The Indian handloom industry, it seems to me, rests on one premise: the saree. As long as that unstitched but very structured cloth remains in abundant usage, all is well.” 

This visceral quote in the foreword to The Master Weavers: Festival of India in Britain, Royal College of Art 1982, by Martand Singh or Mapu as he was widely known, connects the culture of the saree with the greater purpose of the nation’s economy and well-being. Mapu, who remains India’s beloved textile revivalist, led a pioneering series of exhibitions titled, Vishwakarma—Master Weavers for the Festivals of India in the 1980s and 1990s.