and Dennis and Amar Chitra Katha. But before that, we had textiles! And stories were written … Continue reading
