The Patola weave will take centrestage at a session by Dr Urmila Mohan, anthropologist of material culture (PhD, University College London). The academic will highlight this popular weave from a socio-cultural perspective in a session titled Patan Patola to Rajkot Patola.

She explains, “Learning about silk patolas is a way to enter into the larger story of Indian handlooms. This illustrated talk builds upon themes of design, heritage, and the importance of textile collections to introduce Rajkot Patola, a form of silk weft ikat that emerged in Rajkot, Gujarat in the early 1950s, and how it has developed into a modern artisanal form.”