A dictionary on Vidarbha textiles

'Threaded Tales of Vidarbha' documents the region's saris but leaves you asking for more

- Pooja Singh

In a country rich in traditional textiles, motifs and crafts, it's a tragedy that little has been done to document their histories, relevance and the role they play in the lives of those who create them.

That's enough reason to call Threaded Tales Of Vidarbha, a new coffee-table book on the handwoven textiles and traditional motifs of the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, special. A collaborative effort between the Weavers' Service Centre of Nagpur, under the Union textile ministry, and designer Shruti Sancheti, the 108-pager is a dictionary of sorts that restricts the documentation of Vidarbha's vast, yet rarely explored, 200-year-old handloom history, to the famous saris it produces. The book, published by DC Handlooms, is available in public libraries and government institutions.