Vishrambhai’s Shop at Bhujodi, Kutch

Shamji, Vishrambhai’s enterprising son, and his brothers have experimented with their traditional extra-weft technique and taken their craft to another level. Traditionally, they wove wool fabrics for the Rabari women and dhablas, intricately patterned woollen shawls, for the men, who lived on the other side of their village. Today, they weave shawls, stoles, sarees and fabric lengths using a variety of yarns, cotton, tassar, silk and wool for tourists and retail shops in urban centres, which place regular orders. Vishrambhai has, time and again, insisted that the boys work within their repertoire without diluting the essence of their tradition, explaining to them that this is their greatest strength. They have been experimenting, blending different yarns and reverting to the use of eco-friendly natural dyes to create new collections of shawls, stoles, sarees and interesting fabrics.

Shamji regularly refers to his vast collection of old samples for inspiration, and his interpretation has a contemporary look and feel. He is always interested in interacting with designers, because, as he explains, ‘I never know when I will get a new idea.’ He understands the importance of constantly evolving to create new collections every season. In recognition of his outstanding skills, Shamji received the National Award for Weaving from the Textile Ministry in 2005 and the Seal of Excellence awarded by UNESCO in the same year. He has been invited to participate in many international and national exhibitions to demonstrate his craft and display his work.

This is a wonderful example of design intervention and product development by the artisans themselves, responding to market needs to create a fresh, new range of merchandise without losing the inherent strength and quality of their craft. Many designers from India and other parts of the world have come to collaborate with Shamji and his brothers, which has given their craft a new direction and expanded their market. They have now created a shop displaying their merchandise within their home premises for the increasing number of tourists visiting their village.

Winter attracts many tourists to Kutch, and most visit Bhujodi, a village inhabited by weavers and the Rabari community. It is easily accessible and tourists visit this charming place to experience village life and buy some locally produced woollen shawls. Vishrambhai’s shop at Bhujodi is mentioned in many travel guides and is a major attraction to visitors. One winter morning in 2018, I decided to spend time at their shop to observe the customers’ reactions to their products. There were many customers from India and from abroad.

Once Shamji realises that a customer is interested in their products, he narrates stories about their craft and suggests that they come to see the production process. Just outside his shop, in an open shed, he has a pit loom and a charkha on display. He offers to show customers how the loom is operated and invites them to try their hand at spinning or sitting at the loom. I noticed that in most cases, once customers have had a glimpse of their production process, they were very impressed because they were able to appreciate and understand the labour that goes into handcrafted production. They no longer haggled about the prices. There was now a genuine appreciation for the beautiful handcrafted textiles that Shamji and his team had created. I also noticed that while some bought the finer quality soft stoles with delicate extra-weft patterns, most of the tourists bought something that had a local flavour, in indigenous materials like desi wool or organic kala cotton.

Shamji and his family have been able to offer regular work to over 60 weavers. This has had a rolling effect, creating work opportunities for weavers in the surrounding villages as well. He has become an inspiration to many, and has been encouraging young artisans to continue practising their ancestral profession.