ABSTRACT
The history of textiles is almost as old as the humanity itself. Due to this ancient and innaterelationship that exists between the humans and textiles, they are treated not just as objects of artbut act as carriers of cultural knowledge and traditions from one generation to another.Punjab, the land of astounding and vibrant culture, is known for its unique handwoven and handembroidered textiles all over the world – Phulkari being the most iconic of all. Mainly thewomenfolk is involved in making of these exquisite textiles and the tradition of bequeathing thesetreasured textiles from mothers to their daughters is rooted in the culture of Punjab. Stories areinherent in these traditional textiles – stories of their owners, makers, communities, life style, work life experiences, occupations, and more. Even if their stories are same, they differ in theircharacters, nature and essence.
Stories, if honest and real, have the power to transcend generations and spark a connection betweenthem. Stories provide a powerful and timeless link to family and cultural traditions. Hence,preserving the stories of legendary Phulkaris assigns meaning to their history and existence.Documenting the narratives of their owners/makers and bringing them to the readers can helpwitness how the womenfolk of Punjab has played a crucial role in bringing a social change andbuild community through their handicraft
ABOUT AUTHOR
SAREEKAH AGARWAAL
ARCHIVIST, ACADEMICIAN, RESEARCH SCHOLAR, TEXTILE PROFESSIONAL. PRESENTLY WORKING IN NIFT IN REPOSITORY PROJECT)
Sareekah Agarwaal is an Indian textile archivist, academician, a research scholar and a textile professional who obtained her Master’s degree in Fabric and Apparel Science from Lady Irwin College, Delhi University. She started her career as a freelancer and made her debut in the corporate world in 2006 with a consulting firm for technical textiles. She later got involved with fashion retailing, marketing and merchandising for a Delhi based clothing brand which soon became a leading contender in the fast fashion retail market. Sareekah is an ardent admirer of traditional Indian textiles. Her deep desire to work in this area took her into academics. She worked as Assistant Professor in the Department of Fabric and Apparel Science, Lady Irwin College, Delhi University and also served as Senior Consultant at Indira Gandhi National Open University. With a demonstrated history of working in the textile sector and having acquired skills in management, business strategy, academics, writing, and consulting, Sareekah is currently working at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi for developing a National Knowledge Portal named ‘The Repository – Indian Textiles and Crafts (RTC)’ for MOT under Craft Cluster Initiative of the NHDP programme being implemented by the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms and Handicrafts).
