Mumbai : The first night the weavers of Bagalkot left their village, a panicked call came to 
Nilanjan in Kutch. There was trouble with their train tickets and they couldn’t speak Hindi to the ticket taker. They were suddenly facing a huge unknown world outside. Seven months later, these brave young weavers are presenting collections of innovations on their beloved Ilkal saris to the world of Mumbai.
Initiated by Somaiya Kala Vidya, an institute of education for artisans based in Kutch, founded by Somaiya Trust, the project demonstrates the effective and efficient power of design in sustaining traditions. The innovation is the artisan-to-artisan approach. Carrying artisan design into the next phase, Designer Weavers of Kutch were the designers and mentors for less exposed weavers from the Bagalkot District of Karnataka.
The result, an exhibition held at ARTISANS’ will showcase all new, artisan designed natural fiber saris, dupattas, shawls and stoles– innovations inspired by Ilkal saris, hand woven by seven Bagalkot and Bhujodi weavers from Wednesday 8 October 2014 to Saturday 11 October 2014, 11am – 7pm.
Hand weavers of Bagalkot are imperiled. Their well-loved Ilkal saris today face severe competition from power loom versions. Handloom wages are meager. Many weavers have left their profession to work in granite quarries. Meanwhile, jacquard looms were introduced to make copies of Varanasi saris, a solution that is costly in terms of equipment and skill development, and devastating for the cultural heritage of Ilkal sari weaving.
Hand weavers of Bhujodi, Kutch, have a fifty-year history of innovating within their traditions for new markets. Since 2006, twenty-three weavers have graduated from a year-
long design program pioneered by Kala RakshaVidhyalaya. These weavers have become remarkably successful in reaching high-end markets in India and abroad, and adept at articulating and presenting their work.
Somaiya Kala Vidya paired these artisans for a quick, live demonstration of sustainability through design. There were challenges. The looms were no longer geared to cotton, the weavers had used synthetic yarn so long they did not understand cotton properties, and sources for appropriate materials and colours had to be found.
Seeking solutions in Karnatak villages, the weaving partners bonded. “We explored,” Chamanbhai related. “I saw Jayantibhai doing research, asking questions about tradition, probing. We didn’t know we had so many different skills!” Elder Bagalkot weavers were so happy that cotton had returned, that they invited the Bhujodi team to dinner.
The Bagalkot weavers discovered a love of tradition, buried deep within a sense of futility.
Driven by the desire to rejuvenate a wonderful tradition, this exhibition confirms that artisan-to-artisan, traditions will not just survive, but flourish.