Khinkhwab Diaries

Phad — the painted scroll-temples of Rajasthan, up to thirty feet of cloth carrying the epics of folk gods, unrolled and sung through the night by the Bhopa bards as...

Pichwai — the great painted cloths of Nathdwara, hung behind the image of Krishna as Shrinathji, changed with the seasons and festivals, and painted in stone colour and real gold...

Pattachitra — the thousand-year-old painting-on-cloth of Odisha and Bengal, where cotton is prepared into an eggshell canvas, ground shell and stone become colour, and a painted cloth can stand in...

The Baluchari of Bengal — the one great Indian saree that tells stories in its pallu, from nawabs on hookahs to whole scenes from the Mahabharata, and how Khinkhwab weaves...

Frame it, tailor it, re-cut it, live with it — what to actually do with a Banarasi brocade in a modern wardrobe and a modern house.

Island embroidery, the shaggy flokati and Byzantine silk — a journey through the handcrafts of Greece and its scattered islands.

Brocade as the language of power — how cloth of gold dressed the kings, queens and cathedrals of Europe, from Byzantium to Versailles.

A cloth protected by Act of Parliament, a dress banned by one, and the mill town that took a Persian motif and gave it a Scottish name.

How kincob, the English word for Indian gold brocade, travelled from the looms of Banaras into the wardrobes and account books of Europe.

The decline and quiet revival of the Banarasi handloom — the powerloom challenge, the GI fight and the weavers keeping the craft alive.

The Persian and Mughal roots of Banarasi design — how paisleys, vines and garden flowers travelled along the loom into the heart of the Banarasi saree.

A Banarasi for every celebration — how to choose colour, weave and motif for Diwali, Navratri, Durga Puja, Eid and the festive season.