Prof Sameer Sood, director of NIFT, said that NIFT Gandhinagar has always been at the forefront of preserving and revitalising India’s rich craft heritage. “This exemplary work by our students and faculty embodies our commitment to safeguarding crafts and empowering artisans while fostering innovation,” he said. The projects were guided by associate professors Dr Shubhangi Yadav and Rupali Pandit of the department of textile design.
For Saudagari prints, a group of students worked closely with Shakir Banglawala and his daughter Ireena. The students said that to give a new lease of life to this centuries-old art they used motifs such as Astodia Darwaza, Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, and Jama Masjid to represent the city of origin and came up with new designs using the same blocks — some of them older than 60-70 years. Ireena, an MBA graduate, said that they experimented with both fabric and designs to apply the craft to a new line of products.
Likewise, for Sujani weaving, the students worked with the Sujaniwala family and got design inspiration from Anni Albers, a pioneering textile artist. The group members broke the symmetry of Sujani pockets and created new ‘block-built’ arrangements.
The third group worked with Rathwa artisans who practice the Pithora art form, which is both sacred and vibrant. The group members said that they were clear that the re-imagining of the art should not go against the sentiments. “We gave them an outline of Panchtantra stories and did not give them any instructions on how to do it. They came up with beautiful motifs using the same inimitable style,” said a student.