SPIN UP

Satish Nagendra Poludas, Founder & Principal Designer, Kora Design Collaborative, Hyderabad, shares his thoughts with Brinda Gill on the practise and potential of hand-spinning in India

- Brinda Gill

HAND-SPINNING IS ONE OF THE OLDEST CRAFTS IN INDIA. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS FORM OF INDIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP?

Traditionally, most people have practised hand-spinning of cotton, in different parts of the country, as part of their daily activities. There is evidence of hand-spinning in sites associated with the Indus Valley Civilisation that tell of its existence for millennia. The growing of different varieties of cotton in different parts of the country led to the continued practise of hand-spinning over the centuries. Cotton cultivation through the centuries meant that cotton adapted to local conditions and developed individual characteristics. This led to the emergence of a great range of indigenous cotton varieties in India. Even today, cotton is hand-spun using different tools, techniques and charkhas.

In India, it is possible to travel back in time when you travel in the interior districts of the country. Travel in India is very interesting —one can see the evolution of any skill or process.

When we talk about spinning, in some interior places of Jharkhand, one sees a primitive spindle being used; in the Northeast, the small drop spindle is used. The technique in Andhra Pradesh makes use of a detailed pre-spinning and spinning process. On the other hand, whereas the pre-spinning into sliver-making process before hand-spinning is more mechanised in Bihar. In Nagaland, the women sing as they spin by thigh-rolling the spindle to make the yarn.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF HAND SPINNERS?