Embroidery residency in France celebrates Indian forms of the art

"Earlier, it was difficult to buy medicine or soap because of financial problems and lack of development. Today, due to the recognition earned from embroidery, many families in my village lead respectful lives," says 49-year-old kantha embroidery expert Tajkhira Begum. Her husband and she teach and work with over 200 women in and around their village Nanoor in West Bengal.

People interacting with Meghuben Rabari at the exhibition

The changes in Begum's life resonate far away, in Gujarat, with three women - Meghiben Shamliya and Meghuben Rabari of Kutch, and Dayaben Dohat from Banaskantha. The trio, along with Begum, was chosen by Mumbai organisation Paramparik Karigar, Indo-French Institute of Brittany (France) and AADI (Alliance Armor Dupleix Inde à Morlaix), to participate in an embroidery residency programme in Brittany, France, in September.

Morlaix's mayor, Jean Claude Breton, with Begum, Rabari, Shamliya and Dohat

Jean Claude Breton, president of the Indo-French institute, extended the invite to the four women embroiderers. The Bretons have been active members of Paramparik Karigar for several years, and while their institute invites performing artistes to Brittany every year, this is a first for the embroiderers "Last year, the Bretons had hosted an exhibition of embroidery pieces that they had collected from across India, mainly Gujarat, in Brittany. They received several inquiries and decided to do this programme. We were invited to promote traditional embroideries of India, especially from Kutch, the rest of Gujarat and West Bengal, because they share certain similarities with the embroideries of Brittany and France," informs Kokila Isharani of Paramparik Karigar, who along with fellow member, Shehnaz Dohadwala, accompanied the women for their residency from September 14 to 30. The women were selected with the help two other NGOs, Qasab from Kutch and Banglanatak.com from Kolkata.

The women pose like The Beatles for a French newspaper

The trip involved and offered a lot more than conducting a masterclass for six days that was attended by a mixed group ranging from 25-year-old students to 82-year-old homemakers. For the first two days, the group was part of a culture and heritage walk in the town where they not only visited historic spots such as the town hall (where they met the mayor) and public libraries, but also interacted with locals about their art. The Bretons translated French to English, while Isharani and Dohadwala, interpreted it to Gujarati and Hindi for the women. A local journalist accompanied them during this visit. "There were posters all over town, and after the journalist wrote about us in the newspaper, a lot of people came to interact with the craftswomen at the exhibition on the following days," Isharani tells us.

The women also visited two embroidery museums nearby, a local art college and school, where students and children interacted and tried their hand at the four embroideries (ahir, kantha, rabari and soof) that the women specialise in. They were also able to learn a local style of knitting from Brittany's craftsmen. The locals were particularly interested in aabhla as it involves mirror work. Throughout their stay, the Bretons hosted the group at their home. Claudine Breton even cooked Indian food to make them comfortable.

The highlight was the six-day workshop, which saw participation by both women and men. "We were amazed by the respect that the women got there. They were like celebrities. Even though many did not speak English, language was not a barrier. They used hand gestures and simple words to communicate. The locals were curious about their way of living and the fact that they have been embroidering since the age of seven," says Isharani, who is now prepping with the Paramparik team for a Bharatnatyam Ballet Thari inspired by weaves, by Malavika Sarukkai.

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