A journey in textiles and color

  • Drishti away

    In South Indian culture, drishti is believed to be a manifestation of negative thoughts directed at a person by others. Our life force (prana) is disrupted by this negative drishti which in translation means "evil eye." We have many rituals to protect us and to counteract this evil eye. Camphor,... View Post
  • Pochampally Ikat - a different weave

    The best part of shopping for fabrics for Mayil scarves is that I do it with my friends and family. It is easy to rope them in since everyone likes shopping. Now that our kids are older, I am able to travel by myself to India; likewise, my childhood friends with their similarly aged kids are free... View Post
  • Bhoodan movement and traveler's notes

    Read our main blog on Pochampally Ikat - a different weave. The Boodan Movement Before the 1970s, Pochampally mainly produced cotton ikats, and the color came from all natural sources. With the 1970s introduction of silk into the fabric, the Pochampally sari became famous, as did the tiny village... View Post
  • Winner of chosen paths and remover of obstacles - Ganesha

    Follow my blog with Bloglovin Ganesha, the elephant headed Hindu god, is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, he is a universal god, and many worship him regardless of religious affiliation.*  Since he is the god of beginnings, many rituals ... View Post
  • Kalamkari - art on textile

    As part of my visits to India in the past few years, I have tried to travel to places renowned for their unique textiles.  These mini trips are doubly fun for me: I often get a few of my childhood friends to come with me, and I get to  “shop” for fabrics to design Mayil scarves. My most recent t... View Post
  • Joy of bartering

    Everyone knows about bartering – a system of exchange of goods or services directly for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange like money. Bartering is an age old practice and was in existence long before money in the form of coins and notes came into play - as early as 6000 B... View Post