Come with me on an unforgettable journey in a country who prises its handloom industry, celebrating its remarkable back strap weaving traditions, that still produces their national dress, still worn with pride for most formal occasions

Ladakh, high up in the Himalayas covered in snow for more months than it is not, a place of prayer flags, Buddhist monasteries and Pashmina nomads. Weaving and spinning were part of the average winter household activities, producing blankets & woollen garments, from sheep fleece much needed in the harsh climate, rugs from soft yak fibres, ropes and grain bags from the stronger yak hair. Lena (Pashmina) fibre was traded and woven by the Kashmiris who were able to remove the unwanted hair...

Chhipa Chhapa Chhapai Community Motifs Process On one of my trips to Bagru this year, a village on the outskirts of Jaipur, that specialises in natural dye block prints, I was delighted to be introduced to the Titanwala family from the Chhipa community who have gone to great lengths to preserve and honour traditional block printing, with the publication of a book and the establishment of the Titanwala Museum. Hand block printing skills passed down through the generations over the last...