Beej Discover

How to support India’s handloom industry, one stitch at a time

How to support India’s handloom industry, one stitch at a time

There are many ways you can support India’s gorgeous handloom industry. I’m sharing what I’ve done over the years, so that it can help you also fall in love with Indian textiles like i have. Explore what’s in your home Open your sister or grand …

Crafts, Culture, Camels and the Charkha

Crafts, Culture, Camels and the Charkha

Surrounded by the Thar Desert is Bikaner, the desert city of Rajasthan. From here comes Ashok Bishnoi, who in 2004 founded the NGO Hastshilp. Working with folk crafts, he founded The Charkha (formerly knowns as Lokashram) representing the crafts of the region and khadi products. …

Slowing Down Fashion with the Natural Palette of India

Slowing Down Fashion with the Natural Palette of India

Dr. Bosco Henriques, the Founder-Director of BioDye India, which creates natural dyes for global labels such as Rachel MacHenry and homegrown labels including Ruchika Sachdeva’s Bodice, speaks about the natural palette of India, why isn’t it easy to scale up the natural dyeing process, and …

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

I have a box of letters hidden in my cupboard. Crumbly papers shoved in faded envelopes, and lots of misplaced nostalgia occupy space. I have none of the letters I wrote. The art of retrievement of a letter you send to someone is akin to …

An Indigo revival in Terai

An Indigo revival in Terai

An emotional revival of Indigo whose vibrancy is as illustrious as its history In the summer of 1859, ryots or peasants in Bengal refused to grow Indigo for European planters who had imposed exploitative and oppressive conditions on them. Neel Bidroha or the Indigo revolt …

Jigsawing Your Way Through The Pandemic

Jigsawing Your Way Through The Pandemic

Working through the lock down with an ethical jigsaw puzzle The first few months of being locked up at home were akin to life crawling by in slow motion. Time, once so scarce, was piling up in minutes, hours and days. The minutes ticked by …