Traditional Roots, Contemporary Expressions
Champa Siju Mangariya, 26, a young woman weaver from Bhujodi, Kutch, Gujarat, draws on traditional weaving techniques to create art works that capture the timeless beauty of Kutch
Guest edited by Brinda Gill
Brinda Gill: Please tell us about your family’s weaving tradition
Champa Siju Mangariya: I hail from a family of traditional weavers living in Avadhnagar, a settlement in Kukma village, in Kutch, Gujarat, where my family moved to from Bhujodi after the devastating earthquake in 2001. My forefathers would weave textiles for local Rabari and Ahir communities. These would be cloth for a long woollen skirt called ludi; the odhana that are large drapes; large shawls called dhabla; and blankets. They also wove turban cloths for the men of the Patel community. The textiles would be woven with sheep wool yarns. The shawls typically had small geometric patterns created by extra-weft yarns.
My father, Keshavji Dhanji Siju, is a master weaver. He is known for being a pioneer in helping weavers create textiles for the urban market. Many designers also guided this initiative. The traditional shawls for the use of local communities were large and heavy. For the urban market the weavers started weaving shawls that were lighter, of smaller dimensions and softer colour palette. They also started weaving with Kala cotton yarns that are spun from a cotton variety native to Kutch sourced from a very hardy plant. Traditionally the yarns were dyed with natural dyes. Weavers started participating in exhibitions in cities. All this helped promote our craft.
BG: How did you learn weaving?
CSM: I learnt weaving informally watching my father weaving at home. Seeing him plan and design shawls, I started understanding how to design textiles, set the warp, weave and create designs with extra weft yarns. Traditionally, in the weaving communities of Kutch, women have been doing the pre-weaving and post-weaving activities. Watching my mother and elder women in the community I learnt those skills as well.
I first sat at the loom to weave in 2015 when I was seventeen years old. I enjoyed it and would sit down to weave whenever I had the time. Through my father’s efforts I also realized the importance of creating weaves for markets beyond traditional markets. Like my father I initially wove shawls and stoles with Kala cotton, sheep wool and camel wool yarns. The patterns were traditional designs.
BG: How did you expand your weaving expression?
CSM: I have been fortunate to have the guidance of my father and designers. In 2017, Juhi Pandey, then Director, Khamir, and Ghatit Laheru, who was then Deputy Director, Khamir, and is presently Director, Khamir, guided and supported my work. They encouraged me to weave. Khamir is an organization that promotes and supports traditional crafts, cultural practises and craft communities of Kutch. Juhi Pandey worked out an exchange program between artisans and artisans in Kutch and Wales. Ghatit Laheru suggested names of artisans from Kutch and invited me to apply for an exchange program to go to Wales. This changed my outlook, my way of looking at my traditional craft and gave me fresh inputs about creating a new expression.
BG: Please tell us about the exchange program
CSM: The program was Threads. It was an initiative focusing on women artists and artisans from Wales and Kutch. It involved studio time and field trips, community traditions and personal experiences. Two artisans from Kutch - Rajiben M Vankar and I travelled -to Wales for two weeks, and three textile artists from Wales- Julia Griffiths Jones, Laura Thomas and Louise Tucker –travelled to Kutch. They spent three weeks with artisans and their communities. They were hosted by Khamir. Rajiben and I attended a two-week residency at Carmarthen School of Art and visited Ruthin Craft Centre in September 2017.
The Threads project was produced by Ceri Jones of Fieldwork and Khamir, Ruthin Craft Centre and Carmarthen School of Art. It was funded by Wales Arts International, British Council Wales and the Arts Council of Wales’ Creative Wales Ambassador Award. It was funded by the British Council, Arts Council of Wales and Wales Arts International in 2017 as part of the UK India Season of Culture, marking 70 years of India’s independence.
BG: What was the most important learning at the exchange program?
CSM: It was very interesting to interact with weavers and textile artists from Wales and see their work. They suggested I use my traditional weaving technique to create textile art. I realised the importance to learning new aspects and possibilities of weaving; of incorporating and assimilating a fresh approach to a traditional craft; and that one can learn at any age and keep learning over the years. I also observed how they interacted with others from small children to elders.
BG: How did you incorporate the suggestion in your work?
CSM: The project opened my mind to the possibilities of a new expression within my weaving technique and skills. I thought of recreating the beauty of the landscapes of Kutch in my weaves. Our region is famous for the Great Rann of Kutch that is a vast salt desert. This area is submerged during the monsoons, but after the rainy season the water dries up leaving a white salt desert. The views of Kutch are fascinating and I was keen to capture this beauty in my work. The horizon is important to me. I like to observe how it blurs and shifts.
Towards this aim, I took photographs of the Great Rann and other places in Kutch such as Godpar Lake, a garden in Avadhnagar, Mandvi beach and some villages. Selecting yarns of appropriate colours I worked on weaving these landscapes on the loom. The yarns are of Kala cotton, sheep wool and camel wool. Through the use of colour I capture the beauty of the salt desert, of the sky and land, of the effects of the sunrise and sunset on the loom. Through extra weft yarns I create special effects such as grass, vegetation, waves and flowers. I also weave stoles with interesting designs made with extra weft yarns and colourful tassels.
I am very happy to work with Kala cotton. It forms a strong, coarse and stretchable fibre. However, as its short staple length translates to fewer twists per inch of yarn, it is difficult to produce fine quality textiles with it. So, over time, its use for diminished when weaving textiles for mainstream markets. I am happy that Khamir has helped revive the spinning of Kala cotton. I enjoy weaving with it.
BG: Have your works been exhibited and what was the response
CSM: The Threads exchange program was followed by an exhibition of the work of the participating artisans and artists. The Indian Threads: Textile Inspirations exhibition was held from 28 November 2018 to 27 January 2019 at Ruthin Craft Centre, and from 14 September to 9 November 2019 at Aberystwyth Arts Centre). The exhibition showed new work by Julia Griffiths Jones, Laura Thomas, Louise Tucker, Eleri Mills, Rajiben M. Vankar and me. A publication documenting the exchange project and works was produced to accompany the exhibition.
My work have been exhibited at Aapno Varso exhibition in Vadodara (Baroda) in December 2022; the THAAN exhibition at Nila House, Jaipur (January 2023); the THAAN exhibition curated by Nila House, Jaipur, held at the Bangalore International Centre (June 2023); and Flourish Hearth Exhibition at Bangalore Creative Circus (Oct 2023).
BG: Did you do any course to help you with your work?
CSM: In 2020, I did the Creative and Cultural Business Programme (CCBP) at Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad that helped me understand the market, how to market one’s work, and the importance of marketing one’s work in the correct way including its pricing to take one’s business ahead.
BG: How do you find the process of weaving
CSM: I find the process of weaving quiet, peaceful and creative. I enjoy weaving from the comfort of my home. I look after home, my child and weave. I believe that weaving is the work of the heart and the mind, not only the hand. After marriage I moved to Bhujodi. My husband, Chandresh Magan Mangariya, also hails from a weaver’s family and they are progressive in their thinking and encourage me to weave. We have eight looms at home. I want to take my weaving forward, to evolve it further and give my traditional weaving art a new expression. I want to seek out new landscapes in Kutch and recreate them on weaves.
BG: Your message for the young generation of traditional weavers
CSM: I would like to convey to young weavers- from families of traditional weavers- to learn their craft well and then go on to explore it and expand their work to create art works as a reflection of their own aesthetics and environment. I also feel it is important to participate in workshops, exchange programs, courses to learn new skills and exhibitions, meet artists and artisans, and get inputs to nurture one’s work.
Guest edited by Brinda Gill
Brinda Gill: Please tell us about your family’s weaving tradition
Champa Siju Mangariya: I hail from a family of traditional weavers living in Avadhnagar, a settlement in Kukma village, in Kutch, Gujarat, where my family moved to from Bhujodi after the devastating earthquake in 2001. My forefathers would weave textiles for local Rabari and Ahir communities. These would be cloth for a long woollen skirt called ludi; the odhana that are large drapes; large shawls called dhabla; and blankets. They also wove turban cloths for the men of the Patel community. The textiles would be woven with sheep wool yarns. The shawls typically had small geometric patterns created by extra-weft yarns.
My father, Keshavji Dhanji Siju, is a master weaver. He is known for being a pioneer in helping weavers create textiles for the urban market. Many designers also guided this initiative. The traditional shawls for the use of local communities were large and heavy. For the urban market the weavers started weaving shawls that were lighter, of smaller dimensions and softer colour palette. They also started weaving with Kala cotton yarns that are spun from a cotton variety native to Kutch sourced from a very hardy plant. Traditionally the yarns were dyed with natural dyes. Weavers started participating in exhibitions in cities. All this helped promote our craft.
BG: How did you learn weaving?
CSM: I learnt weaving informally watching my father weaving at home. Seeing him plan and design shawls, I started understanding how to design textiles, set the warp, weave and create designs with extra weft yarns. Traditionally, in the weaving communities of Kutch, women have been doing the pre-weaving and post-weaving activities. Watching my mother and elder women in the community I learnt those skills as well.
I first sat at the loom to weave in 2015 when I was seventeen years old. I enjoyed it and would sit down to weave whenever I had the time. Through my father’s efforts I also realized the importance of creating weaves for markets beyond traditional markets. Like my father I initially wove shawls and stoles with Kala cotton, sheep wool and camel wool yarns. The patterns were traditional designs.
BG: How did you expand your weaving expression?
CSM: I have been fortunate to have the guidance of my father and designers. In 2017, Juhi Pandey, then Director, Khamir, and Ghatit Laheru, who was then Deputy Director, Khamir, and is presently Director, Khamir, guided and supported my work. They encouraged me to weave. Khamir is an organization that promotes and supports traditional crafts, cultural practises and craft communities of Kutch. Juhi Pandey worked out an exchange program between artisans and artisans in Kutch and Wales. Ghatit Laheru suggested names of artisans from Kutch and invited me to apply for an exchange program to go to Wales. This changed my outlook, my way of looking at my traditional craft and gave me fresh inputs about creating a new expression.
BG: Please tell us about the exchange program
CSM: The program was Threads. It was an initiative focusing on women artists and artisans from Wales and Kutch. It involved studio time and field trips, community traditions and personal experiences. Two artisans from Kutch - Rajiben M Vankar and I travelled -to Wales for two weeks, and three textile artists from Wales- Julia Griffiths Jones, Laura Thomas and Louise Tucker –travelled to Kutch. They spent three weeks with artisans and their communities. They were hosted by Khamir. Rajiben and I attended a two-week residency at Carmarthen School of Art and visited Ruthin Craft Centre in September 2017.
The Threads project was produced by Ceri Jones of Fieldwork and Khamir, Ruthin Craft Centre and Carmarthen School of Art. It was funded by Wales Arts International, British Council Wales and the Arts Council of Wales’ Creative Wales Ambassador Award. It was funded by the British Council, Arts Council of Wales and Wales Arts International in 2017 as part of the UK India Season of Culture, marking 70 years of India’s independence.
BG: What was the most important learning at the exchange program?
CSM: It was very interesting to interact with weavers and textile artists from Wales and see their work. They suggested I use my traditional weaving technique to create textile art. I realised the importance to learning new aspects and possibilities of weaving; of incorporating and assimilating a fresh approach to a traditional craft; and that one can learn at any age and keep learning over the years. I also observed how they interacted with others from small children to elders.
BG: How did you incorporate the suggestion in your work?
CSM: The project opened my mind to the possibilities of a new expression within my weaving technique and skills. I thought of recreating the beauty of the landscapes of Kutch in my weaves. Our region is famous for the Great Rann of Kutch that is a vast salt desert. This area is submerged during the monsoons, but after the rainy season the water dries up leaving a white salt desert. The views of Kutch are fascinating and I was keen to capture this beauty in my work. The horizon is important to me. I like to observe how it blurs and shifts.
Towards this aim, I took photographs of the Great Rann and other places in Kutch such as Godpar Lake, a garden in Avadhnagar, Mandvi beach and some villages. Selecting yarns of appropriate colours I worked on weaving these landscapes on the loom. The yarns are of Kala cotton, sheep wool and camel wool. Through the use of colour I capture the beauty of the salt desert, of the sky and land, of the effects of the sunrise and sunset on the loom. Through extra weft yarns I create special effects such as grass, vegetation, waves and flowers. I also weave stoles with interesting designs made with extra weft yarns and colourful tassels.
I am very happy to work with Kala cotton. It forms a strong, coarse and stretchable fibre. However, as its short staple length translates to fewer twists per inch of yarn, it is difficult to produce fine quality textiles with it. So, over time, its use for diminished when weaving textiles for mainstream markets. I am happy that Khamir has helped revive the spinning of Kala cotton. I enjoy weaving with it.
BG: Have your works been exhibited and what was the response
CSM: The Threads exchange program was followed by an exhibition of the work of the participating artisans and artists. The Indian Threads: Textile Inspirations exhibition was held from 28 November 2018 to 27 January 2019 at Ruthin Craft Centre, and from 14 September to 9 November 2019 at Aberystwyth Arts Centre). The exhibition showed new work by Julia Griffiths Jones, Laura Thomas, Louise Tucker, Eleri Mills, Rajiben M. Vankar and me. A publication documenting the exchange project and works was produced to accompany the exhibition.
My work have been exhibited at Aapno Varso exhibition in Vadodara (Baroda) in December 2022; the THAAN exhibition at Nila House, Jaipur (January 2023); the THAAN exhibition curated by Nila House, Jaipur, held at the Bangalore International Centre (June 2023); and Flourish Hearth Exhibition at Bangalore Creative Circus (Oct 2023).
BG: Did you do any course to help you with your work?
CSM: In 2020, I did the Creative and Cultural Business Programme (CCBP) at Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad that helped me understand the market, how to market one’s work, and the importance of marketing one’s work in the correct way including its pricing to take one’s business ahead.
BG: How do you find the process of weaving
CSM: I find the process of weaving quiet, peaceful and creative. I enjoy weaving from the comfort of my home. I look after home, my child and weave. I believe that weaving is the work of the heart and the mind, not only the hand. After marriage I moved to Bhujodi. My husband, Chandresh Magan Mangariya, also hails from a weaver’s family and they are progressive in their thinking and encourage me to weave. We have eight looms at home. I want to take my weaving forward, to evolve it further and give my traditional weaving art a new expression. I want to seek out new landscapes in Kutch and recreate them on weaves.
BG: Your message for the young generation of traditional weavers
CSM: I would like to convey to young weavers- from families of traditional weavers- to learn their craft well and then go on to explore it and expand their work to create art works as a reflection of their own aesthetics and environment. I also feel it is important to participate in workshops, exchange programs, courses to learn new skills and exhibitions, meet artists and artisans, and get inputs to nurture one’s work.
“Champa showed interest in enhancing her skills as a weaver through interventions such as the exchange program with Fieldwork studios and the CCBP program which has enabled her to become a more independent young entrepreneur rather than just another weaver weaving textiles for designers and corporations”, Juhi Pandey, former Director, Khamir.
Find out more:
www.khamir.org
Champa Siju Mangariya:
@champasijumangariya
champasiju97@gmail.com
Images courtesy of Vaishnavi Walvekar