Returning to the Roots: Banjara Embroidery

When Rohit Rathod’s grandfather came to see his grandmother to seek her hand in marriage, his family did not see the prospective bride. Instead, they looked at the embroidery of her attire! Rohit says it told them all they needed to know about the girl: her attention to detail, her sense of aesthetics, and whether she would be a good daughter-in-law! ‘We cannot try that now,’ laughs Rohit, whose initiative focuses on reviving Banjara embroidery in its traditional form, ‘but you can imagine how important the craft was in those days.’