Preserving a Legacy

In her new coffee-table book, Textiles of Rajasthan: At the Jaipur Court, noted academician, author and researcher Vandana Bhandari takes readers back in time to acquaint them with Rajasthan’s rich spread of textiles and time-honoured techniques to produce them.

- Neha Rege

THE FIFTH IN A SERIES, VANDANA Bhandari’s new book Textiles of Rajasthan: At the Jaipur Court, familiarises readers with textiles made locally in Rajasthan centuries ago, which now are a part of the collection of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, in City Palace, Jaipur. The book talks about the techniques used to produce these textiles, while simultaneously offering a glimpse— through old photographs from the museum’s archive—of traditional attires worn by Rajasthanis back in the day.

Vandana Bhandari has previously been the Dean of Academics at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and currently works as a professor there, in addition to serving as Project Coordinator of USTTAD (Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development). For the uninitiated, USTTAD is a national-level project that aims to preserve the heritage of traditional arts and crafts of minority communities, update the skills of master artisans and create valuable connections between artisans and practising designers.