The Art Of Appliqué in India 

Appliqué is derived form the Latin word ‘applicare’ meaning ‘to fold’ or ‘to fasten’. It is the technique of applying colorful fabric pieces on the base fabric. Raw edges of these patches are finished with a definite mode of stitchery work. It developed as a means of mending old cloth or old garments from economical considerations. There are a vivid variety of Indian textiles in woven, embroidered, printed and other techniques. Appliqué is a textile technology that survives till today, not enjoying any royal patronage, but as an essential part to daily existence.

‘Our’ Rajmata Gayatri Devi: a 5 part tribute to a visionary leader ❤️

Rajmata

The word sends a shiver and thrill down every MGDian! For us, there is only one person who has earned this reaction. She is Rajmata Gayatri Deviji Sahiba, Queen Mother of the erstwhile royal state of Jaipur, the present capital of Rajasthan. Though she left us in 2009 she will continue to live in every breath we take, for generations …

This series of five posts is a tribute to Rajmata, written to share with the world who she really was and what she represented for little girls from Rajasthan, a western desert of India, recognised for its valour, colour and cultural heritage. It is also a state that, today, even nearly 75 years after India’s independence has one of the highest crime rates against women, an alarming number of child marriages and dowry deaths, and continues to practice the heinous crime of female foeticide (the killing of the girl child in the womb or immediately on birth, before they even take their first breath).

Shrey Purohit, the adventurer dreamer :)

"My paintings are a means of conveying hope, that reflects the community and comfort around the neighborhood,” says Shrey Purohit, who has won two PleinAir Salon Art Competition awards and then "donated and auctioned his prestigious 2021 PleinAir Salon Art Competition’s best artist under 30 Award-winning ‘Downtown Near the Van Gogh Exhibit’ oil painting to raise funds for the homeless and needy in San Francisco." I am so excited because I had taught Shrey at a design school in 2017 in Mumbai.