A story of old and new 'ikat'

An ongoing exhibition aims to raise awareness about one of the robust textile traditions of India

- Pooja Singh

In one of the halls of Delhi's National Crafts Museum hangs a red silk scroll printed with the Twenty Point Programme, detailing schemes relating to health, employment generation, poverty alleviation, which was introduced in 1975 as part of the Union government's Five-Year Plan. Move closer and you will see the subtle zig zags at the corners of each English letter become visible the 20 sentences are woven in ikat. The same technique is visible in the border that carries fish motifs, part of the repertory of Odisha ikat textiles. Below the border is the name and address of the scroll's weaver-creator: Sudam Guin, resident of Nuapatna in east Odisha's Cuttack.