Want to know more about Patola weave? Attend this session in Mumbai

(From left) Patola Sari, silk, late 19th to early 20th century, Patan. Pic Courtesy/Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum; intricate details of pallu and body in a Rajkot Patola saree. Pics Courtesy/Dr Urmila Mohan

The Patola weave will take centrestage at a session by Dr Urmila Mohan, anthropologist of material culture (PhD, University College London). The academic will highlight this popular weave from a socio-cultural perspective in a session titled Patan Patola to Rajkot Patola.

She explains, "Learning about silk patolas is a way to enter into the larger story of Indian handlooms. This illustrated talk builds upon themes of design, heritage, and the importance of textile collections to introduce Rajkot Patola, a form of silk weft ikat that emerged in Rajkot, Gujarat in the early 1950s, and how it has developed into a modern artisanal form."

A trade textile pattern recreated in weft ikat by Dinesh Makwana; (left) a couple weaves a saree in Rajkot

The form has evolved from Patan Patola to Rajkot Patola. Mohan elaborates about this journey, "Prior to the 1950s, the only type of Patola in India was the double ikat Patan Patola, a historic silk textile whose complex and laborious making process meant that only a few could own it. It would take six months for one family to make a saree, and customers would have to commission these pieces in advance. Rajkot Patola weavers, on the other hand, make single ikat versions of traditional patterns [where only the weft is patterned] that are more affordable."

Mohan aims to connect the cultural part of the textile form, "This talk will tease out the threads of how both Patan and Rajkot forms are valued and defined through their aesthetics, worth, social and technical factors, Geographic Indicators (GI) patent, and how makers in central Gujarat acquired socio-economic mobility over the last few decades. Altogether, this is a study of how a modern craft form emerges by engaging the imagination and efforts of various groups from weavers to textile collectors to cultural producers."

Dr Urmila Mohan. Pic Courtesy/jugaadproject on Instagram

Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and director, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum talks about the museum's collection of Patola textile, "The Museum has a small but interesting collection showcasing the rich textile traditions of India including Kinkhabs or brocades, Bandhani, Himroo saree, Paithani and three examples of Patolas which have been documented through a collaboration with Google Arts and Culture. We are pleased to present the talk by Dr Mohan now that the Museum has reopened to the public in January 2025. These lectures and talks are aimed at encouraging critical engagement with our collection for a scholarly as well as general audience."

ON April 5; 5.30 pm to 7 pm
AT Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Rani Baug, Veer Mata Jijabai Bhonsle Udyan, Byculla East.
LOG ON TO @bdlmuseum on Instagram (to register)
ENTRY Museum entry ticket applicable (Rs 20)