Eri Silk Kalidaar with Pashmina Zari shawl

Becoming of Ruuh has been a beautiful process because looking back at her, we still cannot tell exactly how she came together. In that way, our process came all the way from our Ruuh, spirit, soul or intuition, whatever we may call that essence. This intuition is not child-like. It is mature, seasoned and based on a solid conditioning of a consistent team of minds that have worked together for over 15 years. I was in Melbourne, Mumma with Gurmail and Param in Bathinda, Narmohan Da with Eri to bring it to a perfect heft in Assam, while Pashmina was being created by Muneer bhai’s family in Srinagar. We all have worked together year after year after year, knowing each other clearly enough to see through what the other may be wishing. 

Ruuh was designed through WhatsApp video calls, voice messages, “we at work” photos and hundreds of back and forth discussions. We did not let “being together” come in the way of our “ruuh coming together” to transform diverse weaves, textures, motifs, and origins into this subtlety. This design is our collective favourite in the collection. It is our bundle of little surprises from our creative-technical spirit. We can collectively see that now we have overcome an obstacle, and graduated to being a team that co-creates effortlessly, seamlessly and intellectually, without needing to be in the same space while conceptualising this complex design. At the onset, it appears “simple”. On closer look, and in flat silence, the mastery reveals. 

Every little aspect has been visualised in my mind in Melbourne while the hands, feet, eyes, and heart moved devotedly towards a creation we all loved to believe in. When was my mind really visualising it, of that, I have no clear memory. Though I do remember Mumma saying often, “It is quite complex to do it over the phone, let’s see what will come out of it”

Ruuh brings together a multipaneled Eri silk Kalidaar with a border composed of diverse weaves and textures achieved through an interesting play of patchwork. A more than 8-inch border provides the perfect heft required to hold about 6 metres of the circumference of the kalidaar. The kalidaar merited two shawls at the same time. One gold. One silver. One morning. One gearing for the evening. A sun. And a moon. On a neutral Kora ground. Kora is undyed, unbleached. As it is. The gold is Pashmina woven with zari thread (taar). The silver is tissue with woven-in diamond patterns. Together they cover the light, the dark and the neutral. Optimism, pessimism and the vacuum beyond it. 

To the one who will take her home, may we feel your Ruuh, just as you may feel ours through her too. 

Ruuh is a one-of-a-kind textile designed to highlight a unique coming together of various techniques and creativity of handcraft. This design will not be recreated. Ruuh comes with a blouse fabric designed to encourage Mora fireflies to bring their authentic spirit to the fabrication of blouse fit, usage of borders and edgings. The blouse worn by me is not included.

Param did the beadwork 

Gurmail, the tailor

Muneer Shaikh’s family made the Pashmina

Narmohan Dada, the master wild silk pioneer

Mumma, Madhu, technical supervision of stitching 

Midtoan.com, the photographer

Designed by Ritika